A city in Germany named a street in honor of Odesa

The authorities of the partner city of Heidelberg in Germany have decided to name a street in the city in honor of Odesa - Odesastrasse.

According to the press service of the Odesa City Council, the name has already been installed on city signs.

"This is a notable gesture on the part of the German city, which officially became a partner of Odesa in the spring of 2025," the mayor's office noted.

Since 2022, the city of Heidelberg has been providing humanitarian aid to Odesa, including specialized municipal and rescue equipment. In addition, Heidelberg has hosted Odesa schoolchildren, providing them with access to educational and cultural programs, which contributes to the formation of long-term inter-municipal relations and deepening the partnership between our cities.

At the session of the Odesa City Council on December 4, 2024, the Odesa City Council approved a partnership with two new partner cities, Heidelberg, Germany, and Fortaleza, Brazil.

Heidelberg is the fifth largest city in the state of Baden-Württemberg in Germany. It is known for its oldest higher education institution, the University of Heidelberg.

On September 2, 2025, a memorial sign of the twin cities was updated in Odesa, adding signs for Mainz and Heidelberg in Germany and Taita Taveta in Kenya.

Heidelberg is not the first German city to have place names in honor of Odesa. On January 16, a square named after Odesa was opened in Berlin. The square is located in the Lichtenberg district. In German, it is called "Odesaplatz". In February 2025, the Berlin Art Gallery hosted the Odesa-Berlin exhibition. It featured about 60 paintings that were evacuated from the Odesa Museum of Western and Eastern Art due to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Berlin exhibition lasted until June 22, 2025. After the end of the war in Ukraine, the paintings will return to Odesa to become part of the exhibition of their native museum.

Кирило Бойко