EVENT

Worldwide Ukrainian Garden to be planted in Lviv

The City of the Lion has established a tradition of holding international forums “Diaspora as a Factor of Consolidation of the State of Ukraine in the International Community,” organized by the International Institute of Education, Culture, and Links with the Diaspora of the National University of Lviv Polytechnic. Next June Lviv will be receiving, for a third time, Ukrainians from all the continents in order to discuss the cooperation between Ukraine and the global Ukrainian community, work out the mechanisms of interaction, and care for the preservation of national identity. It is extremely gratifying that the institute has supported the idea of Den/The Day’s chief editor Larysa Ivshyna and suggested laying out the Worldwide Ukrainian Garden in Lviv. “The idea was immediately supported by Lviv’s Mayor Andrii Sadovy,” Iryna Kliuchkovska, director of the International Institute of Education, Culture, and Links with the Diaspora, told The Day. The mayor instructed the Ecology and Wellbeing Department to deal with organizational matters. It has already been decided that the garden will be located in the Museum of Folk Architecture and Everyday Life (Shevchenko Grove). On its territory Ukrainians from all over the world will be planting trees, thus creating a garden which Kliuchkovska thinks will be a personification of Ukrainian traditions, a symbol of beauty, strength, preservation and expansion of our Ukrainian unity, which will be handed down from generation to generation.

Dnipropetrovsk wants to reclaim Euro-2012

Dnipropetrovsk authorities are ready to accept the possible decision of the UEFA to return to their city the right to co-host Euro-2012, said City Mayor Ivan Kulychenko. The announcement came after reports that the construction of the stadium in Lviv was threatened.

The mayor said: “Airport reconstruction, formerly the weakest point in Dnipropetrovsk’s preparations, has become our strongest point.” The airport was turned over to a private investor who has confirmed his intentions to carry out all the necessary work according to his contract with the government. “We talked about it several months ago, shortly after the contract was signed. At a soccer match, Ihor Kolomoisky said he would adhere to all the conditions and the airport would be ready on schedule. I know that the first part of his debt to the government was paid out, so accounts are settled as planned,” said Kulychenko.

Furthermore, the Dnipropetrovsk stadium has long been ready, and it does not require much investment money to be made compliant with the UEFA standards. The hosting of the game between Ukraine’s and England’s national teams last October was a convincing example that the stadium is prepared.

“As for hotels and other infrastructure, we continued to work all the time. Construction of the hotel on Mechnikov Str. is nearing completion, the hotel on Krasna Str. is almost finished, and we can speed up hotel infrastructure construction to fulfill all obligations of our city on time,” said Kulychenko. He is confident that if Dnipropetrovsk was again put on the list of the championship host cities, preparations would be completed on time: “We have enough trained people. There are specialists who have seen the Swiss preparations for the championship. There is thorough analysis, which conducted by the security officers, doctors, and all those who are tasked with holding such events”.