Emergency repairs have been completed on the Menchini's house in the centre of Mykolaiv — there is no money for restoration

In Mykolaiv, emergency repair and conservation work has been completed on the damaged Menchini's House, the regional centre for folk art located on Admiralska Street, opposite the ruined Inhul Hotel.

This was reported by Svitlana Hladun, head of the Mykolaiv Cultural Heritage Protection Department, in a comment to NikVesti.

After the shelling, parts of the roof of the historic building were destroyed, most of the windows and doors were broken, the openwork entrance gate to the courtyard was destroyed, and there were through-breaks and cracks in the walls, among other damage.

The first stage of restoration of the object has now been completed, says the head of the cultural heritage department: conservation of the building and emergency repair work.

«Conservation is «first aid» for the site. It protects cultural heritage sites from further destruction and ensures that they stay authentic with minimal changes to how they look now. Emergency repair work is aimed at ensuring the safe operation of cultural heritage sites for the period necessary to carry out research, develop scientific and design documentation, and carry out restoration,» explained Svitlana Hladun.

The contractor carried out topographical and geodetic surveys, engineering and geological surveys, and design work: architectural and construction solutions, basic provisions for the organisation of restoration, and cost estimate documentation.

It also dismantled damaged parts of the building, removed construction debris, installed rafters made of boards and waterproofing film on the roof, applied fire-retardant material, boarded up window openings with plywood, and reinforced brick walls with metal ties.

The work was carried out with the assistance of the public organisation «Agency for Cultural Sustainability» and funded by the US Embassy's Cultural Heritage Preservation Fund, said Svitlana Hladun. The estimated cost of the work was $30,000 (1.3 million hryvnias).

Support those who keep the city informed every day

Club NikVesti — a place where the reader and the editorial team are on the same side.

Members have access to a private chat, an exclusive newsletter with behind-the-scenes stories from journalists, see the news earlier, and influence the changes.

Join us. Together we keep the city bright

One-time support Monthly

€ 1 € 2 € 10

Donate

by phone

---

by card

€ 2

by phone

---

by card

€ 5

by phone

---

by card

€ 10

by phone

---

by card

Secure payment

The recipient of donations is the NGO “Mykolaiv Media Hub” (EDRPOU 45160758). By making a donation, you confirm that the amount is non-refundable and may be used by the NGO to implement its statutory activities, including supporting independent journalism and creating socially significant content. Public offer.

«The building needs restoration — a set of scientifically based measures to strengthen, preserve the physical condition, reveal the most characteristic features, and restore lost or damaged elements of cultural heritage objects while ensuring the preservation of their authenticity. Unfortunately, today's limited budgetary resources do not allow us to talk about the timing of the future restoration,» said Svitlana Hladun.

It should be noted that the Menkin House was one of the architectural monuments destroyed by Russia. In 2022, it was added to the state register of architectural monuments. During the Soviet era, it housed a pioneer club, where the poet and songwriter Mark Lysianskyi, author of the anthem of Moscow, began his creative career. Since the start of the full-scale war, the building has been damaged several times by shock waves from Russian strikes. The house suffered the most damage in July 2023 during a Russian missile attack.

Read also the article by NikVesti «How Mykolaiv can change its approach to protecting historic buildings and what lies behind it».

It discusses plans to transfer the functions of protecting cultural heritage sites, currently performed by the City Council's Department of Culture, to the City Council's Department of Architecture and Urban Planning.

This could «create a potential conflict of interest», warned the city council in the Department of Culture, Nationalities and Religions of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration.