Project of a space in memory of fallen defenders presented in Odesa

A project for a memorial to fallen soldiers was presented in Odesa, which will unite existing military graves and create an interfaith chapel for all religions. The memorial includes columbaria, a park, and an abstract sculpture to express grief and remembrance.

Live on Intent. Insight with David Pishchev, PhD in architecture and a practitioner in the field of memorialization, discussed the creation of the Memorial to the fallen defenders of Ukraine.

Last week, a project for a memorial to fallen soldiers was presented at the mayor's office, which will unite existing military graves and create a space to honor the dead regardless of religion.

According to the author of the project, Pishchev, the main idea of the memorial is to make it different from the typical architecture of the city and to transport visitors to a special atmosphere of remembrance. The memorial will include three existing burial plots around the runway, which will be combined into a single structure without reburial.

The project plans to create an interfaith chapel accessible to all religions and atheists, as well as columbaria to preserve the ashes and future military burials. In addition, the memorial will have a small park to protect the area from northwesterly winds and an abstract sculpture for personal expressions of grief - drawings, stickers, and other creative signs of remembrance.

The Committee of Mothers and Wives of Fallen Soldiers, which includes about 400 people, as well as the military, NGOs, chaplains, and city officials, is actively involved in the project development. According to the architect, the main task now is to determine the boundaries of the territory and zoning, while the direct implementation of tombstones and memorials will begin after public hearings and after the war, a general memorial will be implemented.

The memorial project was developed over two months and involved teams of architects, sculptors, designers, and art installation specialists. It was designed to meet the standards of inclusiveness, fire safety and wind protection, as well as to allow visually impaired people to visit the memorial without hindrance.

According to architect David Pishchev, eight types of tombstones have been developed that are not tied to a specific religion and contain QR codes with data about the victims. Particular attention was paid to the interfaith chapel, which symbolizes the rising sun and symbolizes support for all religions and atheists.

Currently, the project is being discussed with the Committee of Mothers and Wives of the Fallen, the military, NGOs, and representatives of various faiths. After the public hearings, the final zoning and architectural details, including tombstones, columbaria, and a green area, will be determined.

The architect also emphasized the social aspect of the memorial: families and comrades-in-arms will have a comfortable place for communication, recreation and commemorative events, and the landscape and landscaping will take into account the local ecosystem and traditional field herbs.

A roundtable discussion was also recently held in Odesa to discuss standards for military burials of those killed in the Russian-Ukrainian war. They discussed the unification of tombstones, the use of symbols, and the creation of a single style of memorials to preserve historical memory and national identity.

Анна Бальчінос