Vysokopillya

The Vysokopillya Project is a strategic initiative aimed at revitalizing and preserving the historical and cultural heritage of the town of Vysokopillya. This project combines meticulous documentation analysis, spatial mapping, and community engagement to create a sustainable vision for the town’s future. By integrating heritage into urban planning, we honor the past while building a resilient and culturally rich community.
The project is centered around the historic settlement of Vysokopillia, formerly known as Kronau, located in the Kherson region of Ukraine. Founded between 1869 and 1870 by Lutheran Germans, Kronau was a thriving community with various establishments, including a church, mills, a brewery, a winery, a pharmacy, schools, a gymnasium, a library, a hospital, a brick factory, a dairy, shops, warehouses, and granaries.The project aims to preserve and utilize the historical heritage of the city, which has been significantly impacted by the aggressive actions of the Russian Federation troops.

The approach of this project focuses on creating opportunities for different people with different experiences to communicate, cooperate, and take joint action. This includes creating concrete physical spaces where this can take place, such as the Vysokopillya Culture and Leisure Center, which is the main cultural and artistic space of the Vysokopillya community.
The project also seeks to strengthen pedestrian connections, making streets a place of recreation for many people, and making the city feel active and alive at all times. The more people spend time outside, the better they get to know the area, and street interactions directly influence the establishment of a community. This provides opportunities for new projects and increases civic responsibility.
One of the unifying ideas could be the history of the Kronau settlement. The archives and storytellers of the city and its dwellers, who suffered many persecutions, could serve as a symbol of resilience and a source of inspiration for the community as it works towards healing and rebuilding. Also churches and their towers can be treated as cultural places and tourist attractions. For example, the initiative of the Netzwerkkirche Ellrich is rethinking St. Johannes Church as a public meeting place, a place to exchange ideas, and a space for new ideas.
This project aims to restore, preserve, and honor the rich history and culture of Vysokopillia, while also fostering societal transformation and resilience amidst these challenging times. It is a testament to the power of community, heritage, and resilience in the face of adversity.

Process

We propose to select up to 10 locations in the city that could become potential sites for further interventions based on the following criteria:

Among the benefits of this approach and the proposed ideas of interventions, the flowing can be identified:

Valuable architectural structures are not only a reserve for architectural transformations, but also a spatial reserve that can activate the social life of residents. Therefore, it is advisable to consider them in conjunction with the spaces around them.

Team: Fulco Treffers, Daryna Pasyuta