Not far from Mariinskij Park there is the National Military History Museum of Ukraine, which tells about the history of the development of military affairs in Ukraine, starting from the ancient times to modern times. The museum first opened its doors to visitors on June 14, 1998. In the presence of military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and foreign guests, the first exhibition “Armed Forces of Ukraine: Origins (1917-1991)” was opened.
The history of the creation and activities of the museum is complex and multifaceted. December 28, 1910 in the rebuilt basement of the Kyiv Art, Industrial and Scientific Museum (now – National Art Museum of Ukraine) the Kiev Military History Museum opened. This was the first military-historical museum in Ukraine, which was created on the initiative of the Kyiv department of the Imperial Russian Military-Historical Society, founded in October 1908.
In two halls of the museum, many monuments of the military history of Ukraine were exhibited. In particular, a collection of Scythian weapons was placed, provided by the benefactor Alexei Bobrinsky, items of equipment and weapons from the time of the Sevastopol War, engravings and portraits from the reign of Emperor Nicholas I and much more. During the period of the national revolution in Ukraine, which was characterized by frequent changes in power and constant hostilities, a significant part of the exhibits in the museum’s collection was lost.
In 1967, at the Kiev district officers’ house, a museum of the history of the troops of the Kyiv Red Banner Military District was created. In 14 halls of the museum, the life and activities of the district in the post-war period were thoroughly shown. Already in 1973, the museum collection consisted of almost 3,000 exhibits – documents, photographs, diagrams, weapons, and military equipment. The museum existed until the collapse of the Soviet Union and was disbanded in 1991.
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine in October 1995 established the central museum of the armed forces of Ukraine, which was located in the building of the former museum of the history of the troops of the Red Banner Kyiv military district. The process of constantly increasing its museum potential contributed to the fact that on January 15, 2010, by decree of the President of Ukraine, the museum was given national status and renamed the National Military History Museum of Ukraine.
It includes 5 branches located in different regions of Ukraine: Volyn Regional Museum of Ukrainian Troops and Military Equipment (Lutsk), Museum of Strategic Missile Forces (Pervomaisk), Memorial Complex “In Memory of Heroes Krut” (Chernihiv Region), Museum of “Heroes of the Dnieper” “(Ivano-Frankivsk) and the Museum of Heavy Bomber Aviation (Poltava).
The museum consists of the following exhibitions:
– Ancient times
– Kievan Rus
– Times of the Cossacks
– Ukrainians in the First World War
– Ukrainian liberation movement of 1917-1921
– Soviet armed forces in the 1920-1930s
– World War II 1939-1945
– Development of the Soviet army on the territory of the Ukrainian SSR in the post-war period (1945-1991)
– The Armed Forces of Ukraine to protect the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine
Over the years of its existence, the museum has taken an honorable place in the system of cultural and educational institutions of the armed forces of Ukraine and among the country’s historical museums as a center of scientific work and military-patriotic education.
Where is the National Military History Museum of Ukraine?
Grushevskogo street, 30/1
(044) 253-27-50
Tue-Sun: 10:00-18:00
Fri: 10:00-17:00
Mon: closed