Kyiv

The National Cultural, Art and Museum Complex "Art Arsenal" (Mystetskyi Arsenal) in Kyiv is a leading Ukrainian cultural institution that integrates various types of art – from contemporary art, new music and theater to literature and museum work. Founded in 2005 on the initiative of President Victor Yushchenko.

The museum is located in the complex of historic buildings of the Old Arsenal opposite the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. This is the best preserved building of the Old Pechersk Fortress of the XVIII century, which later became the citadel of the New Pechersk Fortress. The large two-storey rectangular building was erected in 1784-1801 by the military engineer Carl de Chardon from yellow Kyiv bricks without external plastering, which is why contemporaries called the Arsenal porcelain. Also preserved is part of the main fortress wall with bastions, Vasylkiv and Moscow gates, two powder cellars. From the beginning of the XIX century the Arsenal was at the disposal of the Kiev military garrison, during the XX century the military unit was located here, the defensive Kiev repair plant worked.

Since 2005, the restoration and transformation of the monument of architecture and military engineering into a modern cultural and artistic space has been carried out. So far, less than half of the total exhibition area, reaching 60,000 square meters, is used for exhibitions of contemporary art and various art events. In the future, the Art Arsenal will become a progressive museum complex that will present the history of Ukrainian art from ancient times to the present and will host collections of masterpieces from the world's leading museums. Now there is a Small Gallery, which presents young Ukrainian art, as well as chamber projects of leading domestic artists. The largest annual event is the Book Arsenal International Festival.

According to the project "Inclusive Travels in Ukraine: accessibility of museums of Ukraine", this largest cultural, artistic and museum complex in Ukraine is successfully implementing a program to increase inclusiveness.

More than 100 realistic figures of prominent figures of Ukrainian history are presented in the exposition of the innovative museum "Formation of the Ukrainian nation" in Kyiv. It is located on the territory of the National Museum of History of Ukraine in the Second World War, on the back of the pedestal of the Motherland. During the two-hour tour, visitors will get acquainted with the centuries-old history of the Ukrainian nation and its protagonists: kings and hetmans, military and scientists, artists and athletes.

The exposition consists of 25 plot compositions that model various historical scenes or reproduce real events in the history of Ukraine in chronological order: prehistoric period from Trypillia culture to the early Slavs, Kievan Rus (Princess Olga, Svyatoslav the Brave, Vladimir the Great, Yaroslav the Wise), Cossack era (Prince Kostiantyn Ostrozky, Dmytro "Baida" Vyshnevetsky, Petro Konashevych-Sagaidachny, Bohdan Khmelnytsky, Ivan Vyhovsky, Ivan Mazepa and Pylyp Orlyk), periods of nation revival (Hryhoriy Skovoroda, Taras Shevchenko, Lesya Ukrainka, etc.), of Ukrainian Revolution (Mykhailo Hrushevsky, Simon Petliura, etc.), of liberation movements (Stepan Bandera, Andriy Melnyk, Roman Shukhevych), of modernity (Igor Sikorsky, Mykola Amosov, Vyacheslav Chornovil, Bohdan Stupka, etc.).

Each installation is accompanied by interactive audio and video content combined with special effects that immerse the viewer in the atmosphere of the era. Dioramas, multimedia stands, interactive screens, maps, holograms are presented. Media guides in eight languages are available to visitors. The installations are specially designed as photo locations. Separate stands are adapted for children. There are recreation areas, cafes, souvenir shop.

According to the project "Inclusive Travels in Ukraine: accessibility of museums of Ukraine", this innovation Museum with three-dimensional sculptures of figures in the history of Ukraine has a barrier-free exhibition space.

The grandiose memorial complex of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War was built in Kyiv in 1981 on the Pechersk Hills above the Dnieper, for which the terrain was significantly changed. Since then, a colossal statue of the Motherland (62 m high, 102 m with a pedestal, weighing about 500 tons) has become a visual landmark of Kyiv next to the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. The author of the monument is the sculptor Vasyl Borodai.

The unique all-welded steel construction is made of special stainless steel and assembled by means of the special crane. According to legend, the sword in the statue's hand was shortened at the request of the Kyiv metropolitan to make it lower than the cross of the Great Lavra bell tower. On an inclined elevator you can climb to a circular observation deck on a pedestal (37 m), and then - on a vertical elevator to chest level and up the stairs to the upper edge of the shield (92 m), which is significantly swaying in the wind.

The Motherland Pedestal is the main exposition of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War. In 16 halls on three floors there are materials that reveal the themes of hostilities, strategies for survival in war and postwar, genocide, the struggle for independence between the two totalitarian regimes. Visitors walk the "Road of War" past a number of museum artifacts, art installations and multimedia panels.

In total, the memorial complex covers an area of over 11 hectares. The way to the museum passes through the main square with the Alley of Hero Cities and sculptural compositions "Forcing the Dnieper" and "Transfer of Weapons", the gallery of heroes of the front and rear, the bowl of "Fire of Glory", an exhibition of military equipment of different times. On the back of the pedestal there is an interactive historical museum "Formation of the Ukrainian Nation".

According to the project "Inclusive Travels in Ukraine: accessibility of museums of Ukraine", this one of the most visited museums in Ukraine provides a high level of accessibility for people with disabilities.

The aquarium of the Ocean Plaza shopping mall in Kyiv is considered to be the largest in Ukraine. The giant artificial reservoir with acrylic windows has a volume of 360 thousand liters. All the main galleries of the shopping complex have access to the 16-meter panorama of the aquarium. Visitors can watch sharks, stingrays, moray eels, groupers, starfish and other inhabitants of the underwater world free of charge.

The building of the Teacher's House was built especially for the pedagogical museum at the beginning of the XX century. In 1917-18 pp. The sittings of the revolutionary Ukrainian parliament, the Central Rada, which proclaimed the independence of Ukraine and the creation of the Ukrainian People's Republic, took place here. Today, the Teachers' House of Ukraine and some organizations are located in the Teacher's House. In 2009, the Museum of the Ukrainian People's Republic was opened, which tells about the events of the Ukrainian Revolution of 1917-1921. The center of the exposition is the 4th Universal of the Central Rada, which proclaimed the full state independence of the UPR on January 22, 1918. A monument to the outstanding historian, chairman of the Central Rada M. Hrushevsky was erected near the Teacher's House. On April 29, in the Teachers' House, the Central Rada elected Hrushevsky president of the Ukrainian People's Republic, which gives grounds to consider him the first president of Ukraine, but Hrushevsky did not work in this position for a single day.