Pre-war photo of Nova Kakhovka recognized as the best in Kherson region

The photo of the historic buildings of Nova Kakhovka became the best photo of the Kherson region in the 2025 photo contest of cultural monuments. The photo was taken on January 5, 2021, before the start of the full-scale Russian invasion.

This was reported by the organizers of the Wiki Loves Monuments contest.

The winner in the nomination "Best Photo of the Regions of Ukraine" from the Kherson region was an image of the historic center of Nova Kakhovka. The author of the photo is photographer Oleh Marchuk.

The historic center of Nova Kakhovka is a local urban planning monument (protection number 115-Khr). It is an integral architectural ensemble located between Dniprovskyi Avenue and Mayakovskoho, Heroiv Ukrayiny, and Pershotravneva streets, within the park area and stadium. The complex was built in 1951-1956 according to a unified plan, which marked the beginning of the city's formation.

The building consists of two- and three-story residential buildings with tiled or slate roofs. Some of the facades are decorated with ornamental panels made in the technique of carving on raw plaster. Their author is the artistHryhorii Dovzhenko, a student of Mykhailo Boichuk. These decorative elements are known as"stone embroideries."

Marchuk said that he is participating in the contest to ensure that Ukraine's monuments are well documented and presented on Wikipedia. According to him, cultural heritage is both a love and a pain for him, because many objects have already been destroyed or disappeared after they were captured in the photo.

Olha Milianovych, a spokeswoman for Wikimedia Ukraine and a member of the organizing committee, noted that this is the first time Kherson region has participated in a competition of this level. She emphasized that in the context of constant shelling, occupation and destruction, documenting the cultural heritage of the region is extremely important, although it is often not a priority for local residents. According to her, the winning photo from Nova Kakhovka has a special emotional weight because it captured the city in a calm period - before the tragedies associated with the war and the hydroelectric power plant explosion.

In previous years, Kherson region was represented at the competition by, among others, the Ochakiv Gate of the Kherson Fortress, the All Saints Church in Kherson, the crypt of the Falz-Fein family in Novochornomoria, Dzharylhach and Stanislav lighthouses, the Kherson Yacht Club, and other sites.

As of 2025, the official list of cultural heritage sites in Kherson region includes 1854 sites. Of these, 456 have photos on Wikimedia Commons. In 2025, 10 contestants uploaded 101 photos of 44 monuments of the region, nine of which were illustrated for the first time. In total, 163 authors have submitted photos of Kherson region's landmarks over the years.

Last year, international media recognized the work of Ukrainian photographer Mark Ivkov. His photo taken in Kherson region was included in the list of the best photos of the year according to CNN. The photo shows Ukrainian soldiers preparing an artillery gun to fire on the occupation forces. The photo was taken in the Kherson region, a region that has become one of the most affected in Ukraine during the full-scale Russian invasion.

Анна Бальчінос