New Bookstore Opening in Mykolaiv: A Cultural Revival for the City

A bookstore of one of Ukraine's largest bookstore chains is to open on Mykolaiv's main street, Soborna, in March. This is the first opening of this scale in the city in the last decade.

This was reported by MikVesti.

According to Taras Kremin, the Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language, in many countries of the world, the presence of large institutions is an indicator of economic capacity.

"Someone thinks that McDonald's is such a marker, but for me, the most important thing is a spiritual weapon. The emergence of a large chain bookstore in our city is about sustainability, worldview and self-identity," Kremin said.

"Since 2014, no new bookstores have opened in Mykolaiv, and some of the existing ones were forced to close. To change the situation, Kremin personally negotiated with large Ukrainian chains. Some of them are already planning to open their branches in 2025.

The official believes it is important to have bookstores on the city's central streets, which should become cultural centers of the city and a step towards reviving literary life. The name of the network is still a secret.

Last year, PEN Ukraine's team visited the eastern part of Mykolaiv region as part of a literary volunteer tour. The writers visited the village of Bereznehuvate, which during the active hostilities of 2022 was only 10 kilometers from the front line. Much of the cultural and educational infrastructure of the village was destroyed.

Also in Mykolaiv, as part of the project "Historical vlog 'About: Mykolaiv?" with the support of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation, a new animated documentary video was filmed to celebrate the birthday of the Mykolaiv Public Library.

And the project manager of Meridian Czernowitz, entrepreneur, public figure, cultural manager, and publisher Sviatoslav Pomerantsev shared his opinion on the air ofIntent.Insight that in two generations in Ukraine, the Russian language will lose its popularity and become unprofitable and unfashionable.

Анна Бальчінос