«Thanks to Denmark!»: a mural about partnership with the Kingdom of Denmark appeared in Mykolaiv

Painting of a mural in honor of friendship and partnership with the Kingdom of Denmark is being completed in Mykolaiv.

The art object is depicted on the wall near the Mykolaiv Academic Art Drama Theater, NikVesti reports.

According to the idea, the mural will become a symbol of gratitude for the support and assistance that Denmark has provided to Ukraine, in particular to Mykolaiv, since the beginning of hostilities.

The artists have depicted on the mural prominent sights of Denmark, for example, the zoo in Copenhagen, which is one of the oldest in Europe, and the famous amusement park with ancient slides «Tivoli Gardens». The picture also has the inscriptions «Thanks to Denmark» and «So different but so close».

Symbols of Danish culture are located next to the local sights of Mykolaiv: the Roman Catholic Church of St. Joseph and the Shukhov Tower.

Work on the mural, which will be located opposite the Office of the Danish Embassy in Ukraine, is still ongoing. When it should be presented has not yet been clarified.

Denmark's cooperation with Mykolaiv

In March 2022, the president of Ukraine, speaking in front of the Danish parliament, called on the country to take «chiefship» over Mykolaiv after the end of a full-scale war.

At the end of August 2022, the mayor of Mykolaiv, Oleksandr Sienkevych, and the Minister of International Development of Denmark, Flemming Møller Mortensen , signed a memorandum of cooperation. The memorandum envisages joint work on the formation of reconstruction projects and the involvement of investors from different countries in the restoration of Mykolaiv.

In January 2023, a meeting of representatives of Denmark and Ukraine took place in Mykolaiv regarding the planning of further restoration of the city. And in July, the Minister of the Kingdom of Denmark announced a new aid package for Mykolaiv Oblast.

In September, after a meeting with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the opening of the office of the Danish Embassy in Ukraine in Mykolaiv.

In early November 2023, Denmark announced a new large-scale aid package for Ukraine for 40.2 million euros. The main emphasis in the aid package is on Mykolaiv and the Mykolaiv region.

In general, about 60% of the aid that Denmark sends to Ukraine goes to Mykolaiv and the Mykolaiv region, said the ambassador of the Kingdom of Denmark to Ukraine Ole Egberg Mikkelsen. He also stated his vision of the post-war reconstruction of Mykolaiv with friendly conditions for pedestrians and bicycle infrastructure.

While in Mykolaiv, the ambassador explained that after the end of the full-scale war, Denmark would help Mykolaiv to restore and modernize its shipbuilding capacity.

In particular, Denmark will rebuild the Lyceum named after Mykola Arkas while preserving its authentic appearance. As of September 2023, Ukrainian architects presented Ole Egberg Mikkelsen with reconstruction options.

The ambassador also supported the idea of creating a Danish quarter or park in Mykolaiv, but today this issue remains at the idea stage.

Since the beginning of the full-scale war, Denmark has provided 118 million dollars in aid to the Mykolaiv region. And in 2024, it became known that the government of the Kingdom of Denmark will allocate 17.2 million dollars for the reconstruction of educational institutions in the Mykolaiv region, which were destroyed as a result of hostilities.