Russian attack on 7 July damaged 17 cultural heritage sites in Kharkiv – photos
Seventeen cultural heritage sites in the historic Zalopan district of Kharkiv were damaged in a Russian attack on 7 July. Architect Viktor Dvornikov said the buildings have stood since the 19th century.
Source: Dvornikov on Facebook
Details: Speaking exclusively to Ukrainska Pravda.Kultura, Dvornikov said the strike hit the historic district and a densely populated residential area. Most of the historic buildings were located on Kotsarska Street, some on Zbroiarska Street, and several on Chobotarska Street.
Four historic buildings near the strike's epicentre were seriously damaged, with cracks going right through the walls, floors and walls warped, and two houses catching fire. Five other buildings had their roofs destroyed, while most suffered broken windows and minor cracks in the decoration.
"There are wooden floors everywhere, and they are rising and falling slightly as a result of the blast wave," Dvornikov said. "And all the plaster that is stuck to those floors is cracking. They all need cosmetic repairs now, but those closest to the explosion’s epicentre, of course, require major repairs."
The architect is still conducting the analysis, but he said that not all the damaged buildings have protected status. However, these are historic sites that have retained their authenticity and are recognised as cultural heritage sites.
"The problem we are highlighting now is that very often, not only are these sites not listed in the registers of monuments or lists of newly discovered sites, but this also means they are not regarded as valuable by either residents or the local authorities," Dvornikov explained.
Another problem is that three different buildings are registered at the same address. Two of them have protected status, while the third, which was hit, does not, despite also dating back to the late 19th century.
Dvornikov said the buildings in this area had been uniquely well preserved.
"With proper management and a proper approach, they could be valuable tourist and cultural attractions. Unfortunately, we don't have that," he added.
According to Dvornikov, the historical buildings on these three streets had been well preserved both inside and out.
"Inside, there are also a large number of architectural gems that had been overlooked. Yesterday, we discovered seven such gems. We didn't even know they existed. These houses have preserved facades with stucco mouldings, woodwork, 19th-century windows and doors, and well-preserved interiors in the apartments. The tragedy helped us find them."
The houses also feature 19th-century tiles, marble staircases, cast-iron fences, many wrought-iron items and more.
Two of the 17 damaged buildings had been damaged before. One of them, at 33 Chobotarska Street, was hit by an Iskander missile in 2023. It is now fenced off and discussions about demolishing it are ongoing, but no work is currently being done there.
Dvornikov is monitoring the situation as part of a working group dedicated to preserving authentic elements of cultural heritage.
The working group visits the scenes of strikes soon after they occur and works with the damaged materials to prevent them from being taken to landfill.
This time there were no cases where the buildings had collapsed or been destroyed. However, the working group will continue to monitor whether the original frames or doors in these buildings are replaced. If they are, the group will insist on preserving them or will arrange for them to be restored and conserved in a specialist workshop.
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