Odessa, Ukraine's third-largest city on the Black Sea coast, is one of the most charming and architecturally distinctive cities of the former Soviet Union — a cosmopolitan port founded by Catherine the Great in 1794 that grew rapidly through trade, attracting Greeks, Jews, Italians, French and Russians who left a legacy of neoclassical and Art Nouveau architecture that earned it the nickname "Pearl of the Black Sea." The Potemkin Stairs — 192 steps descending from the city's main boulevard to the port, made world-famous by Eisenstein's 1925 film Battleship Potemkin — are the city's defining monument. Deribasivska Street, the main pedestrian thoroughfare, is lined with restaurants and cafés. The Opera and Ballet Theatre, an ornate 1887 building modelled on Dresden's Opera, is one of the finest in Eastern Europe. The Odessa Catacombs — an underground maze of tunnels used by partisans during WWII — are extraordinary. The Lanzheron and Arkadia beaches are the city's popular summer destinations along the Black Sea. Odessa's humour (the city has a rich tradition of Jewish comedy), its food culture and its distinctly irreverent character made it unique in the Soviet world. Always check current travel safety advisories for Ukraine before visiting, as the security situation has been significantly affected by Russia's invasion.
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