By Oleg Grechukh Experts estimate that only 30 percent of the preparations for the European soccer finals scheduled for 2012 in Ukraine and Poland are sports-related. The other 70 percent of the work is aimed at qualitatively changing the infrastructures of the two neighboring countries. Euro 2012 requires not only quality roads and hotels but also an upgraded tourist infrastructure. This European sports event is an impetus to adopting a new view on the order of things in our country. ../MORE

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By Oleg Grechukh Experts estimate that only 30 percent of the preparations for the European soccer finals scheduled for 2012 in Ukraine and Poland are sports-related. The other 70 percent of the work is aimed at qualitatively changing the infrastructures of the two neighboring countries. Euro 2012 requires not only quality roads and hotels but also an upgraded tourist infrastructure. This European sports event is an impetus to adopting a new view on the order of things in our country. The events that are taking place in Europe today are spurring confidence that the opportunity for the mutual integration of Ukraine and Poland, which will be realized during the stage of preparing for Euro 2012, will make it possible to apply the experience of international experts to our country’s development. When the current hosts of Euro 2008, Austria and Switzerland, were preparing for this spectacular event, they proceeded from the assumption that after the championships their residents and visitors will continue to benefit from the renovated infrastructure. The experience of previous championships shows that the site and city are all-important. It is a chance for the self-identification of the city and the country in general. Official trademarks depicting the most characteristic architectural monuments were designed for each of the eight cities in Austria and Switzerland where the games will take place. These symbols, plus a 20-second commercial about each city, will be screened before the matches and seen by more than eight billion television viewers. Given the current growth rate of tourism — the World Tourism Organization’s statistics point to a six percent increase in Europe in 2007, with the number of tourists expected to double by 2020 — and the anticipated influx of tourists into the developing Eastern European countries, such world- class events as Euro 2012 will give an additional impetus to tourism. The cities that are hosting the Euro 2012 games must have something to show to the fans besides stadiums and shopping centers. These are architectural monuments, museums, and art galleries, which are part of the urban cultural environment. Various tourist itineraries form the inimitable face of every city, the so- called brand that makes it easily recognizable. The European soccer championships’ brand is trusted by millions of potential tourists. It means advertising the city’s potential to an audience of millions of people, who may well come as tourists after the championships are over, thereby filling the state’s coffers on all levels. So far what is happening in Kyiv means the destruction of the city’s tourism potential. This problem is sparking protests from members of the public, who are appalled by the construction project in Landscape Alley, the destruction of structures of the Kyiv Fortress in 2007 and the entrance gate to the lower part of the Kyivan Cave Monastery, and new construction projects underway on the territory of this architectural preserve, which is under UNESCO protection. This is just the tip of the iceberg. To date, the construction of 20 high-rise (24-55-story) towers has been authorized in the historic part of Kyiv. Few can imagine what the city will look like several years from now. Despite Resolution no. 979 of the Kyiv City State Administration (KMDA) “On the Clarification of the Boundaries of Historical and Cultural Preserves and Protected Areas of Historical and Cultural Monuments in the City of Kyiv,” “Construction Regulations in Kyiv,” and the President’s Edict no. 208/2007 “On Measures to Regulate Construction Projects and the Preservation of Historical and Cultural Areas and Projects in the City of Kyiv,” issued on March 15, 2007 (superseded by Edict no. 723/2007, Aug. 8, 2007), new high-rise structures will soon start being built in the historic part of Kyiv. For a long time a large part of the ramparts of the Kyiv Fortress was a restricted area housing a mil
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