The President of Ukraine Responded to the Petition
For several years, the debate has continued regarding the attempts to develop a historical site in Kyiv — Yurkovytsia Hill and the creation of a recreational area on it. Residents of Kyiv have been gathering signatures to urge local authorities to "prevent and facilitate." However, as the saying goes, "the cart is still there." The situation has escalated to the point where the Head of State has intervened.
“Kashtan NEWS” has attempted to clarify what results this might yield.
Historical Background
Yurkovytsia Hill or Lysaya Hill is a historical locality. It is an elevation located in the Podilskyi and Shevchenkivskyi districts of Kyiv, one of the six "bald hills" of the city.
Currently, this area serves as a forest park zone, featuring remnants of historical one- and two-story buildings, alongside typical high-rise constructions from the 1970s and 1980s.
5 Archaeological excavations at Yurkovytsia have uncovered remains of ancient settlements and defensive fortifications. The Zarubintsy and Chornoliska cultures thrived here. The oldest findings date back to the late Paleolithic era.
In 2016, remnants of 11th-century homesteads were discovered on the territory of the current malt extract plant, known as Rikhert Brewery.
6 As in other areas of Kyiv, chaotic construction is currently taking place around Yurkovytsia, violating legislation, which has sparked numerous protests from concerned members of the Kyiv community.
The project plans to create a park on the slopes of Yurkovytsia.
Did the War Get in the Way?
A few days before the start of the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Kyiv City Council planned to declare Yurkovytsia Hill a local landscape reserve, with the territory situated between Kyrylivska, Nyzhnyoyurkovska, Otto Schmidt, Tatarska, Nahirna, and Bohuslavskyi descent streets.
At that time, Kyiv City Council member and permanent commission member on budget and socio-economic development issues, Dmytro Banash, reported that a project was developed in response to numerous requests from residents of the city regarding the establishment of the "Yurkovytsia Hill" landscape reserve and securing its protective status.
7 “Currently, part of the mentioned territory is accounted for by municipal enterprises responsible for maintaining green spaces in the Podilskyi and Shevchenkivskyi districts of Kyiv. Additionally, an archaeological site — a settlement and burial ground from the 9th-13th centuries — is located on the land. The status of the outlined territory is not clearly defined, which facilitates improper use of historical lands,” stated Dmytro Banash.
He also added that the landscape reserve status with clearly defined boundaries would protect the hill from potential developments and other unwanted intrusions.
Why Are Kyiv Residents Against Construction?
In turn, Kyiv activists emphasized that there is no need for a new microdistrict of high-rise buildings in Podil, but rather a large, beautiful park is required.
“The city and the community will gain almost no profit or benefit if this place is developed... Instead, we would forever lose a valuable and beautiful green area, and potentially — also crucial and important cultural hubs around it,” wrote one of the defenders of Kyiv's antiquities, Ivan Verbytsky, on his social media page.
According to Verbytsky, a very small number of those who are most in need of housing buy expensive real estate in new buildings in central districts.
8 “Typically, it is purchased by those who already have a place to live. Or by those who use the apartment as a secure way to park their money. This includes corrupt funds, as we know from stories about dozens of apartments owned by certain officials,” noted Verbytsky.
The Court and Kyiv Residents
In mid-November last year, the court returned the land on Yurkovytsia Hill to the community, where illegal construction was planned.
As reported by the capital's prosecutor's office, investigators established that the developer, with the intent of illegally seizing the land on Otto Schmidt Street, located within the national heritage site "Settlement and Burial Ground of the 9th-13th Centuries on Lysaya Hill (Yurkovytsia)," registered ownership of a house supposedly located on this land under fictitious individuals. To do this, the developer used a forged decision from one of Kyiv's district courts.
9 Considering that the historically and culturally significant land was removed from municipal ownership due to criminal actions and against the will of the territorial community, the prosecutor's office filed a lawsuit to return the land to the community for its preservation and to prevent unlawful construction.
The prosecutor's office emphasized that after a prolonged court hearing, which was delayed by the defendant's representatives, the Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Kyiv, supported by the appellate and cassation courts, made a legal and fair decision, fully satisfying the claims of the district prosecutor's office. Thus, the court recognized the contracts for the donation of a non-existent house as invalid and ordered the defendant to return the land, removing the illegally erected fence.
Currently, the solid fence that restricted the community's access to the land has been dismantled. However, this has not completely resolved the issue, as there is still no park in this long-suffering area.
The Military and Officials
Kyiv residents have repeatedly gathered signatures for official appeals to the city authorities to halt the construction chaos around the hill and to preserve the only large park with a lake in the city center.
The latest petition on this matter was posted on April 12 of this year. Its author was a serviceman of the 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after Prince Konstantin Ostrozhsky of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Serhiy Lytvyak.
“I have such a dream,” Lytvyak wrote in the document, “that there would be a huge park in Podil where my brothers-in-arms, veterans, and residents could walk among the trees and have access to the lake. And this park we have in Podil, but it is currently in the hands of villains. We are talking about Yurkovytsia Park.”
In this context, the serviceman reminded that the city urgently needs recreational areas and that construction on the site of the historical archaeological monument from the times of Kyivan Rus, "Kyrylivska Stoyanka," next to an industrial zone is unimaginable. Moreover, Lytvyak is convinced that there should be at least one large park in Podil.
“This would be a magnificent gift for the city, Mr. Mayor, and for all servicemen/veterans who are achieving victory in this war for freedom, and also for the freedom of parks from construction, freedom for mothers so that our children, the future of Ukraine, can breathe clean air among trees and greenery,” Lytvyak wrote in the petition, addressing Vitalii Klitschko.
Additionally, he urged the city mayor not to enter into any lease agreements concerning this land without a vote from the deputies. He proposed changing the designated use of the land for the future park to "recreational zone" to protect the area from potential developments, uniting it with the future local landscape reserve "Yurkovytsia Hill." The document's author also called on Kyiv officials to quickly free the land that the developer had seized without a contract and to open it so that people could freely access the lake.
Moreover, in the petition, Lytvyak asked the city authorities to obligate the owner of the former Rikhert Brewery building on Kyrylivska Street, 35, to comply with the conditions of the protective agreement, restore the monument, or initiate the process of returning it to the community's ownership.
0 More than 6,500 Kyiv residents signed the mentioned document. The city mayor, Vitalii Klitschko, also reacted. However, while supporting the petition, the mayor noted that “measures for its implementation will be taken upon receipt of the corresponding list of the aforementioned documents necessary to initiate the consideration of the creation of the respective improvement facility of green management.” The list of such documents is quite extensive. Without the support of local government bodies, particularly the Kyiv City State Administration (KCSA), the petition's author is unlikely to gather everything on his own. Thus, the city mayor did not outright refuse...
On July 12, 2024, Serhiy Lytvyak published a similar petition on the official website of the President of Ukraine. The appeal received significant support: the document was signed by over 25,000 citizens.</