City Residents Propose How to Preserve History
Residents of the capital are urging the city authorities to protect the foundations of the Kyrylo Rozumovsky Palace in the heart of the city by establishing a so-called "living history museum" around the remnants of the building.
The relevant petition has been registered on the Kyiv City Council website.
As the authors of the initiative point out, such museums are gaining increasing popularity in Europe. This is a museum, the residents explain, where one can learn about historical events that occurred near specific places and objects. The most famous "living museum" today is the Vasa Museum in Sweden, which exhibits the namesake warship of the Swedish fleet from 1628.
Similar institutions exist in Ukraine as well: for instance, the National Historical and Memorial Reserve "Field of the Battle of Berestets" in the village of Pliasheva or the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center in Kyiv.
The signatories of the document emphasize that there are plans to construct an office center on the foundations of the Rozumovsky Palace. Continuing the construction could jeopardize the preservation of this unique archaeological site, just as it has already led to the destruction of the House of the Ukrainian Military District nearby. Additionally, placing an office center here would diminish the historical significance of the location on the banks of the Dnipro.
“We propose to create a 'living museum' of the history of hetman rule in Kyiv at the site of the discovered foundations of the Rozumovsky Palace; to host exhibitions of items that will be found during further archaeological research of the area, as well as artifacts related to the life and activities of the Cossack elite in Kyiv,” wrote concerned citizens invested in preserving the history of their hometown.
At the same time, they suggest changing the land use designation of the area, granting it the status of a cultural (archaeological) heritage site, and prohibiting new construction there.
Reminder. On March 20, builders began pouring concrete over the excavated foundation of the Hetman Rozumovsky Palace, and the city prosecutor's office opened a criminal investigation regarding the unauthorized construction works.