Little Venice in Odessa

Italian courtyard in Odessa – is a splendid building of the 19th century. It is conveniently located in the Odessa state Philharmonic society address: Bunina str., 15. Before or after a visit to Philharmonic society, the Odessa be sure to visit this Italian area of Odessa. Here you can enjoy the Italian Renaissance, and admire the Gothic building with elements of the Venetian Renaissance.

Tower courtyard beautifully complement the integrity of the picture. Balconies maintain a pretty fabulous dragons. The Windows are made in the form of arches with twisted columns and a marble. Turret similar to the guards of this Odessa area of Venice.

Walking around the Italian courtyard of the people can feel the breath of culture of Italy. The interior features ceramic tile mural art, modeling and sculpture. Beauty strikes the eye, which is not surprising: 30 works were presented at the world competition to create the Italian yard in Odessa. But it was one and it belonged to the architect Vikentiy the Prohaska.

The project was approved only after the chief architect of Odessa Bernardazzi have made minor adjustments and demonstrated their vision of the future courtyard. In making its verdict Bernardazzi paid tribute to the vision of the architect Dombrowski.

Due to the fact that the project involved not only the indigenous inhabitants of Odessa, but also representatives of Venice, the building has acquired quite a large resemblance to the Doge's Palace which is a jewel of Venetian architecture. Once the project was approved, construction began.

The architectural structure was built 5 years (1894-1899). On the design of the interior and exterior worked famous sculptors and artists of Marcione, and Patryk Molinari. It spent about 800 thousand rubles. At that time it was big money. On the territory of the Italian yard was about rich merchants. To conclude the deal, argued and bargained, enjoying the beautiful architectural groups. This architectural ensemble was created under the new merchant's exchange.

Italy and Odessa – it's an interesting relationship. Previously wondered how many marble buildings in Odessa and where I got the volcanic stone for Odessa yards. After all, volcanoes in Odessa did not. It was all just. Italy in those times have purchased quite a lot of our grain. Ships from Italy had no cargo to Odessa, so for the ballast in them was uploaded Italian marble and volcanic stone.

In the Odessa port, the ballast was unloaded, and Odessa craftsmen quickly found a use for it. As you can see, it's pretty simple. Importantly, the stone was inherited by our craftsmen almost nothing. Odessa craftsmen just couldn't refuse the freebies. And enterprising businessmen saw the benefits and were able to use the material, the value of which is considerable, even in Italy itself.

By the way, this is one of the reasons that one of the oldest streets in the city of Pushkin, formerly called Italian.

Wild grapes grown exotic garden create a special atmosphere of southern Italy in Kiev. The restaurant "Bernardazzi" - this is another stylish addition to this wonderful place. Here You can not only delicious to eat, but soak up the culture of Venice, thanks to the harmonious music.

Very often here sit the singers and cultural figures. Are jazz concerts. In the warm season the tables of the restaurant located in the courtyard of an Italian courtyard. Be sure to visit this beautiful and rich history of the place in Odessa. Later we will make a digression and in the Odessa Philharmonic.

Is there still Italian courtyards in Odessa? There! This and other interesting facts You will learn in our next stories for Odessa.

The author of the article @vpodessa