Kiev (Kyiv) Museums.

     The site boasts approximetly 40,000 ethnographic exhibits, including paintings, tools, household objects, folk costumes, fabrics, ceramics, embroidery, carpets, objects of metal, wood, glassware, musical instruments, and more.

     You will find objects of ethnographic exhibits both inside the village houses and in the permanent exhibition halls.

     During the warm sunny days of summer, and especially on holidays, the museum is a favorite and obviously a popular destination.

     You can do a little horseback riding for $10 USD per hour and enjoy real Ukrainian borsch in an authentic local restaurant afterward! This authentic and totally unique village will give you a feel for life in the 18 and 19th centuries!

Admission fee - UAH 3,00

Kyivo Pechers'ka Lavra Museum

Sichnevoho Povstannya Street, 21, metro stop "Arsenal'na"

     Ancient Church complex, also known as the Kiev Monastery of the Caves or Kiev Pechers'k Lavra, attracts droves of visitors from around the world every day. (Read more about Kiev Pechers'k Lavra)

     Another very interesting museum is the Museum of Historical Valuables

     In the nine halls of the museum you can find treasures of Kyiv Rus', Jewish and West-European ceremonial siverware, featuring works of the best Ukrainian jewelers.

     The "gem" of the collection is the so-called Pectoral - Scythian queen's neck adorment from the 4th century B.C. Its weight is about 1.4 kilograms and is made of pure gold.

     Another interesting exhibit is the silver bowl, which is kept in a specially designed chamber filled with inert gas.

     Open 10:00 - 17:00. Friday 10:00 - 16:30 Closed Monday. Admission: a little over one US dollar

     Another interesting museum is the Museum of Books and Printing

     Open 10:00 - 17:00. Friday 10:00 - 16:30 Closed Tuesday. Admission: aabout 0.5 US dollar

Please Note: Church complexes are open from 9:00 - 18:00. Admission: is about $3 USD for adults, and half-price for kids.

St Sophia's Cathedral Museum

Volodymyrs'ka Street, 24, metro stop "Zoloti Vorota"
Web

     Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kiev (Ukrainian: Собор Святої Софії, Sobor Svyatoyi Sofiyi or Софійський собор, Sofiys'kyi sobor) is an outstanding architectural monument of Kievan Rus'.

     It is one of the oldest churches in Kiev. Saint Sophia Cathedral was built in 1037 by prince Yaroslav I the Wise. (Read more about Saint Sophia Cathedral)

     The fee is 1 Hryvnia to enter the grounds next to the Bell Tower. From there the kiosk which offers tickets for the Cathedral Museum is straight ahead.

     Open 10:00 - 17:30. Wednesday 10:00 - 16:30 Closed Thursday. Admission: about $3 USD for all exhibits

State Museum of Ukrainian Decorative Folk Art

Sichnevogo Povstannya Str., 21, metro stop "Arsenal'na", tel.: 2901343

     The museum exposition presents an outstanding picture of the history of Ukrainian Folk Art, containing over 60,000 exhibits. It consists of two departments: Ukrainian Folk Art of the 17th to early 20th centuries, and Soviet-time Ukrainian Art.

     Each department is divided into sections: woodcarving, weaving, porcelain, embroidery, clothing, decorative painting, ceramics, and glassware.

     There is a very interesting collection of art fabrics containing national costumes, tablecloths, rushniks (decorative towels), and bedspreads adorned with beautiful ornaments.

     The museum's collection of glassware is one of the largest in Ukraine. All exhibitions are arranged according to historical, chronological and ethnographic principles.

     The museum exposition is continually growing and being enlarged with new works of art from the pre-Revolutionary period, including works from the Soviet and modern times.

World War II Museum (Museum of Great Patriotic War)

Sichnevogo Povstannya Str., 44, metro stop "Arsenal'na", tel.: 2859452

     The World War II Memorial Complex was opened on the 9th of May 1981 by L.Brezhnev.

     It includes a museum with 18 galleries, an eternal flame, an outdoor display of military planes and other military equipment, and plaques honoring heroic Soviet Cities.

     The central figure of the museum is the massive titanium "Monument of the Motherland" reaching an impressive 102 meters (334.6 feet) into the Kyiv skyline. This statue is in stark contrast to the nearby golden domes of Pechers'ka Lavra. You can see it from many different parts of Kiev. (read more about this monument on our Monument Page)

     Open 10:00 - 17:00. Closed Monday. Admission: less than one US dollar.

Chornobyl Museum

     Open 10:00 - 18:00. Closed Sunday. Admission: about one US dollar.

Kyiv Fortress Museum (Kosoi Kaponir)

Hospital'na Str., 24a, metro stop "Palats Sportu"

     The Kiev jFortress - is a generic name given for the 19th century fortification buildings situated in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

     These structures (once a united complex) were built in the Pechers'k neighbourhoods by the Russian army. Now some of the buildings are restored and turned into museums called the Kyiv Fortress, while others are in use by various military and commercial installations.

     Having lost their military importance in the 20th century, buildings continue to be used as barracks, storage and incarceration facilities. However, some of them played independent historical roles.

     The Kosyi Kaponir ("Skew Caponier") became a prison for political inmates in the 1900s through 1920s and was later turned into a Soviet museum. Now it is the center of the modern museum.

     A small fortress built in 1872 on the legendary Lysa Hora (Bald Mountain) in 1906 became a place for executions of convicted political inmates. It is now a landscape reserve and part of the museum complex. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiev_fortress)

     Open 10:00 - 17:00. Closed Friday. Admission: about 0.7 US dollar.

National Art Museum

Hrushevs'koho Str., 6, metro stop "Maidan Nezalezhnosti"

     The 21 galleries of the museum contain valuable collections of National Arts lagerly unknown to Western visitors.

     These pieces include Ukrainian icons, paintings, and sculptures from the 14th century through the 20th century. For example, medieval icons, Cossacks era portraits of church and military leaders, and humorous pictures of "Cossack Mamay". You'll also be able to enjoy the works of the famous Ukrainian artist and poet Taras Shevchenko.

     The National Art Museum was built in the late 19th century in the style of a Greek temple with a six column portico designed by Kyiv architects Horodets'ky and Boytsov.

     The history of the museum began about 100 years ago, when it was first called the City Museum of Antiques and Art. Founders of the museum's collections defined the list of principal representatives of Ukrainian fine art and included in the list, not only those who were born and worked in Ukraine, but also those national-artists who lived abroad. So works of T. Shevchenko, V. Tropinin, I. Repin, N. Pimonenko, V. Borovikovskiy, M. Vrubel, G. Narbut and others became a part of the museum's collection. Pieces of art came into the collection from different areas of Ukraine as well as from other countries where local artists resided.

     During Stalin's repressions a decay of the museum took place, and a large part of the collection was dispersed or hidden. Nowdays there are a lot of new works of art coming into the museum's collections with thousands of exhibits presented.

     During the first decade of Ukrainian Independence (1990s) the museum was appreciated and noted at an international level. For the first time in the museum's history its collections were exhibited in the famous museums of Denmark, France, Canada and Croatia. The world discovered Ukraine and her culture. For example, A. Petritskiy is considered to be one of the best set designers of the 20th century, and O. Bogomazov is ranked as one of the best futurists of Europe.

     In March of 2006 the National Art Museum was re-opened after a lengthy rennovation. They not only reconstructed walls, floors and roof, but also set up a quality lighting system, allowing you to better enjoy the masterpieces in more detail.

     It's unfortunate, but all the museum's galleries include only about 2% of the collection of Ukrainian art, preserved in the museum. Exposition rooms of the museum, built in the 19th century, are not large enough for the scale of the collection.

     Open 10:00 - 18:00. Monday, Friday 11:00 - 19:00.