Irpin before war
Irpin is one of the most picturesque and legendary cities of Kyiv region. It is called the Ukrainian Parnassus for its rich artistic heritage, and the Ukrainian miracle for its powerful and rapid development in recent years.
640
Historical
places
630
+thousands
of inhabitants
70
architectural and
archeological monuments
1899999
year of
foundation
“Frankly, I did not expect that there would be such a big impression. I was in the central square, I was impressed by the sculpture of Taras Shevchenko and the decoration of the square in general. In a European way. Everything was done with taste. I liked the city, the squares, the streets. One thought is that I would like to live here,” said the first President of Ukraine Leonid Kravchuk, visiting Irpin for the first time.
Before the war, Irpin was one of the most successful settlements in Ukraine. The city topped the rating of migration attractiveness and was among the top three safest cities in the country. It was a city of health and sports, a city of cozy parks and beautiful squares, a city of children’s smiles and couples in love, a city of happy people.
EUROPEAN FACE
Over the past six years, Irpin has been changing before our eyes, it has often been compared to the elegant towns of Europe. The architectural ensemble in the center is Taras Shevchenko and the central square with one of the world’s most original monuments to Kobzar, with columns, statues, lanterns and fountains, decorative greenery and flower beds, as well as Creative Spirit Square with a majestic sculpture of the Muse – all this, according to connoisseurs, resembled cozy corners of Vienna.
“Irpin looks like a picture, like a European city… I can say that because I travel a lot. I recently returned from Sicily – some cities there look much worse, although this is Europe”, – this was the assessment of the city by the popular Ukrainian rock musician Valeriy Kharchyshyn.
The famous writer and journalist Irene Rozdobudko was also delighted with Irpin: “I am so happy to see all this! We walked with my husband and understood that this is a European city, we were very happy with this fountain, these sculptures, made with such imagination. Just well done! I also want to say about the roads: we drove on such super Americanized roads. I think things are moving in the right direction. Delighted with Irpin!”
The streets of Irpin underwent a radical renewal. The roads received a high-quality surface, new sidewalks and parking areas appeared on both sides of them, and modern LED lighting was installed. Over the six-year period of Irpin’s development, more than 60 streets were overhauled, about 35 kilometers of sidewalks were built, 45 public transport stops were installed, and more than a thousand street lights were replaced. Before street reconstruction, new underground communications were replaced or laid – water supply and drainage pipes, heating lines, storm sewers were installed.
“Irpin looks like a picture, like a European city… I can say that because I travel a lot. I recently returned from Sicily – some cities there look much worse, although this is Europe”, – this was the assessment of the city by the popular Ukrainian rock musician Valeriy Kharchyshyn.
The famous writer and journalist Irene Rozdobudko was also delighted with Irpin: “I am so happy to see all this! We walked with my husband and understood that this is a European city, we were very happy with this fountain, these sculptures, made with such imagination. Just well done! I also want to say about the roads: we drove on such super Americanized roads. I think things are moving in the right direction. Delighted with Irpin!”
The streets of Irpin underwent a radical renewal. The roads received a high-quality surface, new sidewalks and parking areas appeared on both sides of them, and modern LED lighting was installed. Over the six-year period of Irpin’s development, more than 60 streets were overhauled, about 35 kilometers of sidewalks were built, 45 public transport stops were installed, and more than a thousand street lights were replaced. Before street reconstruction, new underground communications were replaced or laid – water supply and drainage pipes, heating lines, storm sewers were installed.
CITY OF PARKS
Picturesque theme parks became the business card of Irpin. In recent years, as many as six of them appeared (were created or radically reconstructed), plus several other larger and smaller squares. Each has neat lawns, decorative trees, lots of flowers, pedestrian and bicycle paths and benches, children’s and sports grounds. In the parks there were rental points of bicycles, electric vehicles, scooters, rollerblades, gyroscooters, skates, etc. On the 30th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence, another green area was opened in the city – Mother’s Square.
Irpin parks were not only the favorite places of rest for the citizens, but also the venues for numerous festivals, film shoots, concerts and city-wide celebrations. For example, during the summer and the first part of autumn, weekly musical evenings were held in Neznaika Park (and last year in Pokrovsky Park), in which professional artists participated, including soloists and ensembles of the National Philharmonic of Ukraine.
The pearl of Irpin was the embankment of the river of the same name. This is a large-scale recreation and sports zone that stretches for three kilometers – from the Park of Writers to the Romanivka microdistrict. Paths for pedestrians and bicycles have been laid along the entire embankment, more than 200 benches and original art objects have been installed. The embankment was equipped with places for fishing, picnic complexes (barbecue areas, tables and benches), hammocks, sunbeds, playgrounds, bicycle and roller equipment and boat rentals.
Irpin parks were not only the favorite places of rest for the citizens, but also the venues for numerous festivals, film shoots, concerts and city-wide celebrations. For example, during the summer and the first part of autumn, weekly musical evenings were held in Neznaika Park (and last year in Pokrovsky Park), in which professional artists participated, including soloists and ensembles of the National Philharmonic of Ukraine.
The pearl of Irpin was the embankment of the river of the same name. This is a large-scale recreation and sports zone that stretches for three kilometers – from the Park of Writers to the Romanivka microdistrict. Paths for pedestrians and bicycles have been laid along the entire embankment, more than 200 benches and original art objects have been installed. The embankment was equipped with places for fishing, picnic complexes (barbecue areas, tables and benches), hammocks, sunbeds, playgrounds, bicycle and roller equipment and boat rentals.
CITY OF SPORTS
“The more I see new cities and countries, the happier I am to return home. Why? Irpin is beautiful, clean, cozy and safe. Even every day after studying in Kyiv, you can see this difference with the naked eye. Over the past 10 years, not only I, but also my city has changed. I became a member of the national team of Ukraine. Irpin has become one of the most attractive places to live.” Tymofiy Teremetsky, a native of Irpin, wrote such lines on his Facebook page – master of sports of Ukraine in orienteering, multiple champion and prize-winner of championships of Ukraine .
There is no doubt that the outstanding wrestler Iryna Kolyadenko, who was always helped by the city authorities in preparing for competitions, and who, after winning a bronze medal at the Olympics in Tokyo, would have signed up to his words about supporting athletes in Irpin, received from the “Vidvazhni” and the Investment Group “Molodist” apartment in a new building in Irpin.
With both hands, they would have voted for the post of Tymofiy Teremetskyi and wrestler Valery Andriytsev – the silver medalist of the Olympic Games, and Olga Lyashchuk, who has the title of the strongest woman on the planet, and many other athletes from Irpin. Because no city in Ukraine paid as much attention to sports as in Irpin.
In 2020, an entire sports town was opened on the Irpin embankment: football, basketball, volleyball courts, a boxing ring, a wide variety of sports equipment and simulators, and the only footbox arena in Ukraine. In 2021, the sports complex expanded thanks to the appearance of a large skate park built according to European parameters.
A significant emphasis in Irpin was placed on the development of mass cycling, which was facilitated by an extensive bicycle infrastructure. Irpin was the epicenter of large-scale cycling events: all-Ukrainian and international cycling races and marathons started and finished in the city. For three years in a row, Irpin hosted the “Kyiv Sotka” bicycle race; the participants of the 50-kilometer race finished in Irpin Central Park. And children’s bicycle races regularly took place on the embankment.
An important element of the city’s sports infrastructure was the “Champion” stadium. The football field with an artificial surface, which met UEFA standards, allowed for high-level competitions. In particular, it became the main location of the world football championships among teams of the Ukrainian diaspora three times. Ukrainian rugby championships were also regularly held at this sports arena. In 2019, the first social and sports school of the Real Madrid Foundation in Kyiv Region and one of the first in Ukraine was opened in Irpin, where children played football and basketball, as well as deepened their knowledge of general education subjects and mastered foreign languages. Conditions for physical education and sports were created in many corners of Irpin: this is the stadium of University of the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine, and the mini-football stadium on the street of Veterans of Afghanistan, and multifunctional sports fields near all the schools of the city, and modern gyms in schools No. 1, No. 3, No. 12 and No. 17, suitable for large competitions, and a children’s and youth sports school, and workout areas in recreational areas, and a chess and checkers club. In 2022, the construction of an ice arena for winter sports was to begin.
There is no doubt that the outstanding wrestler Iryna Kolyadenko, who was always helped by the city authorities in preparing for competitions, and who, after winning a bronze medal at the Olympics in Tokyo, would have signed up to his words about supporting athletes in Irpin, received from the “Vidvazhni” and the Investment Group “Molodist” apartment in a new building in Irpin.
With both hands, they would have voted for the post of Tymofiy Teremetskyi and wrestler Valery Andriytsev – the silver medalist of the Olympic Games, and Olga Lyashchuk, who has the title of the strongest woman on the planet, and many other athletes from Irpin. Because no city in Ukraine paid as much attention to sports as in Irpin.
In 2020, an entire sports town was opened on the Irpin embankment: football, basketball, volleyball courts, a boxing ring, a wide variety of sports equipment and simulators, and the only footbox arena in Ukraine. In 2021, the sports complex expanded thanks to the appearance of a large skate park built according to European parameters.
A significant emphasis in Irpin was placed on the development of mass cycling, which was facilitated by an extensive bicycle infrastructure. Irpin was the epicenter of large-scale cycling events: all-Ukrainian and international cycling races and marathons started and finished in the city. For three years in a row, Irpin hosted the “Kyiv Sotka” bicycle race; the participants of the 50-kilometer race finished in Irpin Central Park. And children’s bicycle races regularly took place on the embankment.
An important element of the city’s sports infrastructure was the “Champion” stadium. The football field with an artificial surface, which met UEFA standards, allowed for high-level competitions. In particular, it became the main location of the world football championships among teams of the Ukrainian diaspora three times. Ukrainian rugby championships were also regularly held at this sports arena. In 2019, the first social and sports school of the Real Madrid Foundation in Kyiv Region and one of the first in Ukraine was opened in Irpin, where children played football and basketball, as well as deepened their knowledge of general education subjects and mastered foreign languages. Conditions for physical education and sports were created in many corners of Irpin: this is the stadium of University of the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine, and the mini-football stadium on the street of Veterans of Afghanistan, and multifunctional sports fields near all the schools of the city, and modern gyms in schools No. 1, No. 3, No. 12 and No. 17, suitable for large competitions, and a children’s and youth sports school, and workout areas in recreational areas, and a chess and checkers club. In 2022, the construction of an ice arena for winter sports was to begin.
CITY OF HEALTH
In addition to physical education and sports, on which a healthy lifestyle is based, it is worth mentioning directly the medical field. The local government invested significant funds in its development. The concept of primary medicine close to every resident was actively implemented in Irpin. In 2021, the seventh (largest) outpatient clinic of general practice – family medicine, which served about 18 thousand residents, was opened in the city. The Irpin Primary Health Care Center is among the top three in Ukraine.
Modern infectious department of the Irpin Central City Hospital was reconstructed in record time. In addition, the medical facility has its own oxygen supply system. The Minister of Health came specially to get acquainted with the technical innovation.
And the President of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, Vitaliy Tsimbalyuk, noted after his visit to Irpin: “I am very pleasantly surprised by how the city has changed over the last period – how much it has grown, become modern, and how Irpin medicine has grown. And I am very pleased that there is a young team that manages both the city and your medicine, which really cares about the development of the future in this city .”
The main event of 2022 in the medical field of Irpin should be the opening of a new super-modern medical center built in the center of the city. On its floors were arranged emergency departments, gynecology and maternity departments, a children’s hospital with intensive care, an operating room, etc.
To be healthy, you need to drink clean water. Two water purification and iron removal stations were built in Irpin. This makes it possible to provide the whole city with high-quality drinking water. The stations use filtration systems that do not require the use of chemical reagents. At the same time, the city continued to replace old water pipes with new, modern ones. Since 2015, 15 new and reconstructed wells for the extraction of drinking water have been commissioned in Irpin. And the state of water in the networks was constantly monitored by the laboratory center of “Irpinvodokanal” – a modern utility company, one of the best in Ukraine.
Modern infectious department of the Irpin Central City Hospital was reconstructed in record time. In addition, the medical facility has its own oxygen supply system. The Minister of Health came specially to get acquainted with the technical innovation.
And the President of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, Vitaliy Tsimbalyuk, noted after his visit to Irpin: “I am very pleasantly surprised by how the city has changed over the last period – how much it has grown, become modern, and how Irpin medicine has grown. And I am very pleased that there is a young team that manages both the city and your medicine, which really cares about the development of the future in this city .”
The main event of 2022 in the medical field of Irpin should be the opening of a new super-modern medical center built in the center of the city. On its floors were arranged emergency departments, gynecology and maternity departments, a children’s hospital with intensive care, an operating room, etc.
To be healthy, you need to drink clean water. Two water purification and iron removal stations were built in Irpin. This makes it possible to provide the whole city with high-quality drinking water. The stations use filtration systems that do not require the use of chemical reagents. At the same time, the city continued to replace old water pipes with new, modern ones. Since 2015, 15 new and reconstructed wells for the extraction of drinking water have been commissioned in Irpin. And the state of water in the networks was constantly monitored by the laboratory center of “Irpinvodokanal” – a modern utility company, one of the best in Ukraine.
CULTURAL CAPITAL
Irpin long ago entered the history of Ukraine as its “literary capital”. It was here that almost the entire blossom of Ukrainian literature of the 20th century lived and created. Some of the writers – such as Mykola Nosov, Maksym Rylskyi, Hryhoriy Kochur – lived here permanently, others stayed for a long time in the House of Creativity of the Writers’ Union of Ukraine.
In Irpin, everything was done to preserve this heritage and make the city a cultural and artistic center of a national scale. In 2017, a wonderful Park of Writers was created near the House of Creativity with a thematic complex of wooden sculptures and a stage for literary readings and creative evenings. Bright promotions of masters of the word from all over the country and abroad have already been held here as part of the “Irpin Book Fest” and “Irpin Parnassus” festivals.
The international festival of writers-translators “Kochur Fest”, named after the patriarch of the Ukrainian translation business, was held twice in Irpin. The private Literary Museum of Grigory Kochur operated in the building where he lived and worked.
And in memory of the Irpin’s writer Mykola Nosov and his literary heroes, Neznaika park appeared in the center of Irpin, which, as mentioned above, became the epicenter of the city’s cultural life.
Plein artists under the name “Painted Irpin” started in 2017 have become a wonderful tradition. Artists from different regions of Ukraine and other countries took part in them. The works of plein painters and generally all artists of the region could be seen on the Art Alley in the center of Irpin.
CITY FOR LIFE AND BUSINESS
Irpin is not a sleeping area of Kyiv, but a city where it was convenient and comfortable to do business. The principle position of the city government is to provide a “green road” for entrepreneurs. Before the war, almost 14 thousand of them were registered in Irpin. The rapid development of entrepreneurship and the influx of investments ensured the constant growth of the local budget. In just a few years, the development budget of Irpin increased 55 (!) times. These funds were invested in the further development of the city, construction of infrastructure, landscaping, etc.
Thanks to its popularity, Irpin has become a city of young families, where children are born and grow up. In the absence of state funding for the construction of educational institutions, the city management team found opportunities to build them independently. In 6 years, five communal kindergartens were built in Irpin, new large buildings of schools No. 1 and No. 17 and a whole floor in school No. 2 were built, two lyceums were opened. At the same time, thanks to the favorable investment climate, many private schools and kindergartens opened in the city.
Young, beautiful and comfortable Irpin would develop and develop further. But Russian aggression changed everything. Today, Irpin leads the sad ranking of the most destroyed cities of Kyiv region…
Thanks to its popularity, Irpin has become a city of young families, where children are born and grow up. In the absence of state funding for the construction of educational institutions, the city management team found opportunities to build them independently. In 6 years, five communal kindergartens were built in Irpin, new large buildings of schools No. 1 and No. 17 and a whole floor in school No. 2 were built, two lyceums were opened. At the same time, thanks to the favorable investment climate, many private schools and kindergartens opened in the city.
Young, beautiful and comfortable Irpin would develop and develop further. But Russian aggression changed everything. Today, Irpin leads the sad ranking of the most destroyed cities of Kyiv region…