Ukraine

Odesa

WHS Score 3.19
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Votes for Odesa

1.0

  • Luis Filipe Gaspar

2.0

  • Evgenii
  • Solivagant

2.5

  • Alexander Lehmann
  • CugelVance
  • WalGra
  • Wojciech Fedoruk

3.0

  • Cholden324
  • GithaK
  • Ilya Burlak
  • Jakubmarin
  • Philipp Leu
  • Szucs Tamas
  • Zoë Sheng

3.5

  • Adrian Turtschi
  • Dimitar Krastev
  • Hanming
  • Samy G
  • Timothy C Easton

4.0

  • Krijn
  • nicku

4.5

  • Malgorzata Kopczynska
  • Nick M

5.0

  • Cezar Grozavu
  • del
  • frizzle
  • Rahelka
  • Vernon Prieto
  • Yamen
  • Yevhen Ivanovych

The historic center of Odesa represents an intact example of 19th-century Eastern European urban planning and architecture.

The city’s development was made possible by its success as a military and commercial Black Sea port. Its fast pace of growth and multicultural identity, due to its location at the border of Europe and Asia, has led to a variety of architectural styles being used. The property comprises an ensemble of heterogenous buildings and monuments and the port.

Community Perspective: the city has a Mediterranean feel to it, with cultural monuments and buildings in many different styles and the Potemkin Stairs as its best-known landmark.

Site Info

Official Information
Full Name
The Historic Centre of Odesa (ID: 1703)
Country
Ukraine
Status
Inscribed 2023 Site history
History of Odesa
2023: In Danger
Directly in Danger
2023: Inscribed
Inscribed
In Danger
Directly in Danger Since 2023
Type
Cultural
Criteria
  • ii
  • iv
Links
UNESCO
whc.unesco.org
All Links
UNESCO.org
News Article
  • 16 Jan 2026 odessa-journal.com — Ukraine and Italy Sign €32.5M Grant to Restore Odessa’s Cultural Heritage
  • 24 Jul 2025 united24media.com — Historic Pryvoz Market and UNESCO Site Damaged in Odesa
  • 2 Feb 2025 rferl.org — Russian Missile Attack Injures 7 In Odesa, Causes Serious Damage To Historic City Center
  • 23 Jul 2023 unesco.org — Odesa: UNESCO strongly condemns attack on World Heritage property

Community Information

  • Community Category
  • Urban landscape: Maritime
Travel Information
Red Zone Travel Advisory
Red Zone Travel Advisory

Ukraine fully off-limits

Recent Connections
View all (27) .
Connections of Odesa
Geography
  • Black Sea
    on the north-western shore of the Black Sea
Trivia
History
  • Medici lions
    At the Vorontsov Palace
  • Queens and Empresses
    Catherine II: "The city was founded in 1794 by a strategic decision of the Empress Catherine II to build a warm-water port following the conclusion of the Russo-Turkish war of 1787-1792." (Official description)
  • Ancient Greek colonies
    "Odesa was the site of a large Greek settlement no later than the middle of the 6th century BC (a necropolis from the 5th–3rd centuries BC has long been known in this area). Some scholars believe it to have been a trade settlement established by the Greek city of Histria." (wiki)

    See commons.wikimedia.org

Architecture
  • Italian Architects outside Italy
    "Designed by renowned architects and engineers, many from Italy in the early years" (AB ev) + "buildings built by architects such as the Italian Francesco Boffo, who in early 19th-century built a palace and colonnade for the Governor of Odesa, Prince Mikhail Vorontsov, the Potocki Palace and many other public buildings." (wiki)
  • Modern Urban Planning
    "Odesa, through its urban planning and built heritage" (Brief description)
  • Art Nouveau
    Falz-Fein House (and others)

    See www.lonelyplanet.com

Damaged
  • Damaged in World War II
    "The city also suffered some severe damages and many casualties during the Second World War." (AB ev)
  • Damaged in War since WWII
    During Russian invasion of Ukraine (2022-2023): "On 23 July 2022, the seaport in Odesa was hit by the missiles. According to the nomination dossier, five damaged sites have been detected and identified. Two of them involve the Vorontsov Palace .... The analysis did not reveal any severe structural damages, only breakage of windows and glass rooftop." (AB ev), plus on 23 July damage to the historic Transfiguration Cathedral (see link)

    See www.reuters.com

World Heritage Process
Human Activity
Constructions
  • Lighthouses
    Vorontsov Lighthouse, since 1862: "The lighthouse is connected with the port's shoreline by a long stone causeway and jetty, which protect the port from the southern high seas."

    See en.wikipedia.org

  • Funiculars
    Potemkin Stairs: "On the left side of the stairs, a funicular railway was built in 1906 to transport people up and down instead of walking. After 73 years of operation (with breaks caused by revolution and war), the funicular was replaced by an escalator in 1970.[2] The escalator was in turn closed in 1997 but a new funicular was opened on 2 September 2005." (wiki)

    See en.wikipedia.org

  • Theatres and Opera Houses
    the Odesa Opera and Ballet Theatre
  • Catacombs
    "the main building material was local shell rock cut into blocks, quarried in the traditional manner from quarries around the city. Natural conditions and stone quarrying within the city led to the creation of a labyrinth of underground tunnels, known as “catacombs” or “mines”. Their presence can affect structures and limit the height of buildings." (AB eval). Numerous references in the Nom file. NOTE: the tourist entry part is not in the core zone, but the catacombs extend under the inscribed area.

    See www.atlasobscura.com

WHS on Other Lists
Timeline
Visiting conditions
WHS Names
  • Named after Adolf Hitler
    "Catherine Square, where the monument to the empress previously stood, has been called Karl Marx Square and Adolf Hitler Square within living memory" (see link)

    See www.google.com

  • Name changes
    Upon inscription and as suggested by ICOMOS: from "The historic center of the port city of Odesa" to "The Historic Centre of Odesa"
Literature & Film
News
odessa-journal.com 16/01/2026
Ukraine and Italy Sign €32.5M Gran…
united24media.com 24/07/2025
Historic Pryvoz Market and UNESCO …
rferl.org 02/02/2025
Russian Missile Attack Injures 7 I…

Community Reviews