Stairs & Staircases

The Potemkin Staircase is a famous staircase situated in Odessa, Ukraine.  They are the most famous symbol of Odessa and act as a formal entrance into the city.

The staircase is constructed in such as manner that it narrows as it goes up (the bottom step is 21.7m wide and the stop step is 12.5 meters wide). This method of construction creates an optical illusion that give the staircase the impression that they are considerably longer than they really are and also helps to  give a more majestic focal to the top. It is also created so that there is an optical illusion where by a person standing at the top of the stairs looking down can only see the landing at the bottom of the stairs (and not the stairs themselves) while a person standing at the bottom can only see the stairs (and not the landing at the top).

Reason for construction

Odessa is situated on a high steppe plateau. There was a long winding path that led from the city to the harbor, however it got to a time where the people who lived in Odessa really needed a direct access route to the harbor which is located below it; thus a grand staircase was designed and constructed.