Restoration of the facade of the Arkas gymnasium will cost ₴41 million

The destroyed historical building of the Lyceum named after Arkas, November 1, 2022, photo: NikVesti

The first stage of reconstruction of the Mykolaiv Lyceum named after Mykola Arkas, according to the project documentation, will cost about 41 million hryvnias. These funds will be provided by the Danish government.

It involves restoration of the facade, roof and windows, Oleksii Savchuk, director of the capital construction department of the city council, said in a comment to NikVesti.

The second stage, he added, will involve setting up a shelter in the educational institution for the safe and full-fledged education of children.

«Restoration will take place in several stages. First, it is a priority to preserve the integrity of the building and restore the facade, roof, and windows. Because it is an architectural monument and it is very important to preserve its authenticity. The second stage is the arrangement of a shelter in the basement so that the institution can fully function. Currently, we have received a project for restoration repair within the framework of the restoration of those structures that were damaged as a result of shelling. According to the project documentation that we have, the cost of restoration is approximately 41 million hryvnias. These are very large funds and these will be the funds of the Danish government,» said Oleksii Savchuk.

Arkas Gymnasium during the war

The historic building of the First Ukrainian Gymnasium named after Mykola Arkas was destroyed on November 1, 2022, during the bombing of Mykolaiv by Russian troops. As a result of shelling in the gymnasium, a part of the wall collapsed, the interior of the classrooms was opened, and the roof above the facade was damaged.

Later, the Department of Education of the Mykolaiv City Council reported that the lyceum building would be restored at the expense of Denmark. Later, the Ukrainian architects presented to the Danish ambassador, Ole Egberg Mikkelsen , options for the recovery and restoration of the Lyceum named after Mykola Arkas. At the same time, he assured that the Mykolaiv city government will choose the reconstruction option itself.

Mayor Oleksandr Sienkovych announced that the lyceum will be restored while preserving its authentic appearance. And the head of the city council's culture department Yuriy Lyubarov spoke about one of the options for the reconstruction of the destroyed facade of the Arkas First Ukrainian Gymnasium. He proposed to preserve the destroyed part of the facade in a glass «aquarium», while strengthening the overlap between the floors, and to restore the other part of the facade in a classical way to an authentic state.

At the same time, in the capital expenditures of the Mykolaiv budget for 2023, the cost of the reconstruction project of the Arkas gymnasium, according to the document, is 300 million hryvnias. The period of reconstruction was indicated until the end of 2030.

After that, the Department of Capital Construction of the City Council ordered the adjustment of scientific and project documentation regarding the restoration of the Arkas Gymnasium.