On June 8, 2012, the first issue of Route No.1, a supplement to the newspaper Den, saw the light of day. It was about our capital – “The Living Places of a ‘Live’ Kyiv.” The idea of Den’s editor-in-chief to express important meanings in a glossy format, i.e., to offer readers the “inside image” of an unknown and unique Kyiv proved to be surprisingly successful not only for tourists and guests of the city, but also for Kyivites themselves on the eve of Euro-2012, the European soccer championship. Some readers thought it was just a one-off publishing action to time with the soccer tournament. But Den’s journalists, particularly the creative team that was doing this publication, immediately saw that the new format, the newspaper’s new experience, would find its reader and become a promising and, what is more, much-in-demand project.
“The glossy is a new experience for us. But we still remain ourselves in this new format of communicating with the reader. Den suggests that we take the best from the world but, at the same time, keep our own essence intact, cultivate traditions without ‘remaining in mothballs,’ be open, but protect the national soil from ‘erosion.’ Den offers its view which can be summarized in just two words – identity and modernization,” says Larysa IVSHYNA, editor-in-chief of Den and author of the idea of Route No.1. “It is important to ‘mix the milieus’ so that business people learn cultural codes and intellectuals learn the dynamics of civilized entrepreneurs. This is what I call ‘cross-pollination.’ Route No.1 is not only about tourism, it is ‘sailing directions’ of sorts from friends to friends. Den offers its own Route No.1 as a travel to a beautiful stranger – Ukraine Incognita.”
The chief editor’s words immediately became a motto. The glossy has come out 44 times in four years, and the print run of an issue has reached 35,000 copies. Since early 2014, Route No.1 has been marketed not only in the retail outlets of our partners, such as five-star hotels, restaurants, boutiques, and newsstands, but also by subscription via Ukrposhta (subscription index 86147).
Readers say the topics our project team offers occur in no other publications – “The Ukrainians Who Changed the World,” “My Teacher,” “The Time of Mulled Wine,” “My Book,” “The Ukrainian Eden,” “Axiom,” “Indigo,” and “On Daniel, the King of Volhynia and Halych.” The thematic titles of issues are self-explanatory. For example, the well-known Ukrainians Yevhen Sverstiuk, Levko Lukianenko, Yevhen Hrytsiak, and Bohdan Hawrylyshyn spoke about the Ukrainians who offered a new pattern of thinking. What became a special phenomenon were publications about Ukrainian cities: “Poltava,” “Chyhyryn,” “The Christmastime Carpathians,” “Volyn, a Quiet Force,” “Odesa: Polyphony,” “Olvia,” and “Sumy: an Uncommon History.” Regional residents themselves confess that nobody has ever written about their places before. Among the issues that really caused a stir were “The Alliance of Hamlets and… the High-Speed Internet,” “Cuisine,” “Opera,” “A Fashion-Conscious Ukraine,” and others. The latest of these, “Summer Drive,” tells us what subtleties of mountainous nature one should learn before going for a hike, what main water travel itineraries are accessible in Ukraine, how you can feel yourself a mid-20th-century Briton by riding a bicycle, how to become Maitre de Chai by visiting Odesa, and many other things. Incidentally, all the thematic issues can still be ordered on Den’s website (http:// day.kyiv.ua/uk/library).
Please read the commentaries of the project’s creative team and our partners on how Route No.1 was being made and what it is like today.
Anna SEVALNEVA, exclusive representative of the French brand Lampe Berger in Ukraine:
“I was acquainted with Den and Route No.1 in 2015. I brought several copies of the magazine to my French colleagues in Paris recently. What immediately drew their attention was Route’s cover with finely-painted details, a stylish design, and pastel colors – a true charm!
“So, when I saw an original cover with little cats and dogs absolutely in the French spirit, I immediately agreed: aroma lamps will be shown in this issue. The combination of style and courtliness harmonizes and complements Den’s project. I hope readers will also like it. I advise you all to read it.”
Anna MAZURENKO, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Den for Development:
“The glossy was a totally new experience for us – from the cover and content to search for partners. I can remember every advertiser who backed this project. It is very good, for they believed and confided in us. We are still working with many of them – for example, the Lviv hotel Nobilis, the company Crystal Group Ukraine, the Butenko Stables… We have expanded partnership with them, and, thanks to our acquaintance via Route No.1, they have also learned about other projects which they are actively supporting.
“The project is four today. It is a full-fledged product now, and we dropped the word ‘supplement’ long ago. Over this time, it has increased its readership and found aficionados. This is a special project, and it has filled its niche. I wish our creative team further development and new prospects!”
Anna HAVRYLIUK, artist, in charge of the “Den’s Sketch” column:
“Route No.1’s birthday is a special feast for me. For the first issue of the glossy also opened my personal route – to the profession. The cover for the issue about Kyiv was the first serious work for me as illustrator. That issue was the beginning of not only my professional path, but also of my love for this city. So I am immensely grateful to the whole team of Route No.1 which is a compass that showed me the way to two great loves – of illustrations and the city of Kyiv.”
Inna PAVLIUK, ex-editor of Route No.1:
“Route No.1 is a unique project which has combined – very aptly and, what is more, timely – many ‘firsts.’ The first in the Ukrainian language, the first exclusive painted cover, the first and successful attempt to mix the sublime and intellectual with the country’s ‘glossy’ life… Essentially, Route No.1, originally conceived as a supplement to the newspaper, has become an independent entity, sort of a contemporary world’s guide for Ukrainians. An interesting content, exclusive interviews, inimitable infographics, a ‘juicy’ decor by Anna Havryliuk, the most prestigious advertising – this is what the team has gained in the years of the magazine’s existence. On my dear glossy’s birthday, I wish it to get still more support from society, the media, and, what is more, from business people!”
Kateryna MELNYCHUK, editor of Route No.1:
“Every intelligent and progressive person must know the Ukrainian world of today. For this reason, each Route No.1 issue is created by the principle ‘we show a new way.’ The creative team abides by this rule when working on an issue. We will go on experimenting and astonishing our readers!”
