--- title: "Alla Horskaya's 'Ptakha' Mosaic in Cherkasy Oblast Granted National Monument Status" description: "The mosaic panel 'Ptakha' by Alla Horskaya and Viktor Zaretsky in the village of Helmiazov, Cherkasy Oblast, has been entered into the State Register of Immovable Monuments of Ukraine as a site of national significance." date: 2026-09-11T13:04:01.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/ptakha-mosaic-national-monument-ukraine tags: [ukrainian-art, mosaic, alla-gorska, cultural-heritage, ukraine, sixtiers, cherkasy] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Alla Horskaya's 'Ptakha' Mosaic in Cherkasy Oblast Granted National Monument Status ![The 'Bird' mosaic by Alla Horska on a building facade in Cherkasy region, granted national monument status](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/11/ptaha-mosaic-national-monument-ukraine/ptaha-mosaic-national-monument-ukraine-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - The 'Ptakha' mosaic by Alla Horskaya and Viktor Zaretsky in Helmiazov (Cherkasy Oblast) has been entered into the State Register of Immovable Monuments of Ukraine as a monument of national significance. - The recognition process began in 2025: in July the object was added to the regional list, and in October the Ministry of Culture's expert commission recommended national status. - The object will be assigned a separate protection number, which strengthens the legal protection of the work. - In June 2025, a recreated Horskaya mosaic was presented in Kyiv, the original of which had been damaged in Mariupol; the reconstruction was carried out by 15 specialists under the leadership of Yelyzaveta Zaretska. The mosaic panel 'Ptakha' (Bird), created by Ukrainian artists Alla Horskaya and Viktor Zaretsky, has been officially entered into the State Register of Immovable Monuments of Ukraine as a cultural heritage site of national significance. This is reported by the publication Wave (RBC-Ukraine), citing data from the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine. The work, located in the village of Helmiazov in Cherkasy Oblast, has thereby received enhanced legal protection: the object will be assigned a separate protection number, and its preservation will come under control at the national level. ### The Legacy of the Sixtiers in Stone and Glass 'Ptakha' is one of the most expressive works of Ukrainian monumental art of the second half of the 20th century. The mosaic, adorning the pediment of a building in Helmiazov, depicts a stylized bird with a fanned-out spread of feathers against a rich red background, framed by floral motifs and geometric patterns. The work is closely associated with the creative output of the representatives of the Ukrainian Sixtiers — a cultural movement that in the 1960s became a symbol of national revival and artistic liberation. Alla Horskaya and Viktor Zaretsky, spouses and like-minded companions, were key figures of this movement, and their monumental works remain to this day recognizable markers of the era. ### The Path to Official Recognition The process of granting the mosaic a protected status began in 2025. In July of that same year, the Cherkasy Regional Military Administration included 'Ptakha' in the list of regional cultural heritage sites, classifying it as a newly discovered object. Already in October 2025, an expert commission of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine recommended granting the work the status of a monument of national significance. The final registration in the State Register of Immovable Monuments of Ukraine was completed by mid-2026, thereby securing for the work the highest category of legal protection. ### Context: Memory of Mariupol and Reconstruction Alla Horskaya's mosaic heritage has attracted heightened attention in recent years, both in professional circles and in society at large. In June 2025, a recreated mosaic by the artist was presented at Independence Square in Kyiv; the original had been damaged as a result of hostilities in Mariupol. The reconstruction was carried out by 15 artists and researchers under the leadership of Yelyzaveta Zaretska, Alla Horskaya's granddaughter. This project became not only an act of artistic restoration but also a symbol of preserving cultural memory in wartime conditions. ### What the New Status Means in Practice Inclusion of the object in the State Register as a monument of national significance substantially expands the range of legal mechanisms for its protection. The object will be assigned a separate protection number, which will enable systematic record-keeping, monitoring of its condition, and the allocation of resources for restoration. For the village of Helmiazov and Cherkasy Oblast, this also means recognition of a local cultural value at the national level and the creation of additional conditions for preserving the mosaic for future generations. ### Contradictory Data In various publications, the title of the work varies: in the materials of Wave (RBC-Ukraine) and in the official documents of the Ministry of Culture, the mosaic is referred to as 'Ptakha,' whereas in a number of other sources, in particular on the kp.ua portal, it is designated as 'Ptytsi' (Birds). The discrepancy is likely due to informal simplification of the title when retelling, or to the fact that in local tradition the panel may have been named differently. This does not change the essence of the object or its protected status; however, when citing, it is recommended to rely on the title recorded in the State Register. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [Alla Horskaya's 'Ptakha' Mosaic Granted National Monument Status](https://wave.rbc.ua/ukr/culture/mozayika-ptaha-alli-gorskoyi-otrimala-status-1789131150.html) - Основной источник: сообщение о внесении в Госреестр, хронология (июль и октябрь 2025), контекст реконструкции в Киеве (июнь 2025), 15 художников, Елена Зарецкая. - [Alla Horskaya's Mosaic Panel 'Birds' in Cherkasy Oblast Recognized as a Monument of National ...](https://kp.ua/life/a735844-mozaichnoe-panno-ptitsy-ally-horskoj-v-cherkasskoj-oblasti-priznali-pamjatnikom-natsionalnoho-znachenija) - Подтверждает факт признания памятником национального значения. Использует название «Птицы» вместо «Птаха» — зафиксировано как расхождение в блоке противоречий. - [Alla Horskaya](https://www.obozrevatel.com/person/alla-gorskaya.htm) - Справочная страница о художнице; подтверждает её роль в шестидесятничестве и монументальном искусстве. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: Where is the 'Ptakha' mosaic located? **A:** The work is located in the village of Helmiazov in Cherkasy Oblast, Ukraine, and adorns the pediment of a local building. ### Q: Who are the authors of the 'Ptakha' mosaic? **A:** The mosaic panel was created by Ukrainian artists Alla Horskaya and Viktor Zaretsky — key representatives of the Sixtiers movement. ### Q: When did the process of granting the mosaic a protected status begin? **A:** In July 2025, the Cherkasy Regional Military Administration included the object in the regional list, and in October 2025 the Ministry of Culture's expert commission recommended national status. Registration in the State Register was completed by mid-2026. ### Q: What does the status of a monument of national significance mean for the object? **A:** The object receives enhanced legal protection, a separate protection number, and additional conditions for preservation and restoration at the national level. ### Q: What is the connection between 'Ptakha' and the mosaic in Mariupol? **A:** In June 2025, a recreated mosaic by Alla Horskaya was presented in Kyiv, the original of which had been damaged in Mariupol. The reconstruction was carried out by 15 artists and researchers under the leadership of Yelyzaveta Zaretska, the artist's granddaughter.