Contractor starts reconstruction of Arcas Lyceum in Mykolaiv: restoration of facade to be completed by October 2025

Mykola Arkas Lyceum building, January 2025, photo by NikVesti

The contractor has begun work on the restoration of the historic Mykola Arkas Lyceum building. It is planned to restore the destroyed facade of the building by October 2025.

This is stated in the article NikVesti «Not to lose the building. Reconstruction of the Arkas Gymnasium has begun in Mykolaiv».

As of today, a construction fence has been erected around the lyceum building, and contractors are already working on the restoration of the historic building. So far, they have only «stabilised» the walls and ceiling and dismantled the emergency areas of the building, said Oleksandr Marakhovskyi, foreman of the contractor «Monolith Centre».

«For safety reasons, we dismantled a little bit of what was hanging over. We are preparing the building for a large-scale dismantling. The process is ongoing, and we are currently carrying out internal work — dismantling the floor. There will be a lot of work here. So we are working,» he said.

Mykola Arkas Lyceum building, January 2025, photo by NikVesti

The building of the Mykola Arkas Lyceum, January 2025, photo by NikVesti

But in general, the restoration of the Arkas Lyceum building is a much larger process that includes three main stages, said Oleksii Savchuk, director of the Capital Construction Department. The stages of the lyceum's reconstruction include:

Emergency works: dismantling the building's emergency structures.

Stabilisation works: overhaul of the roof and walls, restoration of the façade and preparation for the construction of a shelter.

Resumption of the educational process: repairing the premises of the lyceum building and arranging a shelter. The development of project documentation for interior works is still underway.

Mykola Arkas Lyceum building, January 2025, photo by NikVesti

After all these stages are completed, students of the Arkas Gymnasium will be able to return to their desks. However, the exact date when this will happen for sure is difficult to say, says the director of the Capital Construction Department. Only the facade of the lyceum building is planned to be restored by October 2025, he added.

«The work is currently being carried out according to the schedule that was agreed upon, including with the Danish government. If everything goes well, we can say that in October the structural element (the building's facade) will be restored to preserve this architectural monument,» said Oleksii Savchuk.

UNOPS is currently working on developing a project for the final stage of the lyceum's reconstruction. However, this will take some time, as the project still needs to undergo an expert review, and then a tender will need to be held to find a contractor to arrange a shelter for the interior renovation of the lyceum building.

«We understand that this year, unfortunately, the children will not be able to go to school, but together with the Danish government, we are doing everything we can to make it happen as soon as possible. Thanks to them, it is happening,» explained Oleksii Savchuk.

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Arkas Lyceum during the war

The historic building of the First Ukrainian Mykola Arkas Gymnasium was destroyed on 1 November 2022 during the bombing of Mykolaiv by Russian troops. As a result of the shelling, a part of the wall fell down, the interior of the school classrooms opened up, and the roof over the facade was damaged.

Later, the Mykolaiv City Council's education department said that the lyceum building would be restored at the expense of Denmark. Later, Ukrainian architects presented options for the restoration and renovation of the Mykola Arkas Lyceum to Danish Ambassador Ole Egberg Mikkelsen. At the same time, he assured that the city authorities of Mykolaiv would choose the option for reconstruction.

Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych said that the lyceum would be restored while preserving its authentic appearance. Yurii Liubarov, head of the city council's culture department, spoke about one of the options for reconstructing the destroyed facade of the First Ukrainian Arkas Gymnasium. He suggested preserving the destroyed part of the façade in a glass «aquarium», while strengthening the floors, and restoring the rest of the façade to its authentic state in a classical way.

At the same time, in the capital expenditures of the Mykolaiv budget for 2023, the cost of the Arkas Gymnasium reconstruction project, according to the document, is 300 million hryvnias. The reconstruction period was set to last until the end of 2030.

After that, the City Council's Capital Construction Department ordered an adjustment to the scientific and design documentation for the restoration of the Arkas Gymnasium.