As experts in the field of architecture of the 20th century, historians, managers, practitioners in restoration of the objects of the 20th century, public sector representatives, politicians and activists we affirm that the objects of architecture, town planning, and engineering art of the period of interwar modernism of Zaporizhzhia are the heritage of the world level. Taking into account the international cultural and historical value of the heritage, we feel especially responsible and consider the necessity of taking comprehensive measures aimed at preserving, restoring, and revitalizing the objects that exemplify the originality of Zaporizhzhia as a historic European city and the habitat.
We recommend to the Mayor of Zaporizhzhia, the Zaporizhzhia City Council and the Regional State Administration:
1. To contribute to drawing-up the documentation to introduce objects of the Sixth Settlement into the State Register of Immovable Monuments of Ukraine including the urban ensembles of such housing estates:
- Housing Estate Two (dormitories designed by Olga Yafa, dormitories of the house-commune, the so-called Block House);
- Housing Estate Three (neighborhood of the Round House Residential Estate);
- Housing Estate Five;
- Housing Estate of Municipal University Hospital No. 3 (polyclinic designed by Lev Yurovsky).
2. To draw-up a historical and architectural key plan for the city of Zaporizhzhia, placing emphasis on the features of the interwar modernism housing development of the 1920s-1930s (its original ensemble decisions of the block organization), thus confirm the complex protection status of the inter-war modernism objects for accepting further legal and preservation measures.
3. To prepare and implement an international program by representatives of Zaporizhzhia; public organizations of Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv and Kyiv; experts from Weimar and Kharkiv universities aimed at studying, systematizing, and restoring the monuments of modernism, as well as promoting them as pieces of extremely important European heritage of urban planning and architecture of the industrial period.
4. To carry out repair and restoration works at the objects located within the Sixth Settlement (“Sotsmisto”), taking into account the results of the program, as well as the current experience of German and Ukrainian restoration practices used by organizations that have practicing experts in restoration and process engineers among their employees. To organize cooperation with German partners and representatives of public organizations from Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv, and Kharkiv when restoring the objects as follows:
- Municipal University Hospital No. 3 (on the corner of the Medvedeva and Metalurgs Streets);
- Dormitories designed by Olga Yafa (#4. 6, 10 Metalurgs Streets) and the dormitory of commune house in Housing Estate Two (#21 Nezalezhnoi Ukrainy Street);
- Sotsmisto Library (#11 Dobrolyubova Street);
and when carrying out revitalization works that will include projects of landscape improvement of the objects as follows:
- territories of Housing Estate Two at Metalurgs Avenue, Independent Ukraine Street, Dobrolyubova Street and Recordna Street;
- the Round House Residential Estate within the area as follows: Verkhnya Street, Recordna Street, Independent Ukraine Street and Metalurgs Avenue.
The works in question should be planned with the works enjoying the top priority. All the works should be carried out in accordance with the ratified international documents on the cultural heritage protection.
5. To organize the preparation of the nomination file to include the urban development ensemble of the Dnipro Hydroelectric Power Plant and Sotsmisto (6th settlement) into the Preliminary List of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, while specifying the list of objects located within the power plant complex.
6. To establish a special body on the municipal level as a part of the applicable national legislation, which could configure and guide the municipal policy on the cultural heritage protection in Zaporizhzhia.
7. To apply to the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine for the issues as follows:
- To develop methodological recommendations for determining the subject of protection of architectural monuments and urban development of the interwar modernism for the purposes of keeping the State Register of Immovable Monuments of Ukraine on a systematic basis;
- To reconsider the decision taken by the Expert Commission on 29 March, 2017 (Minutes No. 3/17), on considering issues of including objects of cultural heritage into the State Register of Immovable Monuments of Ukraine, according to which the machine room and the central office building are the only objects from the entire ensemble of the Dnipro Hydroelectric Power Plant, which are recommended for inclusion into the State Register. The presumable exclusion of the spillway dam and the gateway from the system of state registration (based on their importance as energy facilities as well as engineering and transport infrastructure) would contradict the Convention Concerning the Protection of UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage. Moreover, the recommendation of the Expert Commission on establishing a protection category for the building of the power plant machine room as a local monument does not correspond to the outstanding role of this object as one of the symbols of the world architecture of the 20th century.
We warmly welcome the readiness of the city authorities to accept the recommendations and comments of experts for realization of the Program for Protecting Historic and Cultural Monuments in Zaporizhzhia for 2018-2022 and encourage its implementation.
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