Depaldo Stairs

The Depaldo Stone Steps (Russian: Депальдовская лестница, also Старая каменная лестница) was constructed in 1823 by the project of the Italian architect Francesco Boffo with the money of Taganrog's Greek merchant Gerasim Depaldo at the crossroads of Greek Street (near Tchaikovsky House in Taganrog) and Depaldo Street (now Turgenevskaya Street) in Taganrog. The stairway begins up on the hill in downtown and goes down ending near Azov seashore (Pushkin Embankment).

Depaldo Stone Steps
Public stairs
Russian: Депальдовская лестница, also Старая каменная лестница'
View from Grecheskaya Street towards the Gulf of Taganrog and the Pushkin Embankment
DesignFrancesco Boffo
Opening date1823
Steps110[1]
Surfacestone
Dedicated toGerasim Depaldo
LocationTurgenevskaya Street
Taganrog, Rostov Oblast, Russia
Coordinates: 47°12′47″N 38°56′17″E

In Imperial Russia it was the famous stairs in South Russia, similar to the Potemkin Stairs in Odessa.

In World War II, the Old Stone Steps were heavily damaged, but stayed one of the major tourist attractions of Taganrog. In the 1970s it was reconstructed, but not finished. The new major reconstruction was made in 2005. During the latest reconstruction all the old stone steps were replaced by new stones.

At the top of the steps on Grecheskaya Street stands a sundial (1833).

One of the short stories written by Soviet Russian Ivan Vasilenko titled Sundial (Russian: Солнечные часы) was dedicated to the sundial near the Old Stone Steps.

Views of Depaldo stone stairs
  • Depaldo stone stairs in Taganrog (photo 1900s (decade)).
  • Depaldo stone stairs in Taganrog (photo 1900s (decade)).
  • Greek street in Taganrog with entrance to Depaldo stone stairs (on right side) and pedestal for sun-dial (a stone cube in center) (photo 1900s (decade)).
  • Gnomon of Sundial near entrance to Depaldo stone stairs in Taganrog (photo 2002).
  • Sundial near Old Stone Steps, photo of 2006.
  • Sundial near Old Stone Steps, photo of 2007
  • Sundial near Old Stone Steps, photo of 2008
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References
  1. http://cityseeker.com/taganrog/915943-depaldo-stairs
  • Энциклопедия Таганрога. — Ростов-на-Дону: Ростиздат, 2003
  • Гаврюшкин О.П. По старой Греческой... (Хроника обывательской жизни). — Таганрог: Лукоморье, 2003. — 514 с. — ISBN 5-901565-15-0.
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