Olga Golodets stressed that Crimea and Sevastopol have played a special role in Russian culture, as outstanding writers and artists of Russia used to live and work here. This is why the cultural space of Crimea and Sevastopol need to regain their role on an entirely new level. This is also important because the flow of tourists is growing. Some 1.5 million tourists have already used the Crimean Bridge following its opening. In seven months, the flow of tourists has grown by 26 percent.
According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the Opera and Ballet Theater, which features a choreographic school where 250 children will study, will become a dominant feature of the new cultural breakthrough. A film and concert hall will be built along with a big artistic complex. Employees of Russia’s largest museums – the Hermitage, the Tretyakov Gallery and the Russian Museum – have been involved in the creation of the complex. It will consist of two wings. The central one will house an exhibition complex and a permanent exposition of masterpieces of international art located in the aforementioned museums. The other wing, at the request of Sevastopol and Crimea residents, will be devoted to the Defence of Sevastopol.
Sevastopol Governor Dmitry Ovsyannikov explained that the facilities would create a new urban space. This will be Sevastopol’s central park, 500 metres to a kilometer from the seashore. The total length of the coastline to be involved in the new urban space will amount to 13 kilometres. Foreign experts, first and foremost architects, were involved to integrate these facilities into the architectural image and mesh them together in one style. Construction may begin early next year.
Vladimir Putin stressed that a tender should be held, and a feasibility study should also be prepared. As for the museum complex, it is necessary to consult with the management teams of the Hermitage, the Russian Museum and the Tretyakov Gallery.