Concrete constructions in the historical center not only spoil the architectural appearance of Kyiv – often during their construction, what has been hidden beneath the ground is destroyed
Scandals involving the destruction of architectural monuments in Kyiv have long been a part of the daily information landscape. Just in the past two months, the historic Rybalchenko estate mysteriously caught fire, the Lukyanivska police station on Sichovykh Striltsiv Street began to be demolished, and plans are underway to build yet another residential complex on the site of the demolished oldest building in Podil.
However, developers are not only destroying what can be seen on the surface. Old Kyiv is an archaeological treasure trove, so potentially any excavation in the ground could lead to unique discoveries. Beneath the streets of the historical center of the capital lie archaeological layers, which can date back from the 19th century to at least the Trypillia period.
1 Formally, the state protects these yet-to-be-discovered monuments: any construction within historical zones must be coordinated with archaeologists. This applies to Kyiv as well, but often construction companies try to bypass the law. How this happens and what conflicts arise between developers and archaeologists was explained to Kashtan NEWS by Yuriy Bashkatov, an employee of the Institute of Archaeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
Protected Kyiv
Legally, the historical preservation zone has existed in Kyiv since Soviet times: in 1987, the state historical and architectural reserve "Ancient Kyiv" was established, covering Old Podil and part of the Old Kyiv Hill. Additionally, the national reserves "Kyiv Pechersk Lavra" and "Saint Sophia of Kyiv" have protected status – along with the buffer zone surrounding St. Sophia Cathedral.
2 According to Ukrainian legislation, construction work in the preservation zone must only be carried out after receiving the appropriate permit from scientists and heritage protection bodies. This is a mandatory procedure, and any deviation from it renders the construction illegal.
“There is a department for the protection of cultural heritage within the relevant department of the Kyiv City State Administration, which oversees everything that can be built in Kyiv within the preservation zone. Plus, if you plan to build something that involves ground intervention, all of this must be submitted for consideration not only to the protection department but also to the Institute of Archaeology. Simply put, a letter should be sent to the Institute roughly stating: ‘Dear archaeologists, please tell us if there is archaeology here, and if so, let’s study it.’ And in the preservation zone, archaeology is usually present because this zone was established based on our understanding of the situation where Kyiv was located, starting from the period of Ancient Rus to the seventeenth-eighteenth centuries. That is, if during archaeological exploration Ancient Rus is not found, there will surely be something else,” – explained Yuriy Bashkatov.
3 Construction outside of the preservation zone is a different matter. In such cases, a permit from archaeologists is not mandatory; however, if builders discover any historical artifacts during their work, they must contact scientists.
“In the event of any finds related to archaeology, the developer must notify the heritage protection authorities – in our case, the department at the Kyiv City State Administration and the Institute of Archaeology. Failure to inform is a criminal offense: there is a separate law ‘On the Protection of Archaeological Heritage,’ which prescribes imprisonment from three to eight years. However, this law is usually not enforced, but there is still a difference between ‘not enforced’ and ‘not existing,’” – notes the archaeologist.
When it’s forbidden, but you really want to
Bypassing the law is advantageous for construction companies: developers are not interested in potential archaeological discoveries, and they often view the prospect of halting work on a site just for archaeologists to investigate it unfavorably.
4 “There are various ways to circumvent such issues. For example, documents are obtained for one thing, while something completely different is done. If the documentation does not indicate that the work requires digging into the ground, formally, archaeologists have no say here. I can give an example from my own experience: the area of Kyrylivska Street, this is the historic Podil, archaeology is everywhere there – you can take any point up to the seventieth house number, and it will definitely be there. Construction begins, and we go to argue with the client: ‘What are you doing, where is the archaeological exploration?’ And we are told: ‘Oh, this is not construction; it’s a reconstruction of the building, here are the documents.’ What kind of reconstruction is that when a pit is dug? ‘Oh, here is the architect's conclusion that the building is no longer subject to reconstruction; it needs to be demolished and a new one built.’ But initially, the documentation was submitted as a reconstruction, so coordination with archaeologists was not necessary,” – recounted Bashkatov.
“It just collapsed on its own”
Sometimes archaeologists are indeed allowed on the site, but if builders think that the research is taking too long, they secretly destroy the excavation sites.
“There was a case back in the early 2000s: the ‘UkrSibbank’ building at the corner of Andriivska Street, up top. We worked there for about a week, and in the evening we left the excavation – by morning, there was already a pit six meters deep in its place. And there were ancient wooden pavements of two layers, uniquely preserved. I’ve only seen such things once in my life: there was marshy soil, so the preservation of the wood was simply stunning. When I came with complaints, I was directly told at the construction site: ‘You’re wasting your time here; we need to build,’” says the archaeologist.
5 A similar story occurred during the reconstruction of Independence Square, where fortifications from the time of Yaroslav the Wise were found, located next to the chronicle Lads' Gates.
“Many know that we excavated there, but few know how. For three days, the guys preserved the remains of the structures under the embankment. I come in the morning – everything is in ruins, nothing is left. I catch the construction management and ask: ‘What are you doing?’ ‘Oh, it just collapsed on its own; good thing no one was hurt.’ I ask: ‘Who do you think you’re fooling? There are traces of impact from an iron beam on the beams, and imprints of this beam on the ground, and you’re telling me it just collapsed on its own,’” recalls Bashkatov.
According to the archaeologist, such situations happen all the time.
“As soon as you say: ‘Don’t touch this area,’ the next day that area no longer exists,” – he summarizes.
Yuliya TENENYOVA