History of Xpark 2002-2023. From the swamp to the largest active park in Europe
The story of Xpark, one of the most famous sports parks in Europe, began more than 20 years ago with a simple idea.
My Ukraine is tells about how Xpark turned from a swamp into the largest sports park in Europe.
Today the park is a developed infrastructure for active recreation, but originally it was an abandoned and flooded area, unclaimed by anyone and unsuitable for investment.
However, the park did turn from a swamp into a popular place for sports and recreation
It all started in the early 2000s when a group of kitesurfing enthusiasts thought of creating the first wake park in Kyiv. After conducting research, including analyzing the water in various bodies of water in the city, it was discovered that the Desyonka River, near the Friendship of Peoples Park, had the cleanest water suitable for world wakeboarding competitions.
The team faced a difficult task - this place had no infrastructure, no electricity, water supply, sewerage, and mobile communications. It was an abandoned plot of land used as an illegal car wash and dumping ground. Despite all these difficulties, the project started to develop thanks to the fact that the water was recognized by experts as the cleanest in Kyiv.
The first step was to clean up the area and create basic conditions for the competitions. In 2007, the city leased the land to the Xpark team, and serious work began to create infrastructure: electricity was installed, mobile phones were installed, and Ukraine's first circular wakeboard ropeway was built.
In 2010, large-scale works began to strengthen the shoreline and expand the park. The project attracted more and more attention, and soon Xpark became a venue for European and Ukrainian wakeboarding championships and other sporting events.
By 2020, the park offered more than 190 sports and became an integral part of Kyiv's sporting life. One of the most significant projects was the innovative rehabilitation center for wounded soldiers "Base 4.5.0", which opened in 2016.
However, according to X-park owner Yuriy Zozulya, the success began to attract the attention of raiders: in 2022, the park came under pressure from individuals who tried to seize its assets. In 2023, Yuri Zozulya claimed pressure from law enforcement agencies and judges, when in July 2023 10 hectares of land and the facilities built on it were seized. The State investigation Buro blocked X-park's activities, and numerous lawsuits began, which continue to this day.