Published
02/16/2026, 17:53To date, the capital construction department of the Bishkek city administration has fenced off the site and begun work on dismantling the building.
The Chatyr-Kul cinema was opened in 1967 in the Botanical residential area on Dushanbinskaya Street (now Toktonaliev Street). The cinema was one of the district's cultural and leisure facilities, had an auditorium with 600 seats, and was built to serve the residents of the city's new neighborhoods.
Over time, the cinema ceased to operate for its intended purpose. In 2010, the building was nationalized and transferred to the state youth theater “Uchur.” . However, no major repairs were carried out, and the theater continued to use the building without any significant renovation.
At the time of the fire, the building had been in a state of disrepair for several years: the windows and doors had been broken, the grounds were not maintained, and the building was effectively empty and unused.
In November 2025, a fire broke out in the building, causing serious damage to the property. After the incident, the mayor of Bishkek visited the site and instructed the relevant services to decide on the future of the property and speed up the implementation of the project.
Design work is currently underway and the construction of a new cultural center is planned.
