IN HONOR OF THE 95TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH OF STEPAN MARKOVYCH KYRYCHENKO – LOCAL HISTORIAN, PUBLIC ACTIVIST, AND ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF THE KHORTYTSIA NATIONAL RESERVE

IN HONOR OF THE 95TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH OF STEPAN MARKOVYCH KYRYCHENKO – LOCAL HISTORIAN, PUBLIC ACTIVIST, AND ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF THE KHORTYTSIA NATIONAL RESERVE

We need Khortytsia to speak. We need it to tell of glory, pain, and hope. So that even the stones here are Ukrainian.

— S.M. Kyrychenko

Stepan Markovych Kyrychenko was born on July 5, 1930, in Tsarychanka (now a town) in the Dnipropetrovsk region, into a peasant family. He graduated from the History Department at Dnipropetrovsk University in 1954 and has been teaching ever since. In the early 1960s, he was invited to work in Zaporizhzhia for the Communist Party as deputy secretary of the regional party committee. At that time, fate brought him together with M. Kytsenko, and for two decades, the cultural development of the Zaporizhzhia region would be associated with these two extraordinary personalities. They had many things in common: they valued the literary work and history of their native land, conscientiously performed their duties, cared about the cultural development of the region, and enjoyed great respect from their colleagues.

In 1966, Stepan Kyrychenko became the head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Department of Culture, a position he held for six years. Then, he held positions in the Zaporizhzhia Regional Executive Committee and the Zaporizhzhia State Regional Administration. He was actively involved in solving problems related to the construction and preservation of cultural sites. With his help, a branch of the Khortytsia Reserve, “Zaporizhzhia Oak,” was established. The buildings of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Philharmonic and the Music and Drama Theater were reconstructed. Construction of the Regional Universal Scientific Library, Music School, Art Museum, Circus, and Sports Palace “Yunist” began. The history of the first photo club in Zaporizhzhia started when, in 1963, its organizers turned to the Regional Department of Culture for a space to work and hold photo exhibitions. S. Kyrychenko immediately went to meet with them, and the club “settled” at the following address: 25 Turgeneva Street (now 25 Levko Lukyanenko Street). Kyrychenko was also the author of the book “With Love to the Land of Zaporizhzhia”, in which he shared his thoughts and memories of his native land.

A notable chapter in his life was his initiative to establish the Khortytsia Reserve. In 1965, he and the Deputy Chairman of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Executive Committee, M. Kytsenko, initiated the creation of the State Historical and Cultural Reserve on Khortytsia Island. They made great efforts to implement and popularize the idea of perpetuating the memory of the Zaporozhzhia Cossacks. Academician P. Tronko and famous writers, including M. Rylsky, P. Tychyna, and O. Honchar, supported this initiative. On September 18, 1965, the Council of Ministers of Ukraine adopted Resolution No. 911, “On the Perpetuation of Memorable Sites Associated with the History of the Zaporozhzhia Cossacks,” which declared the territory of Khortytsia Island a State Historical and Cultural Reserve. The Reserve’s existence is the result of the hard work of a team of people.

According to his contemporaries, Stepan Kyrychenko was a brilliant speaker who had an undeniable influence on the public. He involved wide circles of Ukrainian intelligence, including local historians, writers, journalists, scientists, and teachers. Together with M. Kytsenko, he did everything possible to implement the Ukrainian government’s decision to perpetuate places related to the history of the Zaporozhzhia Cossacks. He was also engaged in discovering and studying Cossack relics for the future museum exhibition. The reserve’s first director, A. Sokulsky, emphasized that “the help of M. Kytsenko and S. Kyrychenko was no less significant than that of a separate academic institute.”

However, in 1973, the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine canceled the creation of the unique memorial complex and turned it into a branch of the local history museum. Instead of the Museum of the Zaporozhzhia Cossacks’ History, a Museum of the History of Zaporizhzhia City was decided upon because emphasizing national history and the heroism of the Cossacks did not align with official party policy. The initiators of the Khortytsia Reserve suffered oppression and repression, losing their positions and health. “Forgive me, I didn’t even notice when I switched to Ukrainian. You see, I got used to thinking and speaking in my native language.” Stepan Kyrychenko spoke these words many years later when discussing the difficulties of creating the Museum of the Zaporozhzhia Cossacks’ History on Khortytsia. Even a sincere desire to preserve the national heritage could be perceived as a manifestation of forbidden “nationalism.”

It was not until March 31, 1992, after Ukraine gained independence, that the order “On Renaming the Museum of the History of the Zaporizhzia City to the Museum of the Zaporozhzhia Cossacks’ History” was issued. Thus, almost three decades after the initial idea of creating the State Historical and Cultural Reserve of the Zaporozhzhia Cossacks with a museum-panorama arose, this idea finally began to be realized. The creative, dedicated, and persistent efforts of individuals such as S. Kyrychenko, M. Kytsenko, and P. Tronko made the existence of the reserve on Khortytsia possible.

In 1993, S.M. Kyrychenko was awarded the title of “Merited Cultural Worker of Ukraine” for his significant contribution to the development of Zaporizhzhia’s culture and local history.

Stepan Markovych Kyrychenko passed away on November 4, 2003. He lived his life with a deep love for Ukraine, and his work left a lasting impression on many. A memorial plaque on the Museum of the Zaporozhzhia Cossacks’ History on Khortytsia honors his memory and dedication to preserving national memory.

List of illustrations:

1. Stepan Markovych Kyrychenko.

Photo from Encyclopedia of Modern Ukraine: https://esu.com.ua/article-6441?utm_source

2. M. Kytsenko (left) and S. Kyrychenko (right). 1968.

Photo from the collection of the Khortytsia National Reserve, 28698/ ФН-3778

3. Resolution No. 911 of the Council of Ministers of Ukraine “On the Perpetuation of Memorial Sites Associated with the History of the Zaporozhzhia Cossacks,” dated September 18, 1965.

State Archives of the Zaporizhzhia Region, Р-5760

Оп. 1, спр. 36. Арк. 22–23.

4. Cover of the book With Love for the Land of Zaporizhzhia by S.M. Kyrychenko:

With Love for the Land of Zaporozhzhia: Essays, Reviews, Reflections.” Dnipropetrovsk: Lira LTD, 2002. 132 p.