The Department of Culture, Youth, and Sports of the Boyarka City Council opposes covering or dismantling the mosaic during the insulation of the facade of Boyarka Academic Lyceum Prestige.
In July, Boyarka City Council launched a contest for a new facade design for Boyarka Academic Lyceum Prestige.
Specifically, during the facade insulation, they intend to dismantle the mosaic and proposed that local residents choose a new finish.
The facade of Boyarka Lyceum Prestige featured a mosaic by Ukrainian artist Vasyl Khymochka titled Lace of Sounds, created in 1985.
On the last day of August, the city council announced the conclusion of the public vote regarding the facade update, stating that the option receiving the most support was "Depicting a artwork on the building facade that precisely copies the original mosaic image".
"Separately, we want to explain the mosaic issue, as we see that it is important to part of the community residents. The technology of thermal modernization works involves insulating external walls and constructing a new facade. Funds allocated for thermal modernization have a specified target purpose and must be used specifically to improve the building’s energy efficiency. This means warmer premises, reduced energy losses, and better conditions for children and educators. The appearance of the building, in turn, will be preserved through a complete copying of the mosaic as an artwork," the city council stated on Facebook.
This announcement once again generated significant resonance and discussion among social media users.
In turn, the Department of Culture, Youth, and Sports of the Boyarka City Council stated that they fully understand and support the need for thermal modernization of educational institutions to ensure children’s comfort, but, in their view, infrastructure projects should not come at the expense of destroying cultural heritage.
"We emphasize that the specified mosaic contains no elements of Soviet propaganda, does not fall under the law ‘On the Condemnation of the Communist and National Socialist (Nazi) Totalitarian Regimes in Ukraine and the Prohibition of Propaganda of Their Symbols’, and possesses undeniable artistic value," the statement reads.
They stressed that creating a mural copy instead of preserving the original smalt is unacceptable in a civilized society.
"In light of the above, the Department of Culture, Youth, and Sports does not support covering the mosaic with insulation, let alone its destruction by chipping it off the facade, and calls for reviewing the facade work project on the part of Prestige Lyceum building where the mosaic is located, reviewing the results of the public survey taking into account the community’s real demand to preserve the original rather than create a painted copy, as well as creating a working group involving architects, restorers, and engineers to find an alternative technical solution that will allow for energy modernization of the building while preserving the mosaic panel," the statement says.
As reported, in April 2026, Kyiv Regional State Administration stated that separate accounting of monumental mosaic works in the region is not conducted.
