Ukraine Grants National Heritage Status to Alla Horska’s Mosaic 'Ptakha' in Cherkasy Region

Recognition as a Cultural Heritage Monument

According to Рубрика — Суспільство: The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has officially designated the mosaic 'Ptakha,' created by Alla Horska and Viktor Zaretsky, as a national cultural heritage monument. This artwork has been entered into the State Register of Immovable Monuments of Ukraine. Completed in 1970, the mosaic adorns the facade of the rural canteen 'Supi' in Helmyaziv, Cherkasy region, and represents a significant example of Ukrainian monumental art from the latter half of the 20th century. In July 2025, 'Ptakha' was added to the list of newly discovered cultural heritage sites of Cherkasy Oblast, and by October 2025, the Ministry of Culture’s Expert Commission recommended elevating its status to national significance.

Alla Horska’s Artistic Legacy

Alla Horska was a renowned Ukrainian artist, dissident, and an active figure in the 1960s cultural movement known as the Sixtiers. Her diverse body of work spans monumental art, mosaics, graphics, and painting. The Ministry of Culture emphasized that 'Ptakha' embodies the creative spirit of the Sixtiers and that its national heritage status will strengthen legal protections and ensure proper conservation measures.

Tragically, on November 28, 1970, Horska left her apartment in Kyiv. The next day, her father-in-law, Ivan Zaretsky, was found dead. Three days later, Horska’s body was discovered in the basement of the Zaretsky family home. While the official investigation attributed the deaths to personal conflict, later evidence revealed that Soviet security forces were responsible for her murder. Horska, along with figures like Vasyl Symonenko and Les Taniuk, had uncovered mass graves of NKVD repression victims, including those in Bykivnia.

During the 1960s, Horska traveled extensively with her husband, Viktor Zaretsky, gathering inspiration and materials for her art. Her significant works include the mosaic 'Viter' on the facade of Kyiv’s 'Vitryak' restaurant, the panel 'Blooming Ukraine' for the Kyiv grocery store in Zhdanov (now Mariupol), a mosaic for Experimental School No. 5 in Donetsk, and the 1967 panel 'Boryviter' inside the 'Ukraine' restaurant in central Mariupol.

In summer 2022, Mariupol journalist Ivan Stanislavskyi reported that Horska’s mosaics 'Tree of Life' and 'Boryviter' were destroyed due to shelling. Although many of Horska’s mosaics have survived, the ongoing occupation of Mariupol leaves the fate of her works uncertain.

Granting national heritage status to the 'Ptakha' mosaic highlights Ukraine’s commitment to protecting its cultural treasures, especially amid ongoing aggression and destruction. This recognition not only helps preserve artistic heritage but also raises awareness of the critical contributions by creative figures like Alla Horska to Ukraine’s cultural identity.

Recent events underscore the urgent need to safeguard such monuments to maintain the nation’s historical memory and identity.