Ukrainian House: A National Representation Centre

The Ukrainian House (“Ukrainskyi dim”), a monumental structure in the very heart of Kyiv, is recognised as one of the central hubs for business, socio-political, educational, and cultural life in Ukraine. This five-storey building, located on Kyiv's European Square, has witnessed all the turbulent historical events of the late 20th and early 21st centuries alongside Ukrainian society.

Today, as you walk through the galleries of the modern Ukrainian House, it’s hard to imagine that not long ago, a marble statue of a Communist leader and bas-reliefs with the words "Study, study, and study again," attributed to Lenin, once adorned its interiors.

Source: Uadim.in.ua

The construction of the Ukrainian House took place between 1978 and 1982, led by a team of architects headed by Vadym Ivanovych Hopkalo, an Honoured Architect of the Ukrainian SSR, who received the T. G. Shevchenko State Prize of the Ukrainian SSR in 1985 for his work on the design and decor of the building.

The bas-reliefs on the building’s facade were created by Ukraine's People's Artist V. N. Borysenko, while the tapestries in the central hall were crafted by the Honoured Artists of Ukraine, V. O. Myahkov, A. V. Haidamaka, and monumental artist L. V. Mishchenko. Mishchenko is also the artist behind the stained glass that decorates the dome of the building. The concert hall tapestry was completed in 1997 by People's Artist of Ukraine, M. O. Ralko. Despite the ideological and propagandistic role the building was intended to serve, its interior design was more innovative and progressive compared to similar projects in other Soviet republics. It was rumoured that the Ukrainian House’s designers were inspired by the interior of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Source: Uadim.in.ua

This striking structure, covering an area of 17,550 m², is monumental in character yet minimalistic in form, with three above-ground and two underground levels. The building's underground and semi-underground blocks house the technical equipment that ensures continuous air conditioning, energy supply, and heating. It is equipped with eight inter-floor escalators and two passenger lifts. The finest materials from across the former Soviet Union were used in its construction: Ural marble, Zhytomyr granite, Krasnoyarsk aluminium, Uzbek transformers, and an air conditioning system from Kharkiv.

Source: Uadim.in.ua

The Ukrainian House project was of great importance to the then leadership of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the USSR, as this building was intended to serve as the main ideological outpost of communism in the strategically vital and often rebellious Ukrainian SSR. It was initially set to house the Kyiv branch of the V. I. Lenin Central Museum under the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine. The grand opening on 21 April 1982 featured all the usual Soviet-era pageantry, with Pioneers, representatives of the Communist Party of Ukraine and Russia, and gigantic portraits of the General Secretaries of the CPSU Central Committee.

Source: Wiki

However, as the years passed, empires—no matter how formidable and "unbreakable" like the USSR—fell, and in 1993, at the initiative of then-Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policy Mykola Zhulynsky, the Lenin museum was transformed into the Ukrainian House Centre under the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. The Lenin museum's exhibits were dismantled and relocated to storage. Later, in 2010, a presidential decree granted the institution "national" status, and the Ukrainian House was officially recognised as an architectural landmark and included in the Register of Historical and Cultural Monuments.

Source: Maidanmusseum.org

Despite its official state status, the Ukrainian House has always been a "people's house," repeatedly becoming the epicentre of pivotal historical events for Ukrainians during mass demonstrations and protests for the country’s freedom and independence. During the 2004 Orange Revolution, the Ukrainian House was the headquarters of presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko’s supporters. In 2012, it was the site of the Language Maidan protests, where Ukrainians rallied against the "On the Principles of State Language Policy" law, which allowed for official bilingualism in regions with national minorities exceeding 10%, introduced during President Viktor Yanukovych’s tenure.

In 2014, during the Revolution of Dignity, the Ukrainian House became a strategic centre for Ukrainians’ struggle against Yanukovych’s pro-Russian regime and its Moscow backers. On the night of 25-26 January 2014, it was the site of clashes between Euromaidan protesters and security forces. Following information that special forces could attack protesters from the rear via the Ukrainian House if an attempt was made to clear Hrushevsky Street, a large number of demonstrators gathered outside the building. Barricades were erected, and a siege ensued, eventually resulting in the withdrawal of security forces from the building, which was then converted into a press centre, a warming station, and a food distribution point for protesters—freedom fighters advocating for Ukraine’s European integration.

Source: Uadim.in.ua

Today, the Ukrainian House is a modern multidisciplinary national centre for business and cultural cooperation. In October 2019, a new chapter began for the Ukrainian House. Amid the full-scale invasion, its halls host important exhibitions, dialogues as part of the "Dialogue Platform," film screenings, cinema discussions, lectures, educational events, and musical performances.