Attractions of Kaniv

The museum is located in a two-story building of the former Basilian school, founded in 1781 by the Uniate priest B. Fizykevych at the expense of Count S. Poniatowski, who then owned the city. The school was closed in 1838. Later, the house was also used for its intended purpose as a school. The second floor was built in Soviet times. In 1990, the Museum of Folk and Decorative Art, which had previously been located in the neighboring building of the Assumption Cathedral, moved to this building. The museum has more than 5 thousand exhibits: a collection of glass of the XIII-XVI centuries, wooden products, paintings. There is a collection of samples of traditional Ukrainian clothing and household items from three central regions - Cherkasy, Kyiv and Poltava. In particular, the primitive works of the People's Artist of Ukraine Maria Pryimachenko, the unique embroidery of the artist S. Ustymenko and others are presented.

Tarasova Mountain in Kaniv is a national shrine of the Ukrainian people, a place of worship in memory of the outstanding poet-prophet Taras Shevchenko. Probably on this mountain in the XI century. The Kaniv Cave Monastery was founded, after which it became known as the Monk's Mountain. In the middle of the XIX century, having visited these places, T. Shevchenko wanted to buy a plot of land here for the construction of the estate, but his plans did not come true. After his death in St. Petersburg, Shevchenko was first buried in the Smolensk cemetery, however, at the request of the public, on May 10, 1861, the coffin with the poet's ashes was delivered to Kaniv. According to the will, he was buried on a high Dnieper cliff, which has since been called Tarasova Mountain. A mound and a cross were placed on the grave. The Tarasova Svitlytsia Museum was opened in the former house of I. Yadlovsky's tomb overseer. In 1925, the Shevchenko National Reserve was established in Kaniv. In 1939, the largest monument to Shevchenko in Ukraine was erected, and a 342-step staircase with the Lily fountain was built. In 2010, after many years of restoration, the Taras Shevchenko Literary Memorial Museum was opened.

The first Taras Shevchenko National Museum on Chernecha Hill in Kaniv "Tarasova Svitlytsia" appeared long before the creation of the Shevchenko National Reserve. As early as 1884, at the same time as the arrangement of Shevchenko's grave was completed, a house was built next to it. In one half of it lived the first caretaker of the grave Ivan Yadlovsky, opened the first national museum of the poet with a book of reviews. The house was dismantled in the 1930s, during the construction of a memorial on Tarasova Hill, but was restored in 1991. The museum exposition presents a copy of a portrait of Shevchenko donated to the museum by artist Ilya Repin, a copy of a towel embroidered for the museum by Lesya Ukrainka, an icon depicting Shevchenko in the image of a saint. In the second half, the room of the guard of Shevchenko's grave with the original samovar of Ivan Yadlovsky on the table was restored.