One of the most highly anticipated development projects in Ukraine, Respublika Park, has finally opened in Kyiv after nine years of construction. Respublika Park holds 300,000 square meters of shopping, recreation, and entertainment, with 500 stores spread over 135,000 square meters of retail space and underground parking for 3500 cars.
The pièce de résistance of the giant mall, arguably the biggest in Eastern Europe, is a unique indoor park called Oasis, built with a biophilic design in mind to increase connectivity with nature. This is the only mall in the country with so many living plants and trees. Other notable features of Respublika Park also include the first wind tunnel in Ukraine (20 meters high, 16 meters of free flight), an innovative digital amusement park called Neopolis, with a vast selection of VR and AR attractions, an e-sports area (11 thousand square meters), and the largest roller coaster in Europe, all inside the mall.
There’s also a fitness center, a 15-screen multiplex, the largest cinema complex in Ukraine (including an IMAX), and a food court area boasting 50 restaurants of various ethnic cuisines.
Shopping enthusiasts will have a field day with Zara, Massimo Dutti, Pull & Bear, Bershka, Stradivarius, and Oysho, along with an H&M department store and other popular brands like Skechers, Timberland, Marc O’Polo, The North Face, Armani Exchange, and Pandora, not to mention Tommy Hilfiger, Diesel, Calvin Klein, Etam and more. An Ikea store will also open inside the mall in the coming weeks.
The new shopping and entertainment center was opened in strict compliance with all COVID regulations, with entry contingent upon proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test. For the safety of staff and visitors, sanitizers have been installed, and additional disinfection of all premises is regularly carried out. There will also be a corona vaccination point inside Respublika Park.
The grand opening of Respublika Park was accompanied by DJ sets and photo zones, with 64,000 visitors enjoying the fanfare. Among the guests was the mayor of Kyiv, Vitaly Klitschko, and the Austrian Ambassador, Mr. Gernot Pfandler, as there were some considerable Austrian investments in Respublika.
The mall is currently operating at 61% capacity, although 79% is expected to be occupied by the end of the year. The owners consider this a great success, given that Kyiv is still considered “red.” Sources say that funds allocated for the grand opening were diverted towards purchasing medical equipment for Kyiv City Hospital No. 10 to help combat the pandemic.
