Prosecutor's Office sues Berezan village council over cultural heritage

Law enforcement officials have filed a lawsuit to transfer an abandoned historic building in Mykolaiv region to municipal ownership. It is a newly discovered cultural heritage site, the German Church, which has been neglected for years.

This was reported by the press service of the Mykolaiv District Prosecutor's Office.

Prosecutors initiated a lawsuit to recognize as unlawful the inaction of the local government, which did not ensure proper accounting and preservation of the cultural heritage site. The court has already opened the proceedings.

The case concerns a newly discovered historical site, the German Church, located in the village of Krasnopillia, Mykolaiv district. According to prosecutors, the building is actually ownerless: its owner or balance sheet holder is unknown, and local authorities are not taking the necessary measures to formalize the right of communal ownership.

According to the investigation, the facility is located on the territory of the Berezanska territorial community, but the village council has not registered it for a long time. Because of this, the architectural monument is gradually deteriorating, as it is impossible to carry out repair, restoration or conservation work without a designated owner.

The prosecutor's office emphasized that such inaction creates a real threat of loss of cultural heritage. The lack of legal status makes it impossible to finance and take any measures to preserve the building, which is already in poor condition.

In view of this, the prosecutor appealed to the court to recognize the inaction of the local government as unlawful and to oblige it to take measures to acquire communal ownership of the ownerless property. The case is currently under consideration.

Also in April, the stage of rescuing the architectural heritage in the historic center of Mykolaiv, which was damaged during a missile attack on July 20, 2023, was completed. Specialists carried out emergency and conservation work in a late 19th- and early 20th-century apartment building on Admiralska Street.

Анна Бальчінос