MARIUPOL

The art museum named after him housed a unique collection of documents, including the parish registers detailing his marriage to Vera Shapovalova and a copy of his birth certificate from 1841. Kuindzhi’s work was deeply connected to the Azov region, as reflected in his famous painting “The Milky Way in Mariupol” (1875).

Another cornerstone of the city’s culture is the legacy of city architect Viktor Nielsen. Based on his design, the 33-meter-tall Water Tower was built in 1910, similar to the one he had previously constructed in Rybinsk in 1899. The tower served a 21-kilometer water supply system and became a symbol of engineering excellence.

Nielsen also built his own Art Nouveau-style home, featuring a relief of a “weeping nymph” dedicated to the memory of his daughter, who died of typhus. The “Houses with Spires” (1953) on Liberation Square, designed by Kyiv architect L. Yanovitsky (Miskbudproekt Institute), also stand out in the city and represent the last example of Stalinist neoclassicism in the city. Both buildings are adorned with stucco moldings, pilasters, and bay windows.

Soviet mosaics from the “Thaw” period are of particular artistic value. The mosaic “Boriviter” (1967) was created by the dissident artist Alla Horska in collaboration with Viktor Zaretsky for the interior of the “Ukraine” restaurant. When the Soviet authorities ordered the work to be destroyed, the artists hid it behind a false wall, thanks to which the mosaic was discovered during renovations in 2008.

Another of her works — “The Tree of Life” — is also considered a masterpiece of monumental art. The “Metallurgists” mural is a landmark of Mariupol, and near the sea stood Viktor Ponomarev’s “Tourism and Recreation” mosaic, beloved by many.

Before the war, Mariupol had developed into a center of higher education and culture. The Mariupol State Technical University (whose first building was designed by Nielsen as a diocesan school) and the Mariupol State University trained professionals and fostered international cooperation, making the city a showcase for successful European reforms in the Azov region.

Azovstal Iron and Steel Works
It was founded on February 2, 1930, following a decision to build a new plant at the mouth of the Kalmius River. The budget allocated 292 million currency units for the construction of this industrial giant.

On the eve of World War II, the plant was setting world records: in May 1939, blast furnace No. 3 produced 1,614 tons of pig iron per day, and on August 5 of that year, open-hearth furnace No. 5, with a capacity of 400 tons—the largest in Europe—began operations. In the fall of 1941, the equipment was evacuated to the Urals, and in 1943, the plants were blown up by retreating German troops.

Following extensive reconstruction in 1944–1945, the plant became the first in the USSR to master the production of 25-meter-long railroad tracks, which were later used to lay two-thirds of the railways in the former Soviet Union. In 1953, the plant began producing its own sinter, becoming a full-cycle enterprise. The launch in 1973 of the unique “3600” rolling mill—in the creation of which 214 plants from Germany, Poland, Hungary, England, and Austria participated—became a true marvel of engineering.

By 2022, Azovstal covered an area of 11 square kilometers (equivalent to 4.5 times the size of Monaco). The underground section of the plant consisted of five levels with tunnels totaling over 20 kilometers in length. A system of 36 bomb shelters could accommodate up to 12,000 people. Before the full-scale invasion began, the plant accounted for up to 10% of Ukraine’s GDP, had a capacity of up to 5 million tons of steel per year, and produced unique military-grade thick-gauge rolled steel ranging in thickness from 6.5 mm to 200 mm.

Mariupol Metallurgical Plant
It was the third-largest metallurgical plant in Ukraine. The plant’s production facilities included a unique sintering plant with 12 sintering machines (capacity of 12 million tons of sinter), 4 blast furnaces (4.3 million tons), 3 converters (3.7 million tons), and rolling mills (Slab Mill 1150, Sheet Rolling Mill 1700).

In the 2000s, the plant consistently posted strong results, producing up to 6 million tons of pig iron, 7 million tons of steel, and 5.3 million tons of rolled steel annually. Even during economic crises, production remained robust: in 2013, 4.269 million tons of steel and 4.606 million tons of finished rolled steel were produced, and in 2018, 3.242 million tons of steel.

In November 2019, the company completed a major overhaul of the “1700” sheet rolling mill, investing $114 million, which enabled it to increase its hot-rolled coil production capacity to 2.5 million tons per year. The plant employed more than 14,000 workers.

Mariupol Commercial Sea Port.
The largest port on the Sea of Azov and one of the three largest in Ukraine, it had a potential cargo throughput of 15 million tons per year. Prior to the events of 2014, the port was steadily approaching this mark, handling raw materials and finished metallurgical products. After the war began in Donetsk Oblast, figures temporarily declined; however, by the time of the full-scale invasion, the port had confidently reached a throughput of approximately 7 million tons.

In 2020, the port’s cargo turnover totaled 6.22 million tons (an increase of 449,000 tons compared to 2019). Exports totaled 5.26 million tons, while imports amounted to 555,000 tons (including 407,800 tons of construction materials and 142,900 tons of coal). Coastal shipping of ferrous metals and coal totaled 388,300 tons, with the resumption of coastal shipping of slabs and pig iron to the Port of Pivdennyi.

The main destination countries were Italy (2.237 million tons), Turkey (1.422 million tons), the United Kingdom (315,000 tons), Lebanon (86,000 tons), Morocco (82,000 tons), and France (81,000 tons). The port was home to the modern grain terminal “UkrTransAgro,” which was already operating at full capacity as of February 23, 2022, preparing for the shipment of the new season’s grain.

The Azov region harbors a centuries-old history of human civilizations. During archaeological excavations in 1930, conducted prior to the construction of Mariupol’s first five-story residential building on the Kamburov plot, a unique pit-type burial chamber was discovered in the city’s historic center. The burial, dating to the mid-2nd millennium BCE, belonged to people who were contemporaries of Ancient Egypt but lived on the shores of the Azov Sea. In the crypt with a stepped roof, the remains of twelve individuals and household items were discovered, as well as rare coins depicting a boat and a human figure inside it.

The discovery of the Mariupol Neolithic burial ground, estimated to be approximately 6,000 years old, held a special place in the city’s historical record. This unique find from the burial ground was uncovered in the summer of 1930 during preparatory excavation work for the construction of the Azovstal steelworks. The find contained invaluable anthropological material, but it was completely destroyed in March 2022 as a result of the bombing of the local history museum.

Founded in 1920 (and officially opened in 1923 at the initiative of local residents), the Mariupol Local History Museum was the oldest museum institution in the Donetsk Oblast. The museum complex on Georgievskaya Street, under the direction of the city authorities, comprised three notable branches: the local history museum itself (building No. 20), the Arkhip Kuindzhi Art Museum (building No. 58), and the Museum of Folk Life (building No. 55), which had been showcasing the culture and way of life of the ethnic groups of the Azov region since 1989.

The museum’s total collection numbered over 50,000 priceless exhibits. In March 2022, the museum building on Georgievskaya Street—which had survived a fire in 1943 and was rebuilt by the Zhdanovzhilbud trust in 1962 according to a design by Giprograd—was destroyed as a result of intense shelling.

The museum opened in 2010 as the first phase of a major city-wide arts project. It is housed in a unique historic building dating from 1902, constructed in the Northern Art Nouveau style, which once belonged to the estate of Vasyl Hyatsyntov. The museum’s exhibition, spread across ten halls covering 300 m², presented the amazing world of the life and work of the outstanding landscape painter Arkhip Kuindzhi. It housed the sketches “Autumn. Crimea” and “Elbrus,” as well as the sketch “Red Sunset,” which had been transferred from the Hermitage. A particularly sacred exhibit was a metal baptismal font from the former Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in which the future artist was baptized in 1841.

The art museum's collection included over two thousand exhibits. Among them were paintings by Kuindzhi’s contemporaries—Ivan Aivazovsky (“Near the Shores of the Caucasus”), Mykola Dubovsky, a sculptural bust by master craftsman Volodymyr Beklemishev, as well as paintings by prominent 20th-century Ukrainian artists: Tetyana Yablonska, Mykola Hluschenko, Mykhailo Derehus, Serhii Shyshko, Mykola Bendryk, Ivan Marchuk, and many local artists. A unique part of the collection consisted of a collection of 19th- and 20th-century bookplates and the medallic art of Yukhim Kharabet. On March 21, 2022, the museum building was completely destroyed by a direct hit from a Russian aerial bomb.

The elegant three-story Continental Hotel was built between 1887 and 1910 in the eclectic style. The first phase was built by Italian entrepreneur Tommaso in 1898, and in 1910, a three-story wing was added to the building, featuring a luxurious auditorium, a foyer, and technical facilities. The hotel was considered the main hub of cultural life for Mariupol’s intelligentsia, housing the city’s first electrified printing press, operated by the Goldrin brothers. After World War II, the building served as the Azovstal Plant’s Palace of Culture, and later as the Molodizhny Cultural and Sports Complex. In 2019, the “Hotel Continental” Center for Contemporary Art opened in the building. During the siege, the building’s basement served as a shelter for hundreds of civilians, and on April 20, 2022, the palace was almost completely destroyed by fire as a result of artillery shelling by the occupying forces.

Founded in 1882, the Choral Synagogue is one of the oldest Jewish landmarks in Eastern Ukraine. The construction of this grand synagogue was facilitated by a royal charter and the expansion of rights for the Jewish community, whose first members arrived in the city in the 1820s. The synagogue was a neoclassical brick rectangular building measuring 25 by 20 meters, featuring Doric pilasters, graceful arches, and window panels. It was separated from the street by a wrought-iron fence on a high foundation with columns adorned with balls. During the Nazi occupation of 1941–1943, the building was destroyed, and during the Soviet era, the surviving wing was used as a medical school building and a tuberculosis dispensary. In the 1990s, the roof of the main building collapsed under the weight of snow, leaving only the facade walls and the arched gate in a state of disrepair.

This unique Neo-Gothic architectural landmark consisted of two parts: a classic two-story brick mansion measuring 8 by 8 meters, built in 1897 by the merchant Shneiderovich, and a Neo-Gothic wing-castle added later. The construction and renovation of this magnificent building, featuring a three-tiered spire, lancet windows, and lavish brickwork, were carried out at the initiative of the Hampers family. Serhii Fedorovych Hamper, a prominent forensic expert and public figure, lived here and saw patients in the doctor’s wing. After the revolution, the building was converted into a Soviet communal apartment. The estate was severely damaged and partially destroyed by a direct hit from an aerial bomb on April 12, 2022.

The city’s oldest green space was established in 1864 on a picturesque hill overlooking the Sea of Azov. The garden was a favorite spot for Mariupol residents to take a stroll. It was here on July 15, 1875, that the first 100 kerosene lamps were installed to illuminate the city’s avenues at night; by 1914, their number had grown to 686. A public bathhouse, opened in 1867, also operated here, and in 1871, the paving of the adjacent squares and streets began.

On March 16, 2022, the occupying forces’ air force dropped two 500-kilogram bombs on the Mariupol Drama Theater, where up to 1,000 civilians were taking shelter. Despite the word “CHILDREN” written on the building, the theater was destroyed. The number of victims of this war crime remains unknown and is estimated to be between 300 and 600 people.

Later, the occupiers demolished what remained of the building, covering the remains of the victims with concrete and rebuilding the walls with red brick to conceal evidence of the crime. The documentary play “The Mariupol Drama” (premiering September 16, 2022), based on eyewitness accounts, is dedicated to this tragedy.