A book on Kherson’s metal heritage was presented in Odesa

A book on artistic metalwork in Kherson’s architecture was presented in Odesa. The presentation took place on August 14 at the Bookstore-Café cultural space in the city center.

The book’s author is Serhiy Dyachenko, a Kherson-based local historian and museum specialist who currently serves in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He conducted the research in his spare time.

The book focuses on the metal decorations found on Kherson’s buildings—fences, grilles, and other elements that are part of the city’s architectural heritage. The idea for the project originated with Odesa local historian Oleksandr Friedman back in 2012.

<picture></picture>Photo: Intent

According to the project’s authors, the metal elements of old buildings are gradually disappearing. They are sold for scrap, dismantled during renovations, or replaced with modern structures. As a result, part of the information about the city’s history and the architectural features of different periods is being lost.

A distinctive feature of the book is its chronological organization rather than a classification by type of metal structure. The researchers examined buildings as holistic entities and documented the metal decorative elements associated with them.

<picture></picture>Photo: Intent

Nearly half of the information gathered is new. The researchers had to determine the construction dates of some buildings based on architectural features and historical plans of Kherson from various periods.

A separate section is devoted to Art Nouveau. Its heyday in Kherson occurred roughly between 1902 and 1907, though few such structures have survived in the city.

The author noted that the book should be viewed not merely as a souvenir, but as a way to take a closer look at the city’s architecture. According to him, part of this heritage is currently being lost due to the war, but it will have to be restored.

“Consider this book not just as a souvenir, but as a pair of glasses through which you can see what is happening around us. Yes, we are losing this now because of the war, but with the understanding that everything will have to be restored,” the author said.

Earlier, Intent published an interview with local historian Oleksandr Friedman, in which he spoke about his work on this book.

Ірина Глухова