Six Kyiv’s historical monuments threatened by urban development

Raven backyard with crows on Reitarska Street

It is unknown where the cage with crows in this yard came from. According to one version, the ravens lived in an apartment until their owner forgot to close the cage. Then, the birds flew out, damaged a lot of furniture and other property, and were evicted to the street by the owner. Another version is that Hrysha, a bird lover and criminal authority, settled the ravens here.

Later, the place became a popular tourist spot. Other birds that needed help also began to be brought here. They were treated and released, but some stayed longer. In 2015, a mural depicting ravens was created on the wall of the opposite building.

Now, this place is under threat of destruction, as the Kyiv authorities have leased this land to Center for Regional Development LLC for the operation and maintenance of tourist infrastructure and public catering facilities for a period of 10 years.

According to activist Dmytro Perov, the issue of the possible development of the yard first arose in 2020. Then, several entrepreneurs wanted to buy garages located near the cage with ravens.

"According to the realtors, the ex-consul of the Russian Federation in Ukraine, Vagif Aliyev, showed interest in this plot. The draft decision on the plot transfer for constructing and maintaining tourist infrastructure facilities was prepared in 2021. However, voting did not find the necessary interest for a long time," says the activist.

Lybid River

At the same meeting, the Kyiv City Council passed another decision in favor of Vagif Aliyev. The Kyiv City Council adopted a detailed plan of the territory (DPT), according to which a part of the Lybid River will be buried in the collector. The businessman needs this to make an additional entrance to the Ocean Mall. 

We will remind you that the river's beginning already flows in the underground collector. Further, Lybid turns into an open concrete streambed built to protect the surrounding areas from flooding. In its natural state, the river has been preserved in a single section near Lysa Hora, a large wooded hill in Kyiv near the confluence of the Dnipro and Lybid rivers.

At the same time, in 2021, they planned to carry out a number of measures to improve the city's ecological condition, which also included cleaning the Lybid River. Already in the autumn of 2023, part of the underground section of the river was cleared, and about three thousand cubic meters of silted soil, branches, and household garbage were removed.

Then, the Kyiv City Council started discussing revitalizing the river. They planned to partially free Lybid from concrete and turn it into a recreation area for Kyiv residents. However, the latest decision of the Kyiv City Council regarding the Lybid River contradicts previous statements.

Snizhka sawmill on 29A Turivska Street 

Snizhka sawmill is an example of the traditional construction of Podil, Kyiv's historic neighborhood, at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. It was built from Kyiv yellow brick in 1902. Its owners were entrepreneurs Yelyzaveta Rogovtsova and Ilya Snizhko. The sawmill performed the usual tasks for such a building—it produced boards, beams, rails, and others.

The historic building began to be demolished without permits as early as 2023. However, the Department of Territorial Control of Kyiv obliged the owner to stop working on the territory and dismantle the construction fence.

Local activists also addressed this problem with the Kyiv City Prosecutor's Office, which has registered criminal proceedings regarding the deliberate illegal destruction of the historical Snizhka sawmill.

In 2023, they were able to stop the demolition of the historic sawmill. However, this problem returned after one of the last meetings of the Kyiv City Council.

The main figure in the case is LLC Forward-A, which owns the premises and is now their destroyer. While the prosecutor's office was trying to bring businessmen to justice, the city council decided to hand over the land under it to the developer. The relevant draft decision has already been published on the city council's website.

Vasylkivska water pumping station

Previously, at 137 Velyka Vasylkivska Street, you could see an old pumping station built in 1908. But in April 2019, it was demolished. The relevant decision was signed by the capital's mayor, Vitali Klitschko. Now, only the remains of the pumping station are located here, but they may soon disappear as well.

The Kyiv City Council extended the land lease for Capital-East LLC, which destroyed the historic building several years ago. They did all this to replace the unique landmark with a copy of the Paris Triumphal Arch, which should become part of the French Quarter-2 residential complex.

Chernyshov estate

Walking through Podil, you can see the abandoned, however, historically preserved Chernyshov Estate, located on 29/3 Sahaidachnogo Street. It was built in the 1930s and has the status of a valid monument of architecture and urban planning, but even this does not protect it from the Kyiv authorities.

According to Ukrainian legislation, it is forbidden to demolish, change, or rebuild such monuments. However, even a day before the Kyiv City Council made the relevant decision, this house could be found on real estate search sites with permits for partial demolition and adding four floors.

Kytayiv

Located in the eastern part of the Holosiiv forest, Kytayiv is a monument of national importance. On its territory, archaeologists found Trypillia pottery and the remains of Kyivan Rus—fortifications and dwellings with clay ovens from the time of Kyivan Rus. Here, you can also find ancient caves that have not yet been fully explored.

There were attempts to seize this place before. Then, part of the plots of Kitayiv were leased to the Kyiv Vegetable Factory. The lease is supposed to end on July 30 this year, which is why the current Kyiv City Council returned to the issue.

Even though a petition to protect Kitayiv from development gathered almost 9,000 signatures in April of this year, the Kyiv City Council officials still favor extending the lease of the land plot for 15 years for the KAN Development company.

On plots with a total area of ​​50 hectares, the developer wants to build a residential complex with almost 6,000 apartments and a parking lot with more than 2,800 spaces. However, according to the developer, they do not plan to develop the Kytayiv tract itself. Instead, they will create a tourist hub there.

Despite its statements and the opinion of the capital's residents, the Kyiv City Council continues to make decisions that allow the destruction of Kyiv's historical heritage. Therefore, it can only be saved by the activity and awareness of the people of Kyiv, who respect the history of their city.