The international project “Ark” to preserve and protect Ukrainian culture and heritage from systematic destruction by Russian troops will launch its first mission next year.
The announcement was made on December 18 in Prague, Ukrinform reports, citing the Karel Komárek Family Foundation.
“While hostilities continue, the implementation of innovative projects to preserve Ukrainian cultural artifacts threatened by the war is accelerating. Given the scale of the crisis, the Ark project, which aims to protect Ukrainian heritage, has confirmed the start date of its first mission.
What will be done on foot
The armored container “Ark 1″ will leave the Czech Republic for Ukraine in early January and will go to cultural sites at risk throughout Ukraine,” the Foundation explained. “Ark 1 was specially designed to work in dangerous conditions and provides transportation of specialists, as well as everything necessary for the preservation and evacuation of cultural monuments. This will allow specialists to rescue historical books in the war-affected areas, and in the future, when the Ark-2 and Ark-3 modules arrive, to create digital copies and 3D scans of objects, such as frescoes, that cannot be evacuated from their current location.
The first mission, which will be led by a team of experts from the Yaroslav the Wise National Library of Ukraine, will focus on preserving and further digitizing as many textual objects as possible, including manuscripts, books and other important written artifacts, as well as scientific and academic literature.
For security reasons, the route of Ark 1 is not disclosed, but among the objects that were severely damaged or destroyed during the war are the Odesa Art, Maritime, Archaeological and Literary Museums, Kharkiv Art Museum, Ivankiv Museum and Kyiv Art Gallery, as well as the Mykhailo Kotsiubynskyi Memorial Museum-Estate in Chernihiv Oblast, etc.
About the Ark and its benefactors
The Ark project is a public-private initiative that aims to mitigate these losses. Led by the Czech Ministry of Culture in cooperation with the Ukrainian government and the Czech National Library, the Ark project is funded by private donors, including Karel Komarek, a leading businessman and philanthropist.
Funding in the amount of CZK 10.5 million (over UAH 18 million) for the first Ark 1 mission is provided through the Karel Komarek Family Foundation, as well as by Allwyn and MND companies from the KKCG group, owned by Komarek, and other donors. Additional funding for future missions is currently being sought.
To defeat destruction and chaos
“This mission will help preserve the pieces of our history that define us as a nation. Every book, every manuscript, every photograph saved is a victory over the chaos that surrounds us. This equipment is more than just tools – it is a chance to restore, to create something for the next generation,” said Oleg Serbin, Director General of the Yaroslav the Wise National Library of Ukraine.
Karel Komarek, in his turn, noted that “during the war, the protection of culture is not a luxury, it is necessary to maintain a sense of self-esteem and hope for recovery. At a time when state and non-governmental budgets are already exhausted by providing humanitarian and military assistance to Ukraine, more innovative approaches to protecting and preserving cultural heritage are needed. Public-private partnerships like the Ark project should not only help overcome the losses suffered by Ukraine but also become a new global model for preserving cultural heritage in the 21st century.”
As reported, as of December 18, 2024, UNESCO has confirmed the damage to more than 400 cultural sites, including 32 museums and 15 libraries and their collections, including works of art and important publications and documents for Ukrainian history, culture and identity.