History of the Museum in artifacts

50th anniversary is a significant milestone, which needs deeper understanding and analysis. Since it`s establishing and till nowadays the Museum overcame a colossal path. In its collection assembled over 416.000 different authentic items.

Search of artifacts for future museum began in 1944 directly on the fields of the Second World War. At first it`s exhibits were presented to the general public in 1946 during the exhibition “Partisans of Ukraine in a struggle against the Nazi invaders”. In consequence of it the entire massive of these historical sources along with collection of the State historical museum of the Ukrainian SSR (approximately 28.000 items) formed the basis of the collection of the “State Ukrainian Museum of the history of the Great Patriotic War 1941 – 1945”, opened in October 17, 1974 in Klovskyi Palace. In 1981 the Memorial arose on hills above the Dnipro river.

Since that times history of the Institution can be divided into several stages. First of them reflects the Museum mission of that period — to be “an ideological locomotive of the Soviet age”. The Museum had to assert myth of “the Great Patriotic War” with its common set of ideological cliché such as “leading role of the Communistic party”, “the Victory”, “Partisan Ukraine”. It glorified the dominant political order of the “Country of Soviets” for nations (primarily — for Ukrainians), of living its last years Soviet Empire.

Next decade marked by collapse of the Red Empire became a period of dispelling of all these myths and creating integer and disinterested vision of these historical events. It was time when Ukrainian science and the Museum particularly, gravitating yet to the Soviet model of historical interpretation but being released of ideological chains stood on painful way of looking for own vision. It was period of gradual and careful rising of Ukrainian historical approach where previously taboo aspects were included. Among them were such topics as Ukrainian liberation movement, victims of Nazi and Soviet genocides, humanization of war in general with its Ukrainian dimension as well.

These activities increased in the 2000s during another important mark of the Museum history. In 1996, it received the national status. While looking for the Ukrainian Second World War highly detailed chronological-event narrative of the war was developed, which accordingly influenced the spectrum of artifacts, gradually transforming the memorial space into a place of remembrance and mutual reconciliation.

The whirlpool of fateful events that swept through the country in 2013— the Revolution of Dignity, followed by the Russian-Ukrainian war — compelled Ukrainian society, still mentally shackled by Soviet legacy in some respects, to seek its roots and civilizational landmarks. The awareness of Ukraine’s belonging to the European community, along with the centuries-old democratic values reflected in societal relations and state-building, motivated the Museum not only to expand its thematic scope by presenting the military history of Ukrainians in the 20th and 21st centuries but also to finally take steps towards redefinition: in 2015, through the initiative of the Museum staff, the institution was renamed to its current title.

During the large-scale war, by showcasing the century-long struggle of Ukrainians for independence and unity, the Memorial entered the most active phase of comprehensive redefinition in both essence and form, shifting focus not only in the content of its exhibitions but also in its development strategy.

This project is an attempt to highlight the main stages of the Museum’s genesis and its transformative milestones through the lens of 50 exceptional, most interesting Museum items, in our opinion, against the backdrop of historical events over the past half-century.

Familiarize yourself with 50 iconic exhibits!