The concept of a viewpoint on Khortytsia Island

The project is being implemented within the Programme of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy with the participation of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia Regional State Administration and with the support of Metinvest Group.

History and context

Khortytsia is the largest island on the Dnipro River, and it is formed of granites that are about two billion years old. It is now a nature reserve with mounds, ancient sanctuaries of different eras, religious buildings and the Zaporizhzhian Sich historical and cultural centre. The hill on Khortytsia was created artificially: it was mounded in the 70s of the last century to install a monumental sculpture.

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A space where people want to be

The viewpoint is the highest point on the island, overlooking the Dnipro River, the Dnipro Hydroelectric Power Station and Zaporizhzhia.

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So we propose to create an enjoyable and comfortable experience of climbing the hill and to arrange a central museum square that will become a starting point for various walking routes. Thus, the square beattraction's main centre, connecting differentt types of activities and paths.

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The path to the top of the hill is not just a viewpoint, but a full-fledged public space with recreation areas, art objects, and access to the flora. It was important for us to create not just a path, but an interesting experience of ascent. That is why the path up the hill covers different sides of the hill, offering different views. It is not by chance that we use the phrase ‘everyone can get to the top’. This is true because our architects have made the ascent accessible to people with low mobility.

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Museum Square has become the centre of the public space. Such a zone gives visitors a sense of social inclusion, comfort, and connection with nature and other people. The main elements of the square are trees. They provide natural shading, making the whole area comfortable to stay in. Wooden benches continue the theme of using natural elements.

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The Amphitheatre continues the museum square, where people can socialise and relax. In the evening, it is possible to organise film screenings or performances here.

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We suggested using a mixture of plants that are not afraid of arid and hot climates to green the territory.

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It was recommended that the top layer of soil be carefully removed during construction and kept moist so that it could cover all damaged areas upon completion of the project. This would help to preserve the existing flora on the island as much as possible.

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Over time, the plants that grew on the outskirts and in places where no earthworks were carried out grew. Thus, the hill became part of the island's ecosystem.

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Team

Victoria Titova - CEO of Big City Lab, project leader

Tadas Jonauskis - Chief Architect

Khrystyna Sekuloska - Architect and designer

Ulyana Maksymenko - Project manager

Mikael Kerobyan - Architect 

Sofia Brem - Accessibility expert

NGO “Zaporizhzhia. Platform of Joint Actions”

National Reserve “Khortytsia”

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