In der Region Zagospromje wurden Häuser ohne Küchen gebaut und Schriftsteller wurden erschossen.2 Fotos

In Zagospromye, houses were built without kitchens, and writers were executed. 85 years ago, this concrete architectural masterpiece became a symbol of Kharkiv and has retained that status to this day. The most recognizable symbol of Kharkiv – the Government Buildings Complex – appeared in the city relatively recently. Back at the beginning of the 20th century, the site where this architectural wonder now stands was nothing but an empty lot. On the lands belonging to the university, the city boundaries ended back then. After the Civil War, Kharkiv gained the status of a republic’s capital, and new needs arose that required larger buildings. Many organizations and institutions couldn’t fit into the small pre-revolutionary structures. In 1925, a competition was held to design the new Government Buildings Complex. Even the famous architect Beketov participated, but his neoclassical style didn’t suit the spirit of the times. The winning design was for a building with a unique name: “The Uninvited Guest.” This remarkable structure was completed in record time—just three years. And that despite the fact that the builders lacked modern equipment such as cranes; they had to transport the earth out of the excavation site by hand. Despite such primitive working conditions, the building itself was an innovation. Constructivism was still emerging as a architectural style at that time, and concrete was a new material for construction in the Soviet Union. Monolithic concrete structures had not yet been used anywhere in the country before. This masterpiece was made possible thanks to Felix Dzerzhinsky. Without his intervention, the project would have likely become another one of those long-delayed unfinished buildings. In 1927, Dzerzhinsky visited the construction site and ordered additional funding for the project. In honor of him, the people of Kharkiv named the square in front of the Government Buildings Complex after him—it was called Dzerzhinskaya Square until 1991, when it was renamed Freedom Square. In the early 1990s, it was sometimes referred to as Independence Square, similar to Kyiv’s Maidan. But in fact, it was never given that name officially. The construction of the Government Buildings Complex was completed in 1928, and its results were astounding. It was the tallest skyscraper in Europe at that time. The building contained over a thousand rooms, and it took 25 tons of coal daily to heat it in winter. According to locals, the Government Buildings Complex looked much more beautiful externally in the past. Many memories about this iconic structure remain, including those of Kharkiv-born writer Inga Shamray. She wrote about moving to a house in Govitralny Lane, 12 in 1929 when she was half a year old. The area around it was surrounded by fences and construction noise could be heard everywhere; there were no cranes at all. The “Word” building was nicknamed “Crematorium” by the locals. Another interesting building on this street was the “New Life” communal residence. It occupied an entire block, from numbers 18 to 26. Many apartments there had kitchens integrated into the bathrooms, while others didn’t have any kitchens at all. It was believed at that time that Soviet people shouldn’t spend their time on such trivial matters as cooking. The government of Soviet Ukraine allocated housing for writers in a separate building designed in the shape of the letter “S” – the “Word” building. There famous writers like Ostap Vishny, Les Kurbas, and Pavel Tychyna lived there for a short time. However, just three years later, many of them were arrested and executed. The building thus gained a tragic reputation. Today, many of these once-symbolic buildings are in poor condition. The “Red Brewster” building’s entrance halls have been damaged, and trees have grown on the walls of the “Word” building. By the way, it was originally planned to build an arch and a fountain on Dzerzhinskaya Square. But this unique square with its unusual shape remained unfinished. The Government Buildings Complex was constructed out of concrete, while the nearby Ukraine Government Building (formerly the Govorov Academy) was made of brick. This project also became one of those long-delayed and unfinished constructions in Soviet history.