2 Best Sights in Ukraine

The statue of Duc de Richelieu, who was a relative of the famous 17th-century French Cardinal, is the first thing you see on the top of the Potyomkin Steps. After fleeing to Russia in 1803, Richelieu was named mayor of Odessa by Czar Alexander III. He ruled for 11 years, turning the small Black Sea village into a modern city, before returning to France. After cleaning up a corrupt administration, Richelieu transformed the Black Sea village of Odessa into a modern city.

Created by Franz Alekseevich Rubaud in 1905 to mark the 50-year anniversary of the 349-day defense of Sevastopol during the Crimean War, this huge 360-degree painting is four meters high and 115 meters long. It presents an almost life-size reconstruction of the defense to create an authentic-seeming presentation. During World War II, the circular building housing the Panorama was destroyed, but it was restored by Soviet painters in the years after the war. There is also a small museum of Crimean war objects and uniforms.