State Scientific Library in odessa
With conflict and division in europe.
I witnessed the end of the Berlin Wall and assumed all the nations of Europe would grow closer, and that Russia would develop into a thriving democracy. I was wrong. Odesa and Liverpool are twin cities
The aim of twinning is to explore friendship and cultural links similarities in history, heritage, architecture and urban identity. In this article, using photos from Wikipedia and my own images, I look for parallels and echoes between the two cities, both port cities, with a mixture of cultures, looking out over seas that are surrounded by countries, the Black Sea and the Irish Sea. Odesa and Liverpool, twin cities since 1957, just over 2500 kilometres apart, around 3 hours by jet, 3200 kilometres by road and ferry, that's 2000 miles. Both have a long maritime heritage that's visible everywhere.
This is the New Vorontsov Lighthouse, first lit in 1955, this is the decommissioned New Brighton Lighthouse, built in 1830. From Odesa, the map shows ferry routes to Istanbul and Crime. They are currently suspended. From Liverpool, there are daily ferries to Dublin, Belfast and the Isle of Man. One of the symbols of Odesa is the early 19th century colonnade of the Vorontsov Palace. It can be seen on the official Odesa website. The only thing similar that I could find in the Liverpool region is the war memorial in. Southport, with two colonnades and an obelisk, unveiled in 1923.
It has plain Doric columns. This is Tower Promenade by the River Mersey looking towards New Brighton. No, it isn't! It's Odesa Promenade, next to the Black Sea. Beware of fake images! This is the real Tower Promenade, looking towards New Brighton with the River Mersey and the cranes of the Liverpool docks. The flag of Odesa contains the city's coat of arms with an anchor. Liverpool doesn't have an official flag, but its most famous symbol is the Liver Bird. Odessa was founded in 1794 by the Russian empress, Catherine the Great. The origins of Liverpool go back to 1207 and King John.
Odesa is built at the top of cliffs overlooking a bay. That cliff is where the Potemkin Stairs are today. We'll see them later. Liverpool is built on sloping land next to the river. On the right we can see the castle, which disappeared centuries ago. There is a similarity in the 19th century grid pattern in both cities. Odesa is a city of over one million people and there are adjoining urban centres to the north and south. The City of Liverpool is around half a million.
The Liverpool city region has one point five million inhabitants. Odesa's main station opened in 1884 and was rebuilt in 1952. Voksal in Ukrainian and Russian is a word for 'station'.
It came from the place named Vauxhall,
Not the one in liverpool but the one in london.
Look it up on Wikipedia! Liverpool's main station, Lime Street, opened in August 1836 and remains the world's oldest still-operating grand terminus mainline station. Odessa Airport, code ODS, lies 4.3 km to the south west of the city. It was built in 1961. Liverpool John Lennon Airport, code LPL, is 12 km south east of the city.
It dates back to the 1930s. You can take M05 motorway to get to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, around 474 kilometres or 300 miles to the north. The M62 motorway is the first section of the route from Liverpool to London, 340 kilometres or 213 miles to the south east. On Ekaterinskay Square you can find the Monument to the founders of Odessa, also known as the monument to Catherine the Great and her companions, built 1900, dismantled 1920, restored 2007. The monument to Queen Victoria was unveiled in 1906 and remained mostly undamaged in the Liverpool Blitz. Winston Churchill came to Liverpool and said: "I see the damage done by the enemy attacks, but I also see the spirit of an unconquered people.". This is Odesa's Passage shopping arcade, a popular tourist destination. Liverpool has the India Buildings shopping arcade, but it's no longer accessible to the public as it houses HMRC.
I asked the East European security guard if I could take a photo but he said it's forbidden as this is a government installation. Sounds like the Soviet days have resurfaced in Liverpool. One of Odesa's most famous attractions the Потьо́мкінські схо́ди, Pot'yómkins'ki skhódy, the Potemkin stairs, constructed between 1837 to 1841 to link the port with the city above. They feature in the silent film Battleship Potemkin by Sergei Eisenstein. Liverpool has the new flight of steps to the Metropolitan Cathedral, which were completed in 2003. Potemkin Stairs have 192 steps, The Metropolitan Cathedral: 56. Next to the Potemkin Stairs is a funicular railway, installed in 1906 to transport people from the port to the city above. Liverpool had the Liverpool Overhead Railway or Dockers' Umbrella, opened 1893, dismantled 1956.
Here's a blue Odessa tram. I've seen trams similar to this in Prague, Poland and East Germany. Liverpool abandoned its trams and a planned new system never arrived. On the streets of the city, privately run buses are currently the main form of public transport. The Odessa Opera House is a magnificent building and was inspired by opera houses in Germany and Italy. Liverpool has The Empire Theatre, not quite so magnificent, though like the Odesa Opera it has Greek-style Ionic pillars. Odessa has a strong French influence in its architecture and street layout. Opulent hotels were built to accommodate aristocratic Russian visitors.
It's often said that Odesa is a blend of cultures: Ukrainian and Russian with other influences. This is the opulent Dom Russova hotel. It has been magnificently restored in recent years. The former North Western Hotel in front of LIme St is now being converted back into a hotel. Another famous symbol of Odesa is Primorski Boulevard, overlooked by two symmetrical curved façades and the statue of the Duc de Richelieu.
In Liverpool, Exchange Flags is overlooked by
Magnificent white facades and in the middle is the nelson monument.
Odessa City Hall is a stunning, white
Neo-classical with a colonnade of ten corinthian style pillars, the ones with leaves at the top.
There is one building in Liverpool that echoes this neo-classical style.
It's Saint Georges Hall with its magnificent colonnade, now lit up in the colours of Ukraine. This is the interior of the Odesa Philharmonic Hall. Liverpool also has a Philharmonic Hall but the most opulent interior is inside St George's Hall. The French art nouveau influence can be seen on the façade of the Bolshaya Moskovskaya Hotel. Liverpool has Grand Central Hall with its art nouveau ornamentation and a tower almost like an Orthodox Christian church. The avenues of Odessa are tree-lined, with cobblestones and a look of Paris or Marseille. The streets of Liverpool look more North European with Minis, SUVs and, just to spoil my photo, a white van. That's the Orthodox church of St Nicholas.
We'll see that again later. This is the Pushkin Monument in an old photograph, like nearly all the Odesa photos in this article, taken from Wikipedia. The boulevards are laid out in a grid pattern as can be seen in this aerial Google Earth view. Unfortunately, Odesa has not yet upgraded to 3D. To the south of the city centre, there is a grand, European-style avenue. It's Prince's Boulevard, leading to Prince's Park, overlooked by grandiose mansions with white façades that wouldn't look out of place in Odesa. Here are some of the apartment buildings along Prince's Boulevard. No, they're not, these are on Primorski Boulevard in Odesa.
I said to watch out for fake information! These ornate nineteenth-century terraces are on Prince's Boulevard, Liverpool, also known as Prince's Road or Prince's Avenue. 1100. Primorskiy Parkway is a popular place to stroll in Odesa. It looks rather like the newly created paths along the centre of Princes Boulevard. On Primorsky Boulevard you'll find the remains of an ancient Greek settlement, protected under a pyramid-like glass canopy. The only thing I could think of in Liverpool is this bizarre pyramid-shaped grave on Rodney Street. In Odesa, as in Liverpool, football is popular. This is the Chornomorets stadium.
In Liverpool of course, we have. Anfield and Everton, soon to move to a new stadium in the docks. The Alexander II column is in Shevchenko Park and in Liverpool, the Samuel Smith obelisk is in Sefton Park. To the south of Odesa there are beaches, resorts and hotels with swimming pools typical of those along the Black Sea coast. The closest seaside resort to Liverpool is New Brighton. Once visited by thousands in the summer, it went into decline but it has recently made a comeback. Though it has to be said, the weather on the Irish sea is not as warm as on the Black Sea. In the next few images, we can see the neo-classical influence in both cities.
The words say державна наукова бібліотека - derzhavna naukova biblioteka - the State Scientific Library.
Today it's called the National Scientific Library
Ad its pillars are ionic.
Liverpool Central Library interior is a potent combination of old and new. On the outside, its pillars are Corinthian. This is the медичний університет medychnyy universytet or. Medical University. On its beautiful white façade, there are four Ionic pillars. The magnificent St Bride's Church in Liverpool's Georgian district has a cream façade with six Ionic pillars.
Odessa Archeological museum repeats the theme of Classical and white with Corinthian columns. In Liverpool, the Walker Art Gallery has Corinthian pillars and you'll find white statues inside, and there's one up on the roof! As port cities, both Liverpool and Odesa have a blend of faiths. This is the Al-Salam Mosque and Arab Cultural Centre with its striking green dome. In Liverpool, there is the Al-Rahma mosque, located off Princes Boulevard, close to other places of worship. Odessa has a synagogue, though many Jewish people left after World War 2. In Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, New York, there's an area called 'Little Odessa'. Prince's Road Synagogue has some common architectural features, such as the rose window and the arched windows, though the building materials are different. Next to the Black Sea is St Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Church.
There's no Armenian Church in Liverpool, but close to Prince's Road is St Nicholas Orthodox Church. There is a Lutheran church in Odesa, similar to churches in northern Germany. In Liverpool, the Deutsche Kirche was built in 1960 and serves the German community. Odesa has a number of precious religious sites of great architectural significance, including the Panteleimon Monastery. Liverpool famously has two cathedrals. The Roman Catholic. Metropolitan Cathedral, completed in 1968. The Transfiguration Cathedral is the Orthodox Cathedral in Odessa, dating back over 200 years.
It's very different to Liverpool Cathedral, the Anglican cathedral in Liverpool, built in the 20th century. It suffered some damage in World War 2 but was restored and finally completed in 1978. Not far from Liverpool city centre, there is a small but beautiful Russian Orthodox Church. So let's keep those candles burning. On the promenade in New Brighton, there was a ship made out of driftwood called the Black Pearl. Sadly it was destroyed in a storm. I found this blue and yellow-painted pebble on the railing so as the ferry arrives from now peaceful Belfast, I'll leave it there. I hope you found this article interesting, maybe even inspiring.