The History of Odesa Through Antiques: An Exhibition Opens at the Bleshchunov Museum

On August 18 at 4:00 p.m., the exhibition project "With Love for Odessa" opened at the Odessa Municipal Museum of Personal Collections named after O. V. Bleshchunov. The event was dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the founding of Ukraine’s first and only Museum of Private Collections.

According to an Intenta correspondent, the exhibition highlights the continuity across generations and the tradition of collecting in Odesa, as well as explores historical and contemporary initiatives related to the city.

The project’s main partner is Odessa local historian, architecture researcher, and collector Alexander Friedman, founder of the private “Museum of Epigraphy of Old Odessa.” At the Bleshchunov Museum, he will present part of his personal collection for the first time.

The exhibition explores the daily life, urban character, and history of Odesa through objects related to urban planning, medicine, business, and cuisine. Some of these items were manufactured directly in Odesa or specifically for the city. Among the exhibits are antique levers, medical instruments, perfume bottles, tableware, and bricks with stamps.

Special emphasis will be placed on how the traditions of creating and preserving items “for Odesa” continue today.

The NGO “Pixelated Realities” is also participating in the project and will present modern technologies for preserving cultural heritage—photogrammetry, 3D scanning, and the digitization of architectural monuments.

The history of Odessa’s pharmaceutical traditions will be presented by “Gaevsky’s Pharmacy,” founded in 1878. Participants will discuss, in particular, the production of medicines according to individual prescriptions and the brand’s history.

Modern Odessa hospitality culture will be represented at the exhibition by the business “We Roast Coffee in Odessa,” which continues the tradition of promoting the city through its own brand.

The organizers noted that the exhibition is intended not only to showcase rare items but also to serve as an opportunity to reflect on what each of us can do for Odessa today and what is being created for its future.

The museum is located at 19 Polskaya Street, Odessa. The exhibition will be open Thursday through Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Admission to the opening on August 18 is by invitation only.

Earlier, in an interview with Intent, the museum’s acting director, Olena Ilyasova, spoke about the development of the Bleshchunov Museum—which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year—specifically regarding the work with the collections and their digitization.

Alexander Friedman —a local historian and founder of the home-based “Museum of Epigraphy of Old Odessa”—spoke separately to Intent about preserving Odessa’s material history. For years, he has been collecting items that bear traces of the city’s daily life and history, including antique signs, tableware, pharmacy supplies, architectural elements, and other objects. Part of his collection will be on display for the first time at the Bleshchunov Museum as part of the exhibition “With Love for Odessa.”

Андрій Колісніченко