Derzhprom is a building complex in Kharkiv that was built as early as 1928 and is considered to be the first skyscraper in the USSR. A few days ago, part of the complex was hit by a rocket.
The news of the damage to the building is significant, as the Derzhprom is considered a valuable example of the Constructivist style of architecture. The complex has monument status and efforts are underway to have it inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. For the time being, Derżprom is on the so-called UNESCO information list. The information list is a list of buildings that a country intends to formally submit for inscription on the relevant UNESCO World Heritage List.
The shelling of the building occurred on 28 October and partially destroyed the third floor. The Kharkiv City Council was informed of the damage and the mayor of the city, Ihor Terekhov, met with the head of the UNESCO Office in Ukraine. Participants in the meeting discussed the need to speed up the procedure for inscribing not only Derzhprom, but also the entire complex of Freedom Square, where it stands, on the UNESCO list.
The organisation is ready to assist the city in the accelerated procedure of inscribing the site on the World Heritage List. The whole process must be carried out in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications, which expresses its readiness to cooperate. A meeting is planned to discuss the details of the nomination file necessary for further work on the restoration and protection of Derzhprom,” said Julia Zgurska, deputy director of the Department of International Cooperation.
The Derzhprom State Industry House was the headquarters of the most important government institutions until 1934. The complex consists of three H-shaped buildings with six to eleven floors. The height to the roof is 68 metres and, counting with the antenna installed, 108 metres.
The building is considered a symbol of Kharkiv. Its design was selected through the organisation of an architectural competition in 1925. The building was intended to serve a representative function – from 1919 to 1934 Kharkiv was the capital of the Ukrainian SSR. The best design was submitted by three architects: Sergei Savich Serafimov, Samuel Mironovich Krawiec and Mark Davidovich Felger.
source: PAP
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