Leon del Conjunto del Palacio Vorontsov junto Columnata

The Vorontsov Palace (; ) is a 19th-century palace and

colonnade In classical architecture, a colonnade is a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building. Paired or multiple pairs of columns are normally employed in a colonnade which can be straight or curv ...

Odesa Odesa, also spelled Odessa, is the third most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern ...

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

, at the end of the

Prymorskyi Boulevard Prymorskyi Boulevard (), also known by its Russian-language name as Primorsky Boulevard () is a street located in the Historic Centre of Odesa, Ukraine. Stretching from Odesa City Hall to Vorontsov Palace, Prymorskyi Boulevard is one of Odesa ...

pedestrian walkway.

History

The buildings were built between 1827 and 1830 by the Sardinian-born architect Francesco Boffo for Russian Prince

Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov Prince Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov (; ) was a Russian nobleman and field-marshal, renowned for his success in the Napoleonic Wars and most famous for his participation in the Caucasian War from 1844 to 1853. Early life Vorontsov was born on ...

, one of the governor-generals of

Novorossiya Novorossiya rus, Новороссия, Novorossiya, p=nəvɐˈrosʲːɪjə, a=Ru-Новороссия.ogg; , ; ; ; "New Russia". is a historical name, used during the era of the Russian Empire for an administrative area that would later becom ...

. The palace was built on the site where the Turkish fortress of

Khadjibey Khadjibey (; ) was a fortress and a haven by the Gulf of Odesa, in the location of the modern city of Odesa, Ukraine. The settlement was destroyed and abandoned in the 15th or 16th century and was revived under the Ottoman Empire in the 18th ...

used to be. Palace complex includes main building, stables, colonnade and two lions, which used to stay near the gate of a main entrance. Vorontsov was so impressed with Boffo's work, that he contracted Boffo to design the

Potemkin Stairs 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. (hardcov ...

. p. 133, 337 p. 119. p. 39 ''The main corpus was erected in 1824-27, and already in 1828 splendid balls and celebrations took place inside. Construction was completed in 1829.'' In 1906 it became an engineering school. During this time, next to the former palace was Lloyd's Travel Agency where the city's elite could purchase tickets for their trips abroad.Herlihy p. 263 In 1917 it was the headquarters of the Soviet

Red Guards The Red Guards () were a mass, student-led, paramilitary social movement mobilized by Chairman Mao Zedong in 1966 until their abolition in 1968, during the first phase of the Cultural Revolution, which he had instituted.Teiwes According to a ...

, and in March 1917 the first Soviet of Workers' and Sailors' Deputies met in the building. p. 47. In 1936 the Vorontsov Palace was acquired by the Young Pioneers, and renamed the Children's Palace. The present day palace is only the front part of the original structure, the less valuable part of the complex, the Orlov wing was torn down. The Orlov wing was mainly apartments and outbuildings—nicknamed the "Orlovsky outhouse", it stretched from today's Mother-in-Law's Bridge.Odesa, An Almanac In the second half of the 20th century, the palace had two fires. In 1994 sculptor

Mikhail Reva Mykhailo Volodymyrovich Reva (; born 13 March 1960) is a Ukrainian artist, sculptor, architect, a founder of a non-profit organisatioREVA Foundation Biography Drawing inspiration from ancient folklores and philosophies, Mikhail Reva processe ...

built a fountain called "Day and Night" in the courtyard. The fountain has not had any water since 1999.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vorontsov Palace (Odesa) 1830 establishments in the Russian Empire Buildings and structures destroyed during the Russian invasion of Ukraine Buildings and structures in Odesa Houses completed in 1830 Tourist attractions in Odesa Palaces in Ukraine Prymorskyi Boulevard Neoclassical architecture in Ukraine