Museum of Kiev History: revived in 2012

Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, has a population of about 2.8 million people (January 2012). Amongst the city are a lot of museums – about 140 of them.

One right in the heart of the city is the Museum of Kiev History, having been relocated there during its reinvigoration in 2012, after an eight year hiatus after its previous location in Klovsky Palace was closed. The new building is located at 2 Kreshchatyk Street – the shortest and widest street in the whole of Ukraine - amid the main shopping area and hence easily accessible if you don’t miss the sign.

It is located on the second and third floors of the building. The purchase of a ticket allows access to the elevator to the museum. Understated and small for a museum, nevertheless it has some interesting collections. Old photographs, furniture, jewellery, clothes, money, glassware, cutlery, kitchenware, children’s toys, and the like are encased in glass cabinets or openly displayed. Olympic heroes, artists and prominent Kievans are given a place in the history museum.

I liked the lace dresses, the ancient sewing machine, and the old wooden studio camera on a stand (where the photographer was covered under a black cloth).

Although the signage on each display is in Ukrainian, Russian and English, it is merely a title and not a full description, so some understanding of its importance in the Kievan history is lost to vistors. I was informed that the museum will continue to improve when they sort out the many items still in storage.

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