Well-kept despite the war: Mykola Tomenko tells how the legendary “Sofiyivka” opened the new season

War and staff shortages did not prevent one of Ukraine's main symbols — the Sofiyivka dendrological park — from greeting spring in all its beauty.

While the park is preparing to welcome thousands of tourists and Kyiv architects are restoring destroyed monuments, a bureaucratic drama is unfolding around the cultural heritage of Uman. Politician Mykola Tomenko explained why the Ukrainian wonder is still not on the UNESCO list and what special gift the park received ahead of the season opening.

Sculptural help: Apollo is back in place

This year's opening of the season in Uman became special thanks to a gesture of solidarity from Kyiv scientists. Already at the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, the park suffered losses: the Apollo Belvedere statue was broken when a tree fell.

Specialists from the Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture (KNUBA) came to the rescue. The team of the architecture faculty made a new sculpture by hand, which rector Oleksii Dniprov officially handed over to the park. Now the ancient handsome figure once again adorns the alleys of "Sofiivka."

Well-kept despite the war

Although the number of employees at the park has dropped significantly because of the war, its condition impresses even experienced experts. Mykola Tomenko, who visited the park during an international scientific conference, notes that the management has managed to keep the park in exemplary condition.

“‘Sofiivka’ was and remains a cultural, natural and tourist wonder of Ukraine. The presentation of the park by its director Volodymyr Hrabovyi showed how well-kept this oldest dendrological park in Ukraine is today,” Tomenko shares his impressions.

Bureaucratic traps: why is UNESCO on pause?

However, it did not happen without a "fly in the ointment." The greatest public outrage is caused by the situation surrounding the inclusion of "Sofiivka" in the UNESCO World Heritage List. It turns out that the nomination dossier was ready back in the summer of 2024, and the scientists did this at their own expense.

“I drew attention to the strange, not to say inadequate, position of the Ministry of Culture, which has for two years actually been blocking the submission of the arboretum to the UNESCO World Heritage List,” the politician notes.