Kamyanets-Podilsky: Back to the Nineteenth Century

Recently a contest was held in Kamyanets-Podilsky among those willing to restore the governor’s manor, a monument of nineteenth century architecture ruined during World War II. “The indispensable condition is that everything should be restored the way it was. There remain some photographs of the manor and a complete set of designs,” Director of the International Contacts and Tourism Administration of the City Executive Committee Viktor Travinsky told The Day.

The manor, including two terraces and the garden from which the then inhabitants admired the beauty of the Smotrych River Canyon, was sold to the city for a governor’s residence in 1805 by state counselor Heorhy Vikhman. Restored in its original state by 2007, it will serve as a hotel for forty persons.

“In the late nineteenth century the old city of Kamyanets-Podilsky was inhabited by 36,000 people. Now there are only 4400. Only some fragments of the many architectural monuments of that time are preserved. Now affluent city residents, foreseeing grand prospects for tourism in these places, display an irresistible desire to build something on these ruins. The city fathers took the creative process into their hands, proclaiming a contest for monuments restoration. There are three candidates to rebuild an apartment house on Tatarska Street, four for the fortress barracks in Hospitalna Street, etc. The contest jury will give preference to those proposing best conditions regarding the terms of restoration and usage of objects, not retreating a step from the old architectural projects,” Mr. Travinsky added.