Odessa Archaeological Museum, Odessa (must see)

The Odessa Archaeological Museum is one of Ukraine’s oldest and most respected institutions, offering a fascinating look into the region’s ancient past. Founded in 1825, it stands as a cornerstone of Odessa’s cultural identity and a symbol of the city’s long-standing engagement with history and scholarship. Housed in a neoclassical building near the bustling Primorsky Boulevard, the museum holds more than 160,000 artifacts that trace the evolution of civilizations along the northern Black Sea coast. Its elegant façade and colonnaded entrance reflect the 19th-century ambition to make Odessa not only a maritime hub but also a centre of learning and discovery.

Inside, visitors encounter an impressive collection that spans prehistoric times through the Middle Ages. Highlights include archaeological finds from Greek colonies such as Olbia and Tyras, as well as Scythian gold, Roman coins, and Egyptian antiquities. Each gallery offers a glimpse into the lives of those who once traded, farmed, and worshipped in the lands now forming southern Ukraine, revealing the region’s importance as a crossroads of cultures.

The museum’s Egyptian Hall is particularly admired for its authentic mummies, sarcophagi, and hieroglyphic inscriptions—rare treasures that connect Odessa to broader Mediterranean traditions. Another key attraction is the numismatic collection, one of the largest in Eastern Europe, encompassing over 50,000 coins from various epochs and empires.

Beyond its displays, the Odessa Archaeological Museum maintains an active research role, conducting excavations and collaborating with international scholars. For visitors, it offers both a historical journey and an intellectual retreat—a reminder that beneath Odessa’s modern streets lie layers of human history waiting to be explored.