The Museum of Historical Treasures of Ukraine is considered one of the leading museums in the country and the world; the subject of the exhibition is historical and artistic monuments made of precious metals and precious stones. The museum is a branch of National Museum of the History of Ukraine and was opened to visitors on January 4, 1969 on the territory of Kievo-Pecherskaya Lavra. The Museum of Historical Treasures was created by government order in 1963 under the name “Golden Pantry” as a department of the State Historical Museum of the Ukrainian SSR. The initial collection was created in accordance with the order to transfer items made of precious metals and precious stones from twenty museum institutions.
In addition to the transferred exhibits from museums, an important contribution to the creation of the museum of historical treasures were collections of finds (more than 30,000 items in total) received from the Institute of Archeology of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences. Now the museum’s fund includes more than 57,000 objects of archeology and applied art made of precious metals and precious stones. The exhibits are unique valuable chronicles of Ukraine from the Bronze Age and Antiquity to the present. The museum’s exposition is displayed in 9 halls according to the historical and chronological principle.
The museum is housed in an 18th-century building, a former monastery bakery, built according to the design of the Ukrainian architect, the fortress monastery Stepan Kovnir. Kovnir worked at the monastery for almost 40 years and this is one of his original buildings – after all, he did not study at the academy, but during the construction process itself. Stepan also took part in the construction of the Lavra bell tower in the Near and Far Caves, Klovsky Palace and the church in Kitaevo.
Where is the Museum of Historical Treasures of Ukraine?
Lavrskaya street, 9
Tue-Sun: 10:00 – 16:45, sanitary day – last Friday of the month
044 280 53 48