The Bishkek City Hall has launched a project to create a modern cultural center at the site where the cinema "Chatyr-Kul" once stood. Practical work on the implementation of this project has already begun.
According to information from the city hall, the Capital Construction Department has completed the installation of a fence around the site and has begun dismantling the old building.
The "Chatyr-Kul" cinema, which opened in 1967 on Dushanbinskaya Street (now Toktonalieva Street) in the Botanical residential area, served as an important cultural center for residents of the new districts of the city. It had an auditorium with 600 seats and was part of the district's cultural infrastructure.
However, over time, the cinema ceased to fulfill its functions. In 2010, the building was nationalized and transferred to the state youth theater "Uchur," but no major repairs were carried out, leading to the building being used without significant updates.
Unfortunately, by the time of the fire that occurred on November 5, 2025, the building was in a semi-ruined state: windows and doors were broken, and the territory was not maintained. The cinema was effectively abandoned and not in use.
After the fire, the mayor of Bishkek visited the scene and instructed the relevant services to develop further steps regarding the fate of the site, as well as to expedite the process of implementing the new project.
Currently, design work is underway, and the construction of the new cultural center is planned to begin soon.
