The Potemkin Stairs, Potemkin Steps, or, officially, Primorsky Stairs are a giant stairway in Odesa, Ukraine. They are considered a formal entrance into the city from the direction of the sea and are the best known symbol of Odesa.
Potemkin Stairs in Odesa, Ukraine
The 142-metre (155 yard) long Potemkin Stairs. Photo from between 1890 and 1900
Potemkin Stairs c. early 20th century
The Potemkin Stairs as seen in Battleship Potemkin
Forced perspective is a technique that employs optical illusion to make an object appear farther away, closer, larger or smaller than it actually is. It manipulates human visual perception through the use of scaled objects and the correlation between them and the vantage point of the spectator or camera. It has uses in photography, filmmaking and architecture.
This image makes the Paranal Observatory's laser guide stars "meeting point" feel closer than it really is. In reality, the beams extend to an infinite distance.
Use of forced perspective with tourist attractions like the Leaning Tower of Pisa is popular in tourist photography.
Forced perspective in the Roman Emperor Constantine's Aula Palatina - Trier: The windows and the coffer in the apse are smaller, and the apsis has a raised floor.
From the outside, the true size of the apsis windows is apparent.
