Architecture + Design: Potemkin Stairs.
When it comes to architecture and design, the first thing that comes to mind is the architecture of palaces, skyscrapers and other pompous structures.
But, there are many architectural forms that are no less remarkable.
Before I begin my story, I want to go to the distant seventies and eighties of the last century, when I spent a lot of time in front of the drawing board and drew a lot.
You say: Uncle, how old are you? LOL.
And you will be right.
Then, I was still quite small and drew my drawings on the bedside table, which stood next to the drawing board, and my mother stood behind the drawing board, she was a design engineer.
Mom took me to her work and I was aware of all the events in the engineering crowd.
As a rule, during lunchtime, engineers shared their impressions of the simplicity and complexity of certain architectural structures.
At that time, bomb shelters were considered the most difficult architectural structures to design, and what else do you think?
Stairs, large boulevard staircases that covered most of the hills, were considered very difficult and time consuming for designers.
The fact is that when designing such a staircase, you need to take into account many nuances.
It is necessary to very accurately conduct geological and topographic surveys, because heavy loads will be distributed over a large area, and the soil may have different properties and different mobility.
Stairs can be a part of an architectural structure, their element, and, as in the case of boulevard staircases, they themselves are an architectural structure.
Ladders that are installed inside structures have several support points.
Usually. this, either pinching between the walls of the building, or, they abut against the ends of the ceiling and the torques turn the staircase into a kind of strong spring.
Bulvar staircases built on the open ground do not have such bonuses and their entire area must be stable during the entire service life, as a rule, calculated in centuries.
But, today, we will pass the flights of stairs that allow us to climb from the first floor of the building to the second floor and go into the fresh air, where the sea breeze brings you fresh breath.
Odessa, a city like the Silk Road that attracts merchants, tourists and thieves who are waiting for tourists to lose their guard.
But, we will not talk about the bandits of Odessa.
We will go to the place of pilgrimage of most tourists who, having visited Odessa, will definitely visit the place where the monument to the great mayor of Odessa Richelieu is erected, at whose feet the descent begins along the pompous Potemkin, or Richelieu stairs.
I took many of the photographs in monochrome.
The fact is that, for the first time, I saw this staircase in the black-and-white film "Cruiser Potemkin".
If the story that the Soviet authorities told us is true, then. in 1905, during a riot on the cruiser Potemkin, people walked up this staircase in a peaceful protest against the actions of the authorities, Tsarist Russia, and this procession was drowned in blood.
The White Guards shot everyone who walked the stairs that day and all the steps were covered in blood.
For me, this photograph is very valuable.
Pay attention to the lower right corner of the photo.
A blind girl descends the steps of the stairs.
This is a very rare photograph that can tell about the intricacies of designing stairs.
Now, take a closer look at this girl.
How could a blind girl, unaccompanied, take this dangerous walk?
I think there is an explanation for this.
Have you ever stumbled while walking up the stairs?
If so, then, the steps of that staircase had differences among themselves in exhaustion, or in width.
As a rule, when we go up or down the stairs, then, we think about only our first step.
Further, we can read the newspaper on the go and not look at our feet.
Have you noticed how difficult it is to make the first and last steps on an escalator when the height and width of the step changes?
This is the whole point.
Our brain and muscle memory enable us to move safely up the steps of the stairs, if the design of the steps is ideal.
The task of the architect-designer is to accurately calculate all the dimensions of steps and staircases for our safety.
Let's take a closer look at the building, which, at one time, admired Jules Verne, Mark Twain and Alexander Green.
Name:
Potemkins staircase.
Location:
Ukraine, Odessa city, Primorsky Boulevard.
More precisely, the Potemkin Staircase connects Primorsky Boulevard and the Seaport of Odessa.
History:
The staircase was built between 1837 and 1941.
Its architects were Boffo Franz Karlovich, Melnikov Avraam Ivanovich and Potier Karl Ivanovich.
It is difficult to imagine how these engineers, at that time, designed this structure without electronic, measuring instruments and without a calculator.
Purpose:
This coest is a red carpet like the one you see at the Cannes Film Festival, lol.
But, if, in Cannes, they meet Hollywood stars, then the Potemkin Ladder meets all those who arrived at the seaport of the city of Odessa.
This is how this staircase looks from its foot.
When I was going down these stairs, heading to the seaport, I completely forgot that I have to go back, up, lol.
At that time, I weighed 130 kilograms and I lost weight a little).
But, thanks to modern technology, climbing up can be facilitated by using the funicular, which is installed to the left of the stairs.
I would say that this funicular and the construction of its route is itself an interesting architectural structure.
But, the funicular is for those who are in no hurry.
I wanted to climb with it, but it turned out to be slower than a turtle. I did not wait for him, drew in my stomach, took a deep breath and began to count the steps of the Potemkin Stairs in reverse order.
The Potemkin Stairs offer a beautiful view of the Odessa bay and the sea terminal.
Here you can feel yourself standing on the Empire Straight Building.
And, breathless, look around, and see what it was, was only a small part of the architectural heritage of Odessa.
Author @barski
Ukraine
For my publications, I do not use stock photographs, it is fundamentally important for me to use photographs that I have made with my own hands for publication and I can name them - authorial work.
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Hey pal, I loved the photographs! and interesting staircases.
Thank you! It is much more interesting to be there, not at the top of this staircase, and observe this beauty. Have a great day!
Hello @barski, just dropping by to congratulate you for being a part of the 22nd Edition of Architecture Brew.
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Thank you so much! For me, it was unexpected, but very nice! Have a great day to the whole Architecture + Design team
A well-deserved congratulations! Wishing you the same!
God alone knows what we deserve and what is given to us by grace)
This makes a lot of sense when constructing massive staircases that are the architectural landmark themselves. We definitely don't want unexpected accidents to happen due to poor design standards, wrong planning, and inappropriate technical processes.
Aside from being a beautiful attraction with its turtle-paced speed, I also find that funicular beside the staircase to be a different kind of human experience!
Thank you very much! As a rule, the buildings of those times were designed and built very conscientiously, as they say: for centuries.
I could not check how this funicular functions, I was in a hurry and decided to test my strength by going up the stairs on foot).
Staircases are super important. I was hoping for a ramp for differently abled people over public places but your ideology of first and last steps is correct moreover it is really important for each riser to be of equal size across the staircase.
Thank you very much. More recently, ramps for people with disabilities began to appear in public places. But, two decades ago, on the territory of the former USSR, there was no such thing as a ramp for a stroller. I hope the funicular is free for people with disabilities.
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You're welcome @barski, with pleasure 😊👍
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