The perception of Kharkiv is mostly associated with its industrial or commercial capacity; the list of popular impressions was updated recently with the precarious political situation, attempts at pro-Russian riots past spring and the city’s threatening proximity to Russian border. Kharkiv also emerged as an important center for literature, theater, and visual arts of the 1920s-1930s. But the city’s architectural aspect is seldom demonstrated or discussed. Thus, the more important is the development of Pamiatky Ukrainy (The Sights of Ukraine) magazine, as it fulfills the need of mutual awareness and attention between the country’s various distinct regions, for which there is a demand due to the recent political events.
“For the first time I visited Kharkiv in 2012. Although it was a cold winter when I came here, I fell in love with the city, its history and people,” admits Olena Mokrousova, compiler of the Pamiatky issue.
Ihor Hyrych, editor-in-chief of Pamiatky Ukrainy was also present at the presentation. He revealed the current strategy of the magazine, according to which they prepare thematic issues on the history of individual cities, monuments, museums or important figures in Ukrainian culture that also had a major influence on our architecture (for instance, one of the recent issues was dedicated to Yevhen Chykalenko).
The authors from Kharkiv (Oleh Yatsyna, Kateryna Kublytska, Iryna Kreizer, Kateryna Cherkasova, Denys Vitchenko, Anna Alieksieienko, Olha Dozhdiova, and Olha Denysenko) and Oleksandr Savchuk, the meeting’s moderator, presented the issue’s articles. Among them are the texts on the famous Kharkiv Constructivism and other avant-garde trends of the 1930s’ architecture, on stone buildings of the 18th-19th centuries, and on the brief but prominent period of Modern architecture. There are also articles about Oleksii Beketov, one of the most acknowledged Kharkivite architects (he even had a metro station named after him). Though, for some reasons, the issue lacks the materials about Derzhprom, the most famous Kharkiv landmark of Constructivist architecture, which is now being applied to UNESCO for inclusion to World Heritage List. However, Olha Denysenko, art historian, told about the preparation of another themed issue. It will be dedicated to Serhii Vasylkivsky, the artist whose numerous works depicting churches and other landmarks throughout Ukraine can also be called a heritage register – though, sadly, now the landmarks themselves are mostly gone.
