Kiosk dominance in Uzhgorod (PHOTOS)

In addition to unfinished and abandoned "phantom" buildings, the appearance of Uzhgorod is rather heavily spoiled by various kinds of small architectural forms or kiosks. They not only look as foreign objects in once harmonious "body" of city streets, but, sometimes, "steal" from us a very important part of urban space – sidewalks and green areas. 

A vivid example of that is the coffee shop "Medellin" on Nezalezhnist embankment, near the hotly debated on the Internet construction site. This wooden structure not only does not fit in the architectural ensemble of the street, but also takes up a significant chunk of the sidewalk. 

Another not too aesthetic looking structure is located near the pedestrian bridge on the side of Sandor Petofi Square. Generally, such plastic "masterpieces of architecture" in the historic district look at least strange. 

Also worth mentioning are small kiosks, which are scattered all over the city. They are made in the same style and even look not too bad, but sometimes there are inappropriately many of them. For example, on Sandor Petofi Square, one of these kiosks has long been standing idle, but instead of taking and using it as intended, they have put up its "twin brother" just a few meters away. Currently, Transcarpathian souvenirs are sold in it, while the neighboring one continues to be a "phantom".

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And at the so-called "Drunk market", there is a whole town of such kiosks. Some of them look better, some – worse, but what they all have in common is an obvious architectural inadequacy. Rumour has it that these architectural monsters belong to the City Council member Anatoliy Kovalsky notorious for shady deals with the land.

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But it all pales in comparison with the "Bilochka Market". Not many things can be up there with the kiosks there. It seems that the owner just choked up the area adjacent to the market with first available booths that he was able to find or make from scrap materials. And this mess is just a few hundred meters from the city center! By the way, they say that these kiosks also belong to the city deputy, Party of Regions member Anatoliy Kovalsky. There once was an uproar and protests, and even court trials about them, but the kiosks have not only remained there, but overgrown even more. In addition, as you can see, sidewalk vendors "huddle up" against them using a dirty asphalt instead of counters.

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Ще один екземпляр зіпсованого міського простору розташувався прямо під вікнами людей, поблизу того самого ринку "Білочка". Ця мала архітектурна форма не лише перекриває людям зелену зону, але й закриває мешканцям прилеглого будинку оглядовість з вікон. Не кажучи вже про вуличну торгівлю, яка традиційно в таких випадках виросла поруч на тротуарі.

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Another instance of corrupt urban space is located directly under the windows of people near the same "Bilochka" market. This small architectural form not only takes up the green zone, but also covers the view from windows of nearby houses. Not to mention the street trade, which as usual in such cases has started nearby on the sidewalk.

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While the city officials deliberately and selectively dismantle old abandoned kiosks, more and more pavilions are growing in the city like mushrooms after a heavy rain. A striking example of that is the kiosk on Koryatovich square, near the "Vopak" supermarket. It was installed recently and has not even opened yet. Rumor has it that this is also the property of Anatoliy Kovalsky…

In general, real estate market in Uzhgorod is quite a strange thing. Instead of opening their "points of sale" in numerous new buildings, businesses are cluttering the city with kiosks (sometimes reluctantly, but still). Meanwhile, fixed buildings have turned into an extensive "FOR RENT" store chain". 

Recall that a kiosk is by definition a temporary structure. However, in Uzhgorod reality, there is nothing more permanent than the temporary: kiosks gain foundations, and later the land beneath them is even privatized. The city officials declare that they are fighting against this phenomenon. But only time will tell whether it is consistent measures or just populist slogans. Meanwhile, Uzhgorod kiosk dominance is thriving.