Slavutych

Slavutych, a city in the far north of Ukraine, occupies a strategic position where the borders of Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia meet. Built in the aftermath of the 1986 Chornobyl nuclear disaster to replace the contaminated homes of the power plant’s workers, it is the last purpose-built ideal city of the Soviet Union and a unique architectural and political experiment.

Planned and constructed by architects from across the Soviet republics, Slavutych reflects both the diversity and contradictions of its time: Postmodernist forms infused with socialist paradigms; regional motifs from the Caucasus, the Baltics, and Russia; and an early awareness of ecological and human-centred design. In the decades since its founding the city has faced economic upheavals, demographic change, and, most recently, the challenges of war. However, its strong civic spirit has made it a model of urban resilience demonstrating how an engaged community can sustain and adapt an entire city.

Marking the 40th anniversary of the Chornobyl catastrophe, this second, fully revised edition presents a sharpened perspective on Slavutych’s architecture and urban form. It documents all districts including those renamed in 2022 as part of Ukraine’s derussification and offers a critical analysis of this late Soviet planned city in the shifting geopolitical landscape of Eastern Europe.

This architectural guide is part of the Histories of Ukrainian Architecture program initiated by DOM publishers in response to Russia’s attack on Ukraine’s sovereignty on 24 February 2022.

Author Biography

Ievgeniia Gubkina, born 1985, architect, researcher and curator. Organised and held numerous conferences. Co-founder of the NGO Urban Forms Center. In 2013 she started the women’s avant-garde movement Modernistky. Her research interests include modernist architecture, urban planning and planned cities as well as the heritage of Socialist cities. Currently working on a PhD project on Soviet workers’ settlements in Ukraine in the 1920s and 1930s. Lives and works in Kharkiv.