What we did

Child Landscape Park instead of an illegal building has been already opened!

19 November 2009

“Holiday of  people’s will expression” – exactly this forgotten formulation from old Soviet newspapers obtained here its real meaning and in the most precise way reflected the spirit of events which took place in the morning on 14th November at the corner of Desyatinniy Lane and Peyzazhnaya Alleya.

The most famous history of defense of Kyiv by its citizens from a barbaric commercial building has finished by the victory of the citizens.

More than four years an initiative group of Kyiv citizens who united into the social initiative “Save old Kyiv” with the assistance of the Charity Fund “Kiev Landscape Initiative” and the garage cooperative “Peyzazhniy” has been fighting against some private individuals who due to the connivance of state and municipal institutions tried to steal from Kyiv community a priceless site of land in the very heart of Kyiv. Kyiv could have lost a part of a unique historical territory dated X – XII centuries, known as Detinets. Moreover, this territory is severely protected as it belongs to the State History and Architecture Reserved Area “Ancient Kyiv”.

 Thanks to the numerous meetings, pickets, public performances, press-conferences, open letters, court actions, publications in Mass-Media and even carnivals and concerts, both activists of many socials movements, lawyers, historians, journalists, musicians and just citizens of Kyiv took part in, justice has finally prevailed: Supreme Court of Ukraine in June this year upheld the decisions of the previous institutions about the illegal extraction of the site for building.

Today, a child landscape park has been opened at this place. It was created by the joint efforts of the people and social organizations that fought against the building of a fashionable house.

The holiday for kids and adults was organized with the assistance of the kids and their parents from the Centre of Early Development “O’Keshka Club”. Firstly, a small ceremonial part took place. It was led by Vladimir Kolinko – one of the activists and art patron of the child park creation, and also one of the founders of the “Kyiv Landscape Initiative’ Fund. He introduced the people concerned in the epic war against the illegal building. The citizens of Kyiv were congratulated on the victory by Artem Chapai and Inna Sovsun – the activists of “Save old Kyiv” movement, Marina Solovyeva – an attorney who through thick and thin fought with the tenant builders in courts, Irina Nikiforovna who is still leading an active fight against the building in a buffer zone of the State Reserved Area “Sophia Kyivska” in O. Honchar Street. Sergey Kalashnik, a director of the holiday coorganizer – the Cultural and educational Centre “Master Klass”, told about the importance of social initiative and non-indifference of the citizens of Kyiv. Famous residents of the city such as a writer Andrei Kurkov, poets Yurii Rybchinskiy and Boris Oliynyk, a musician Oleg Skripka and other celebrities came to express their support to the citizens of Kyiv and explain their standpoints.

 
Sergey Kalashnik, a director of the holiday coorganizer – the Cultural and educational Centre “Master Klass”, told about the importance of social initiative and non-indifference of the citizens of Kyiv.

Famous residents of the city such as a writer Andrei Kurkov, poets Yurii Rybchinskiy and Boris Oliynyk, a musician Oleg Skripka and other celebrities came to express their support to the citizens of Kyiv and explain their standpoints.

But the kids were the main heroes of the holiday and received an excellent present from adults. Small park by Kyiv standards is filled with the figures of cheerful animals, there are even two fountains (they will start work in spring), and the walls of neighbour garages are decorated by two hilarious cats and plenty of multicoloured birds.

All these miracles of coloured mosaic were made by an artist and a sculptor Konstantin Skritutskiy (an author of the famous wooden sculptures in the centre of Kyiv). So, the park is created according to all rules of landscape architecture – there are nearly twenty various trees and bushes and even offbeat plants for Kyiv there. The paths are lined in coloured tablets, and the square itself is carpeted with the lawns. But the activists have one more thing to do – to have this park legalized by the decision of city authorities. The members of the park opening were signing a petition to the Kyiv City Council to make such a decision so that the park has its own final protection document.

 The members of the park opening were signing a petition to the Kyiv City Council to make such a decision so that the park has its own final protection document.