De-Communization is continuing in the capital city. In particular, public debate on renaming the three objects whose names are associated with the communist regime has ended on September 7. Following the online vote held at the Kyiv City State Administration (KCSA)’s website, Serafimovicha Street (Dniprovsky District) will honor Ivan Mykolaichuk, Moskovska Square will become Demiivska Square, and the Moskovsky Bridge will be renamed to commemorate its designer Heorhii Fuks. The new names will be enacted by city councilors at the body’s next meeting.
The vote to choose new names for some places in Kyiv was held at the KCSA’s website since April. The fate of the Moskovsky Bridge was one of the most hotly debated topics. Kyivites could not only vote for listed options, but also offer fresh ideas for a new name. By the way, the most common proposals were Troieshchynsky, Obolonsky, Heroiv Nebesnoi Sotni, and Pivnichny. Some people also proposed to rename it after Chechen field commander Isa Munayev, who died in combat at Debaltseve in February, or 40th US President Ronald Reagan.
Pavlo BRYHYNETS, secretary, Commission on Culture and Tourism, Kyiv City Council:
“We had several options for the new name, but we have all agreed to that of Fuks. This person deserves proper commemoration. He created three bridges just in Kyiv. However, the name of the famous countryman is not reflected in our memory. Different ideas entered the debate, but, for example, the name Pivnichny [Northern. – Ed.] is not loaded with any meaning. We tried to link the name to our people. This is a kind of historical justice being reestablished. However, the commission is not the last link in the chain of decision on the new name. All such ideas get put up for public debate, while city councilors make the final decision in their meeting room. So far, we have the Kyivites supporting this proposal, so we are on the right path.
“By the way, the idea of public debate through online voting is working. The number of people taking part in it is constantly growing. The registration system is very simple, allowing us to engage with the widest possible specter of public opinion. On some occasions, votes split in half, or negative reviews of the new name came in excess of positive ones. Then, of course, we send the idea to be reworked. Since these streets still need to be renamed in accordance with the law’s requirements, we had to look for new proposals. Meanwhile, councilors representing single-member constituencies worked with the local community.”
The Day’s FACT FILE
Heorhii Fuks was a civil engineer specializing in bridge design, Honored Construction Worker of Ukraine. He designed Moskovsky and Pivdenny bridges in Kyiv as well as the Metro Bridge in the same city, and a number of bridges in Belarus and Latvia. The work is ongoing on the Podilsky-Voskresensky Bridge Link, also designed by Fuks.
