Odessa, a glorified resort, a powerful port, the capital of humor and an absolutely remarkable city in terms of architecture, has another advantage. Many scientific and educational institutions are concentrated in South Palmyra. One of the most famous, and what to hide there, the most desirable universities of the country, is the Odessa National Medical University or ONMedU.
Initially, it was one of the faculties of the Novorossiysk University (1900). Its appearance was actively promoted by the strongest domestic scientist-surgeon N.I. Pirogov. But already after the revolution — in 1922, it became an autonomous Odessa Medical Institute. Even later it was allowed to add the name of the patron — Pirogov, to the name of the university. In 2010, the institute was upgraded to a university. The final touch to the image of this educational institution was made by V.F. Yanukovych, who in 2010 issued a decree granting the university the status of National University.
Today ONMedU consists of 8 faculties. The university has 3 museums — historical, pathological and anatomical. It is curious that the whole quarter between Olgievskaya Street, Pastera Street and Marinesko Street, where the university is located, is occupied by various medical institutions. Besides the university there are 3 hospitals, a morgue and a blood transfusion station. But, of course, the dominant building of ONMedU on Olgievskaya Street is the main building of the University.
So, the Main Building for ONMedU, then a newly formed medical faculty of Novorossiysk University, was built by Nikolai Konstantinovich Tolvinsky. This is the most famous Russian architect of Polish origin. In 1889 he came to Odessa, for which he designed 12 buildings, which today have become recognized architectural landmarks of the beloved city of Utesov and Mark Bernays, as well as 2 buildings of Novorossiysk University — for the Faculty of Physics and Chemistry and the Faculty of Medicine.
The main building of ONMedU is a luxurious three-storied building that occupies exactly one third of the length of the entire Olvinskaya Street. If you look at the plan of the building, from above it looks like a giant, double-sided letter «Sh», in which the middle stick is a little thicker and rounded. The fact is that this is where the main lecture hall is located, which is the size of a «small» theater room with a pulpit and blackboard instead of a stage. In addition, on the obverse of the building three parts, corresponding to the «sticks» in the already mentioned letter «Sh», clearly protrude forward.
The central protruding part is the entrance, designed in a typical neo-classical style. Giant arched doors and a pair of windows on the sides are «recessed» into giant half-columns, while the windows on the second and third floors are «covered» by four columns of the Ionic order. Above the prominent central entrance overhangs a stylized antique pseudo-tympanum. Windows of the first and second floor — arched, the third — rectangular. The roof is two-pitched, but over the main lecture hall and over the protruding central and side parts it takes the form of a four-pitched dome and cones respectively. On the edges of each cone-sidewall four turrets are erected. Today the first floor of the Head Building is painted in ochre color, while the second and third floors are honey yellow. Doric columns and pseudo-columns are painted white.
Other buildings of ONMedU, including the morphology building, were built as early as 1846 by architect F.K.Boffo. Before the formation of the medical faculty they were used as grain warehouses, so they are devoid of any architectural excesses.
But if you think of visiting the Black Sea region, it is in the morphological building that one of the most spectacular excursion objects of Odessa — the Museum of Anatomy of ONMedU — is located today. For example, here you will see a dissected man holding his own skin in his hands. Naturally, not everyone likes such sights of Odessa, but they make a lasting impression on students from other universities of the country and thrill-seekers.