denkmal 2026 – Efforts to Protect Ukrainian Cultural Heritage
More than four years after the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, the country’s cultural heritage remains under acute threat. Museums continue to evacuate their collections, while historic buildings are being digitally documented to preserve at least their virtual copies. At denkmal 2026, experts from Ukraine, Poland and Germany will report on this work and highlight the lessons the European Union should draw from it.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022, more than 2,000 cultural sites in Ukraine have been damaged or destroyed, according to Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture. There is no end to the destruction in sight. The Ukraine Art Aid Center supports cultural institutions seeking protection or forced to evacuate. “Requests are steadily increasing while financial support is declining. At the same time, the destruction continues to intensify,” reports Vira Orlovska, who is responsible for management and fundraising at the Ukraine Art Aid Center. Even in Kyiv, she says, it is no longer possible to speak of safe districts. More and more institutions want to move their collections to secure locations as a precaution.
The Ukraine Art Aid Center has supported more than 1,200 cultural institutions. Two hubs in Ukraine coordinate the distribution of archive boxes, transport crates, fire extinguishers, generators, power stations and other equipment. Regional partners also deliver the aid supplies to more remote parts of the country. “Over the past years, a close-knit network has developed. The institutions exchange information and report where support is most urgently needed,” explains Orlovska.
The Ukraine Art Aid Center has been nominated for the denkmal 2026 Gold Medal. On 6 November, the independent expert jury will honour five of the 16 nominees.
The digital memory of endangered buildings
Skeiron is one of the Ukraine Art Aid Center’s partners. The team from Lviv documents endangered architectural and cultural monuments using laser scanning and photogrammetry. More than 280 sites have already been digitally recorded.
“A digital model is not simply a copy stored somewhere in the cloud,” emphasises Skeiron co-founder Yurii Prepodobnyi. “The data can be used for reconstruction, education and cultural projects. A 3D printer can also be used to create tangible models, enabling, for example, blind people to experience a monument.”
The work takes place under wartime conditions. Air raid alerts, power outages, rising costs and the mobilisation of team members are part of everyday life. Skeiron has therefore gained particular experience in emergency digitisation, which the team also aims to share internationally.
What Europe can learn from Ukraine
On 6 November, Yurii Prepodobnyi will discuss the topic at the event “Saving Ukrainian Cultural Heritage in Wartimes” with Michał Krasucki of the Polish National Institute for Cultural Heritage and Dr Johannes Nathan, Chair of the Ukraine Art Aid Center. The discussion will focus on effective support measures, the changing needs of Ukrainian cultural institutions and the question of how other European countries can better prepare to protect their cultural heritage in times of crisis and conflict.
Vira Orlovska will not attend denkmal in person, since she is stationed in Ukraine for Ukraine Art Aid Center. Johannes Nathan will represent Center in Leipzig. The association will also present its work at stand I58 in Hall 2.
Saving Ukrainian Cultural Heritage in Wartimes
Friday, 6 November 2026, 10:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
denkmal-CAMPUS (Lab), Hall 2, Stand L07
Language: English with German interpretation
denkmal will take place at Leipziger Messe from 5 to 7 November 2026. MUTEC – the International Trade Fair for Museum and Exhibition Technology – will be held in parallel on 5 and 6 November 2026.
