Unique Wooden Church In Transcarpathian Region Surrounded By Unauthorized Construction
The wooden 17th century Church of the Holy Spirit in Kolochava is a known visiting card of Trans-Carpathian (Zakarpattia) region. In the encyclopedia “Churches of Ukraine. Zakarpattia,” a known art critic, M. Syrokhman stated that it “belongs to the highest architectural achievements of Zakarpattia:” “The Church is slender and its proportions are harmonious. The main elements are wonderfully balanced…The high tower is crowned with a beautiful baroque ensemble,” he wrote. Now, one can see the majesty of the monument only from a very narrow viewpoint angle as the building is shielded by unauthorized new buildings, reported Ukraina Moloda.
The wooden Church of the Holy Spirit, which was closed for ideological reasons at the time of Czechoslovakia and was turned into a museum of atheism under the communists, appears in the unofficial emblem of the village. It was this monument that attracted tourists to Kolochava long before the establishment of a number of museums which are functioning in the village.
It is special not only for Ukrainians but also for the Czechs: there are graves of four Czech police officers who perished in Kolochava (two of them were shot by a Ukrainian rebel, Mykola Shuhai) in the church yard. The graves are frequently visited by Czech citizens. Last year, Zakarpattia’s only monument to a book was opened in the Church yard. It is a monument to a manuscript Book of Needs Perl Dragotsinnyi.
However, today, one can see an unfinished two-storied brick building next to the Church. It completely obstructs the view of the Church from the main road. On the other side, one can see a fenced land plot to be used for construction. The Church will be screened by houses from all sides. It is already difficult to take a picture of it from some distance due to the development. What should be exhibited as the pride of this land is surrounded by primitive buildings contrary to all laws, especially, the law on the protection zone surrounding monuments of culture of the national importance. It is even more strange as Kolochava has recently sought to obtain the status of the tourist capital of Verkhovyna district. Indignation of tourists is also provoked by the fact that the Church yard is locked for most of the time and they can see the masterpiece of the folk architecture only through the holes in the fence.
The main architect of the region, Andrii Zhyha commented on the situation. He said that on 19 October, 2010, a letter in this regard was sent to the State Architectural and Building Control Inspection and that he does not understand why that institution has not made steps to ensure demolition of the unauthorized constructions.
The Chief Architect complained that this is not a solitary instance. Unauthorized construction is under way in the protection zone of the Serednianskyi Castle (a fortress of the Knight Templars built in the 13th c., which according to some researchers was the extreme eastern outpost of the Templars) and of the famous Horianska Rotunda near Uzhhorod.
