Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, many cities have been attacked with drones, missiles, and artillery strikes. This has brought death and endless suffering to people and destruction of vital infrastructure. At the same time, Ukraine's cultural heritage has been affected by immense losses.
This exhibition attempts to convey an idea of the extent of the destruction and the range of buildings involved. It intentionally focuses on a sober record of destruction. The immeasurable suffering of the people affected is not depicted. It is a matter of the viewers’ imagination.
Introduction
It is difficult to determine the total number of ruined buildings, but the estimated count is already more than 250,000. This number includes unique and valuable architectural landmarks, but very little number of them are officially recognized and protected by law. A major part of ruined heritage was not listed as monuments. Numerous buildings were destroyed before being even researched, and their value was not known. Although the combat zone is mostly in the eastern part of the state, missiles and drones cause the damage across the territory of Ukraine. Strikes happen even in the western part of the country, near the border of Poland. The geography of the losses covers mostly the big cities, but also includes small ones and villages, some of which had lost their only remarkable buildings.
The typology of damage is diverse. The ruined buildings are residential houses, administrative offices, factories and warehouses, schools and hospitals, stores and markets, railway stations and airports. Some of them originate from the 19th century, while others were erected only recently.
Their typological diversity emphasizes that many ruined objects that are primarily considered as infrastructure also have an architectural value, and their loss is not only the loss of infrastructure, but the loss of heritage.
The post-destruction fate of buildings is also different. Some have already been restored, whereas others were deemed unrepairable and have already been demolished. Many are left in ruins and their future is unclear. As many historical buildings are not yet considered cultural heritage, they do not have much chance to be restored. The ones located in central parts of the cities are more likely to be demolished because the construction industry is interested in new buildings in place of their historical predecessors.
The record of destruction presented in this exhibition attempts to cover the country's geographical extent (including the areas currently occupied by Russia) and the typological diversity of the buildings with case examples. However, it cannot be considered comprehensive, as numerous losses remain unreported, and all existing buildings in Ukraine are susceptible to destruction at any moment.
The exhibition was curated by Dr. Semen Shyrochyn, Kyiv,
in collaboration with the Leibniz Institute for the History and Culture of Eastern Europe (GWZO).
Our gratitude extends to the Leibniz Research Alliance »Value of the Past« for generously supporting the project.
