Grotto

Guided tours of the renewed grotto exhibition at the Odesa Fine Arts Museum are well underway and continue to attract visitors. Book a tour via Instagram Direct or join one of our group tours — tickets are available on the museum’s website.

The grotto’s permanent exhibition explores the history of the palace that now houses the museum. Tracing its story from the city’s early development to the present day, it introduces the estate’s first owners, the establishment of the city museum within its walls, and the many transformations the building has undergone over time, including during the Second World War and Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine.

Visitors are welcomed into the grotto and the underground tunnels beneath the museum by a site-specific installation by artists Dmytro Erlikh and Illia Petrov. Through sound and an atmospheric environment inspired by Dante’s works, the installation reinterprets the forgotten history of this space, inviting visitors on a metaphorical journey through Hell, Purgatory and Paradise.

The grotto also features authentic murals from Jenny’s Beer Hall, which once occupied the space directly beneath the palace that now houses the museum.

✍🏻 Book your tour via Instagram Direct or by phone at +38 (048) 723-7287.

You can also join our group tours from Wednesday to Sunday at 1 PM, with additional tours at 3 PM on Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets are available on the museum’s website.

Your visit helps support the museum in these difficult times.

This project is supported by the Partnership for a Strong Ukraine Programme, funded by the governments of the United Kingdom, Estonia, Canada, Norway, Finland, Switzerland and Sweden.