Project Release Date 31.10.2021
Scarier than ghosts: three Kyiv “Pryvit” restaurants were surrounded by a construction fence to raise awareness about the illegal demolition of historic buildings and raise funds to defend them in court.
It was a collaboration with restaurateurs Dasha and Misha Katsurins. During Halloween 2021, typical green construction fences appeared around the Japanese, Thai, and Chinese Pryvit restaurants.
These restaurateurs did not decorate their establishments with spider webs, skeletons, and bats, because it doesn’t scare anyone. The situation of Kyiv's historical architecture however, is scary for real.
The Reitarska Circle behind the fence
The campaign was intended to unite the community and raise funds to protect three buildings in courts: Kvity Ukrainy (which means “Flowers of Ukraine”), Sadyba Barbana (the Barban Estate) and Sadyba Dmytrieva (the Dmytriev Estate). The collaboration aims to protect these buildings in the legal field and consider possible scenarios for their preservation and renovation.
The goal was to collect 600000 UAH for lawyers' services, court costs, writing appeals to the city government and others. Although achieving such an ambitious goal was impossible, 237000 UAH was collected during the campaign!
“Chinese Pryvit” under the reconstruction
37000 UAH was spent to win a protection status of “Kvity Ukrainy” in court. The case has now been won on appeal. When the full-scale invasion began, we allocated 70000 hryvnias to electric generators for the National Guard troops defending Irpin.
Subsequently, we initiated the campaign for assignment of protected status to the Barban Estate. Now we are waiting for the Department of Cultural Heritage Protection's decision. Meanwhile, the Dmytriev Estate was returned to communal ownership by the Prosecutor's Office and the community.
The rest of the funds will be spent to protect the historical buildings in the courts. Thanks to everyone who joined the crowdfunding!
A poster on the building’s wall dedicated to the damaged “Kvity Ukrainy”