Vermessung der Zerstörung, Reparatur, Wiederaufbau. Eine neue Baukultur in der Ukraine?/Measuring destruction, repair and reconstruction: a new building culture in Ukraine?
International Expert Workshop, Leipzig, 3–4 April 2025
In Ukraine, reconstruction is already taking place, both in the form of immediate, small-scale interventions and repairs, and long-term planning. The international workshop, part of the cities building culture events and hosted in the premises of the Municipality of Leipzig, brought together architects, historians, municipal officials, and artists to address the challenges of reconstruction in Ukraine. Various aspects of the destruction of built environment were brought into discussion based on very concrete examples, from housing and industrial infrastructure to built heritage. What are the economic, social and cultural consequences of the war destructions and how can they be measured? What are the immediate needs and which ideas should guide the long-term plans for reconstruction? How does the process of rebuilding affect Ukraine’s long-term societal trajectory?
The event opened with a keynote lecture titled “Zerstörung, Vermessung und Planung in Zeiten des russischen Angriffskrieges gegen die Ukraine”, delivered by Prof. Bohdan Cherkes (Lviv Polytechnic National University). Prof. Cherkes addressed the scale of destruction caused by Russian shelling, as well as various approaches to assessing damage and planning the reconstruction of affected sites.
The workshop was structured around three thematic panels:
- “Erbe und Zerstö Schadensbilder, Erinnerungsbilder, Leitbilder/Heritage and Destruction: Visualizing Damage, Remembering the Past, Shaping the Future” focused on Soviet-era heritage and how its perception influences strategies for preservation.
- “Große Pläne, kleine Reparaturen. Fallbeispiele/Big Plans, Small Repairs. Case Studies” presented case studies of reconstruction efforts in Kyiv, Lviv, and Zaporizhzhia.
- “Das Erbe der (Petro-)Moderne und der Wiederaufbau/The Legacy of (Petro-)Modernity and Reconstruction” explored the challenges of post-industrial transformation and rebuilding.
Organizers: Leibniz Institute for the History and Culture of Eastern Europe (Prof. Arnold Bartetzky, Anja Höfer), project cities building culture (consortium partners Leibniz Institute for the History and Culture of Eastern Europe (GWZO), RWTH Aachen University and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)) in cooperation with the Saxon Academy of Arts, the Urban Development and Building Department of the City of Leipzig, the Saxon State Chancellery, and Lviv Polytechnic National University.
Photos: ©René Zieprich