Kogan's House

There are many buildings in Ukraine that are unknown due to their neglected appearance. One of them is the house of the manager of the Vyshcheolchydaivsky sugar factory - Naftul Kogan.

This work participates in the "Ukrainian brands in global trends" contest. Ukraine is a country of wonderful and unique monuments of history and nature, that could impress everyone, even the most demanded tourists. One of the brightest characteristics of Ukrainian culture is our architecture. We inherited thousands of palaces from famous figures of Ukrainian, Polish and Russian history. These buildings were created by the best masters of Europe and the world. However, unfortunately, every day these monuments feel the relentless touch of time, and only restoration can save them. But for some reasons the preservation of historical heritage is not a priority of our country.One of such abandoned monuments is Kogan's house, which is located in Vyshcheolchydaiv village Of Vinnytsia Oblast. At the first glance it looks like an ordinary communal building. People often don’t pay attention to it, as its façade is very damaged. But its luxury interior is a real architectural treasure and cultural heritage.A narrow path with high thickets leads to the house, which, as already was mentioned, does not look like a palace. However, inside it is a real miracle. The ground floor is somewhat abandoned, but the second is impressive. Four large rooms, symbolizing the seasons of the year, are located there. Each of them has its own unique carving. The style of the interior is difficult to determine. According to the architect's plan, the house inside was to be made in different genres with the same style paintings. The rooms are decorated with images of angels and various landscapes. Specialists say that the decoration has been preserved since the time of construction and the building in unique in the Vinnytsia Oblast.The second floor has a wide terrace with a magnificent view on a sugar factory, the manager of which lived in this house. The house is located almost on the territory of this plant, buildings were separated only by a small stream.The history of the house is actually unknown. Reliable information about him appears only when the manager of the sugar factory Naftul Kogan arrived in the village in 1899. Exactly he modernized the house, built long ago. Vyscheolchydaiv with many other villages belonged to the Polish noble family Dzerzhka, who’s the last representative sold these lands to Count Branicki due to large debts. Most likely, the house was built by someone from the Branicki family. And Naftul Kogan, contrary to popular belief, was not its owner, but only the appointed manager of the plant, which was also owned by the Branicki family. Luxurious paintings inside the room testify to this - only the aristocracy could afford such things at that time.Locals say that no one lived in the house before Naftul Kogan, it was only a "summer villa" and only some stuff worded there. Branicki had a very strange tradition: they ordered women who knead bread to add a drop of their blood into the dough, maybe to represent their "parasitic" way of life.The villagers liked Naftul Kogan, as he was a kind and sensitive man. When someone needed help, he did not refuse. He gave clothes to the peasants. But in 1907, during the mass manifestations of anti-Semitism in the Russian Empire, Naftul Kogan was arrested, and in 1917 he left for Paris.The house was not empty for a long time - it was soon converted into a kindergarten for the children of sugar factory workers. In 2011, a fire broke out and severely damaged the roof of the building, making it unusable. Since that time the building is empty. In 2013, the village community managed to recognize it as a monument of local significance, but could not find the money for restoration.This monument is not the best in Ukraine, but it is a great example of the decline of our historical heritage. Due to lack of finances, thousands of such estates suffer irreparable damage. Local communities are trying to save them, but the attention of individual citizens is not enough to preserve these structures. The attention of the whole state is needed for this, otherwise, we risk losing our history and heritage.