“Colossal damage”: Gorlovka was left without the main concert venue

The director of the Donetsk Philharmonic commented on the blow to the Shakhtar Palace of Culture in the third most important city of the DPR

Last weekend, the Ukrainian army struck at the center of Gorlovka, a long-suffering industrial city in the DPR, the third most populous after Donetsk and Makeyevka. When shelling is counted not by dozens, but by hundreds, they merge into a continuous tragic stream, and it is difficult to single out an event more painful than all the others. But this time, the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed the Shakhtar Palace of Culture, a key object of cultural infrastructure, with a direct hit.

“The stage of this Palace of Culture is the main one in Gorlovka for holding big events. Most recently, artists of the Donetsk State Academic Philharmonic performed here. Large creative groups are based in the Palace, including the city drama theater, the honored folk dance ensemble “Gornyak” and the folk dance ensemble “Vesnyanka”. For hundreds of young residents of Gorlovka, the Palace of Culture is a second home,” Alexander Paretsky, director of the Donetsk Philharmonic, wrote on his social media pages.

“It was the most popular and sought-after concert venue, for us, one might say, a native stage. I myself have performed on this stage many times, as well as artists from many regions of the Russian Federation, ”Paretsky told the MK correspondent.

At the time of the massive “arrival” there were no spectators in the DC. Events with the presence of citizens in person are prohibited by the Ministry of Culture of the DPR, since Gorlovka has been at the epicenter of hostilities since the beginning of the special operation. There were no children in the recreation center either – they all study in circles remotely. Only technical personnel on duty were in the building, thank God, none of the workers were injured.

“The damage, judging by the photos and videos, is very serious. The damage to the roof is enormous. Given the onset of cold weather and precipitation, further consequences can be dire. Over the back of the stalls, in the concert hall, ceilings collapsed, communications were disrupted, ”summed up our interlocutor.

The situation is very serious, but not hopeless, – says Shakhtar director Oleksandr Polyakov:

– The building is badly damaged. But it is possible to save him. Measures are now underway to assess the damage and the possibility of further operation of the building. We do not understand the reason for this shelling, because we do not have military deployments. We are a purely peaceful object. Why they came here, we don’t know.

— Alexander Valeryevich, did the props, scenery, stage equipment suffer from the explosion?

“We lost a lot of costumes, the cinema room and equipment were damaged. The losses are huge. But we were able to save most of the props.

What will happen to the theatre? Are there places where creative organizations could be located?

– The issue of their placement is decided at the local level. Nobody is going to disband the theater and collectives. We will keep everything.

And when the hostilities are over, as soon as we can perform in front of the townspeople, all teams will be 100% ready for this.

What is the challenge facing you personally right now?

– To ensure the continuation of the education of children in circles. All of our classes are on schedule. And economic services are engaged in the Palace itself, everything that we can do on our own, we do. Everything that specialists should do is also being done.