Odesa Oblast, also referred to as Odeshchyna (Одещина), is an oblast (province) of southwestern Ukraine, located along the northern coast of the Black Sea. Its administrative centre is the city of Odesa. Population: 2,351,382.
Akkerman fortress
Rapeseed field in Odesa Oblast
The remains of the buildings of Tyras, under the walls
Potemkin Stairs, Odesa
Odesa is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrative centre of the Odesa Raion and Odesa Oblast, as well as a multiethnic cultural centre. As of January 2021, Odesa's population was approximately 1,010,537. On 25 January 2023, its historic city centre was declared a World Heritage Site and added to the List of World Heritage in Danger by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in recognition of its influence on cinema, literature, and the arts. The declaration was made in response to the bombing of Odesa during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has damaged or destroyed buildings across the city.
The remains of an ancient Greek settlement (under the glass roof) on Prymorskyi Boulevard in Odesa
Ivan Martos's statue of the Duc de Richelieu in Odesa
In the mid-19th century Odesa became a resort town famed for its popularity among the Russian upper classes. This popularity prompted a new age of investment in the building of hotels and leisure projects.
By the early 1900s Odesa had become a large, thriving city, complete with European architecture and electrified urban transport.