Zaporizhstal together with the public union “Green Centre of Metinvest Zaporizhzhia” joined the conservation of a fragment of an ancient boat that was found on the coast of Khortytsia Island.
On the newly formed banks of the Dnipro, which appeared as a result of the river shallowing due to the blowing up of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant by the occupiers, the specialists of the Khortytsia National Reserve discovered a fragment of an 18th-century boat. This is part of a wooden military boat of the double-boat type, which is about 300 years old. According to scientists, the boat is associated with the historical period of 1735-1739. There is a possibility that Zaporizhian Cossacks this boat to take part in battles with the Ottoman Empire and the Crimean Khanate.
In order to preserve the historical find to more favourable conditions for its transportation and restoration, the Khortytsia Reserve decided to preserve the fragment in its natural environment — in the waters of the Dnipro. Together with the volunteers of Zaporizhstal and the Green Centre of Metinvest Zaporizhzhia, a special shelter made of sand and agrotextile was created at the site of the find, as well as a fortified slope so that the subsequent fluctuation in the water level in the Dnipro would not erode the protective structure.
“Preservation of the history of the native land is critically important. For this very reason, Zaporizhstal together with the Metinvest Green Centre joined the process of conservation of the archaeological find. Today, together with our colleagues, we are helping to preserve this part of history for future generations. The past hides a lot of unknown things, and each such discovery brings us closer to understanding our ancestors and better understanding our own history,” added Anatoly Shyrma, a leading specialist in working with youth at Zaporizhstal.
It is worth reminding that during its 90-year history, Zaporizhstal has been developing the city where its people work and the families of metallurgists live. In particular, the plant develops the cultural and historical heritage of Zaporizhzhia, pays special attention and support to Khortytsia. The company systematically arranges eco-toursin Khortytsia in order to preserve the nature of the reserve. In peacetime, it was on the basis of Khortytsia and with the financial support of the plant that environmental quests and camps for schoolchildren took place. In 2013, with the support of the plant, the exposition object “Military Cannon” was opened in the historical and cultural site “Zaporizhzhya Sich”. In 2014, the partial reconstruction of the unique architectural and landscape site, the Khortytsia Stairs, was completed. In 2015, with the support of Zaporizhstal, an exhibition of the military art of the Zaporizhzhia Cossacks “Cossack Camp” was opened. In 2017, the plant helped to equip a Bronze Age sanctuary in Khortytsia near the Karakayka ravine. In 2020, a new exhibition dedicated to the history of the Cossack region “Where there are battles, there are heroes” was opened in the Museum studios of the “City Beyond the Rapids. Dedicated to the Ukrainian Cossacks”. In 2020, with the financial support of Zaporizhstal in Khortytsia island, an underwater archaeological expedition was carried out to recover a land artillery carriage of the 17th-18th centuries from the bottom of the Dnipro River. In 2021, Metinvest and Zaporizhstal became strategic partners of the national project for the transformation of Khortytsia Island.