At the same time, the bridge became also a gate to salvation. People would leave their cars, cross the river under fire and carry out the wounded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today, it is preserved as a memorial. Ceremonies are held here on commemorative days. Foreign delegations and war researchers come here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A metal structure with a QR code has been installed in front of the precipice of the destroyed bridge. It leads to a website about places of remembrance of the start of the Russian invasion in the Kyiv region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Irpin, pioneer city for memorialization<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Irpin was partially occupied between late February and 28 March 2022. During this period, the city sustained extensive damage, and many residents found themselves caught up in the middle of the hostilities. According to various reports, several hundred people were killed in the city, including civilians, Irpin defenders, and residents of nearby villages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today, the city is not only rebuilt but also coming to terms with what it has been through by creating areas of remembrance. This aspect is being handled by the memorialisation department of Irpin City Council, the first officially established division of its kind in Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sofia Martyniuk, an artist, is the head of this project. Born in Irpin, she returned home after the de-occupation, joined volunteer and art initiatives, and later engaged in shaping the municipal remembrance policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our conversation with her explores the ways in which Irpin approaches memorialisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Martyniuk explains that the current display of the bridge site was created by the Kyiv regional administration. But the city has a broader vision. Irpin plans to turn this space into a dedicated memorial complex. It will include the bridge, an adjacent park, footpaths and the Romanivskyi culture house, which will become a cultural and tourist centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe want to work with the entire area as a single entity. It should not just be a place of remembrance, but a vibrant neighbourhood \u2013 a place where memories are preserved, but where life goes on,\u201d Martyniuk says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She plans to launch a call for proposals. Architects, ecologists, and engineers will be invited to participate. Their objective will be to find a balance between preservation of authenticity, structural safety, and the river ecosystem. And most importantly, to convey the accurate narrative of this site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Martyniuk, the requirements of the call for proposals should include first and foremost the human dimension of the rescue. When crossing the river, people would pass the threshold between danger and relative safety. Some were walking from occupied villages, others were escaping under fire. And when people would get on the evacuation buses, there would be a moment of \u2018relief\u2019 \u2013 a brief feeling that they had managed to survive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mutual aid was another important aspect. Military personnel, civilians, and volunteers had gathered here. They were coordinating the defence, delivering humanitarian aid, and maintaining communication with Kyiv.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis place should preserve the authentic atmosphere of that time and allows us to go back to that period and feel what people were going through,\u201d Martyniuk adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, those who experienced the evacuation recall that the water in the river was freezing cold at the time. To capture this feeling, there is an idea to create an interactive element \u2013 an area with water that will remain cold even in hot weather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This location has its own stories. One is about a car that remains under the bridge. \u201cThe story is that on the day after the bridge was blown up, a driver was driving at high speed and fell into the river. The man survived, but the car remained at the bottom of the river,\u201d Martyniuk recounts. \u201cAfter the de-occupation, he wanted to get it back. But the car was purchased for the sake of keeping everything as it was. It is a reminder of the evacuation chaos.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n After the liberation of Irpin, while clearing the access roads to the bridge, municipal services would take burned-down vehicles in a place located near the Romanivsky Bridge. Most of them were destroyed by shelling during the evacuation. This is how a space that locals call the \u2018car cemetery\u2019 emerged. It is one of the most powerful visual metaphors of war: a pile of burned-down car shells, damaged by explosions, has become a testament to the road of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What to do with this place is still an open question. The team of the memorialisation department is considering various options: turning it into a museum or an art installation. According to Martyniuk, the primary objective is to preserve its authenticity: \u201cThis place can be cleaned up in a single day. But then, if recreated, it will become somewhat artificial.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The future site, she adds, should not be part of the city\u2019s everyday life. It should be a place that people consciously choose to visit. The concept suggests a physical separation of the \u2018car cemetery\u2019 to avoid constant reminders and residents\u2019 re-traumatisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A completely different story is about the artistic rush following Banksy\u2019s famous visit to the Kyiv region. Artists from different countries were eager to leave their mark on places that had made global headlines. At that time, a group of foreign artists painted sunflowers and abstract patterns on the shells of burned-dawn cars. Formally, a permission was granted by the city council. But now they admit that there was a lack of professional discussion to evaluate the ethical risks. After all, for many families, these cars represent personal losses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s a semi-conflict situation,\u201d Martyniuk explains. \u201cSometimes artists try to earn reputation credits on trauma. But sometimes it\u2019s the opposite: powerful artistic actions, as in Banksy\u2019s case, help the world see something important.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Irpin art commission was established to ensure that such initiatives are not random. It includes independent experts \u2013 architects, gallery owners, and art critics, and provide recommendations on public projects in the field of culture and memorialisation<\/a>. The aim is to avoid ethical mistakes and develop a mature approach to working with remembrance.<\/p>\n\n\n\t Just like the \u2018car cemetery,\u2019 the Irpin Culture house, destroyed by a missile strike, became a canvas for spontaneous artistic experiments after de-occupation. One after another, new layers of drawings would appear on its facades. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The artists who followed Banksy to the Kyiv region first painted large tridents, then sunflowers. Later, black-and-white abstractions appeared with figures that could be interpreted as a headdress, a missile or a bear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo much was done in a hurry and without explanation to the community,\u201d Martyniuk says. \u201cIs it appropriate in a city that has endured occupation? Would it make more sense for artists to talk about Irpin and Ukraine from their homes? The context of war is our everyday reality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The decision was made not only to rebuild the Culture house, but to preserve it as a witness to the war. Part of the destroyed building with traces of shelling is already \u2018preserved\u2019 under a glass dome. As part of the reconstruction, it is planned to keep as much of the authentic brick walls, made at a local brick factory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A temporary artistic element has appeared next to the ruins \u2013 a sculpture by Japanese artist Yoshio Yagi entitled \u2018Meditation Space for a Monk.\u2019 It is a courtesy of the Ukrainian art community \u2018ChervoneChorne,\u2019 which hosts international sculpture symposiums every year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2023, when museums closed their exhibitions due to the war, the community curator launched a project to bring art back to the people. The sculptures were displayed in the open air in Stryiskyi Park in Lviv. At that time, Martyniuk asked for one of the works to be donated to Irpin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yagi\u2019s work symbolises the path to inner peace \u2013 the stairs that a monk climbs to reach a place of meditation. In Irpin, it has taken on a new significance: it symbolises the path to recovery. The sculpture was placed right in the crater left by the explosion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe kept the crater deliberately,\u201d Martyniuk explains. \u201cIt\u2019s also symbolic: through a cultural act, we are reminding people of a destroyed, crippled culture.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Among Irpin\u2019s new memorial sites, Banksy\u2019s work \u2013 a girl gymnast balancing on the ruins of a building destroyed by war \u2013 has a special place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The building on which the drawing appeared in 2022 was beyond repair. It was dismantled, and part of the wall was moved. A fragment of the wall with shelling marks was preserved as an installation. Now it is under protective glass. The structure was designed to preserve the context \u2013 the hole in the wall that became a \u2018ball\u2019 under the gymnast\u2019s feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A square with a recreation area is to be created around it. According to Martyniuk, the main idea is to make the place a symbol of resilience and life: \u201cThis injured gymnast still dances. We want this place to live on as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The idea is to reinforce Banksy<\/a>\u2019s original concept. Banksy was awarded the title of honorary citizen of Irpin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the focuses of Martyniuk\u2019s team is the memorialisation of resistance sites in Irpin. Her team is currently meeting with the defenders of each checkpoint to gather testimonies, compare different perspectives, and \u201ccreate an urban narrative\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe record interviews with commanders,\u201d Martyniuk explains. \u201cMany people were involved, and all of them have their own stories. There are those who were at the checkpoint for only five days but speak out vividly. And there are commanders who could see the big picture. After these conversations, I realised that the defence was not chaotic, as it is often believed. They acted in a coordinated manner and maintained contact with intelligence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n One such important location is the \u2018Giraffe\u2019 checkpoint on the border between Irpin and Bucha. It got its name from a nearby supermarket. During the occupation, it was an important defensive position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis is a strategic high ground, basically the edge of Irpin,\u201d Martyniuk says. \u201cBucha starts right after the traffic lights. And this street continues with Vokzalna Street, where a column of Russian military equipment was burned down. It intersects with Yablunska Street, where torture and executions took place.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Irpin decided to preserve these sites of resistance. Each site will have a QR code with a link to the specific location\u2019s defence story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Along with memorialising civilian casualties, a sector for the honorary burial of military personnel is under development in Irpin. The project began with extensive meetings with the families of the deceased. They were gathered several times for public hearings<\/a> and open discussions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThese conversations were difficult. It was hard to explain why all the graves had to be standardised,\u201d Martyniuk recalled. \u201cWe also insisted on light colours being predominant in the concept. It symbolises a bright memory. It should be a place for reflection and gratitude, not a depressing space that you would want to escape from. People welcomed this idea.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The project was approved based on the principle of \u2018one family, one vote.\u2019 All gravestones will have the same design \u2013 Cossack crosses made of white Spanish granite. Portraits will be depicted on sepia-coloured glass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The plaques will also have QR codes that will lead to a digital archive about the fallen soldiers. Biographies, photos, and honours will be available for viewing. A ceremonial area and flagpoles with flags of different military forces will be installed within the sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Ukraine, the memory of fallen soldiers is usually commemorated with memorial plaques<\/a> on the facades of schools or houses where they lived. After the full-scale invasion began, plaques also began to appear at the sites of their deaths. To give these initiatives a unified form, an updated visual concept was developed in Irpin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the first new plaques is in honour of a Belarusian volunteer who died defending the city. It is made of stainless steel and features his portrait, name, call sign, and a QR code that links to the soldier\u2019s story, along with the red and white national flag of Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Irpin is introducing new approaches to preserving memory. The experience of what the city has gone through is being addressed through art, architecture, history and dialogue. The projects carried out show that memory can be alive, compassionate, and contemporary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This report was produced thanks to a grant by Fondation Hirondelle\/Justice Info. A full version of this article was published on July 23, 2025, in <\/em>\"<\/a>Gre4ka<\/a><\/em><\/em>\"<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/Ukraine_Romanivskyi-Bridge-Irpin_@Gre4ka.jpg\")
The \u2018car cemetery\u2019, a testament to the road of life?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Foreign artists and trauma<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Culture house and layered drawings<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Banksy\u2019s gymnast still dances<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/Ukraine_Banksy-gymnast-Irpin_@Gre4ka.jpg\")
Commemorating sites of resistance<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The honorary burial sector, symbol of a \u2018bright memory\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Funeral](\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/Ukraine_burial-sector-Irpin_@Gre4ka.jpg\")
Art, architecture, history and dialogue<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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![\"Monuments](\"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/Ukraine_Mykolaivmemorial_@Intent-Press-540x360.jpg\")
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