A week ago I was visiting Ukraine, Kyiv for a short vacation.
If you follow the news, you probably heard about the rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine, the possibilities of war, etc... Well the media really did its' job to spread panic as my family was terrified to hear that I am travelling to Ukraine 😁
And although, we cannot stay 100% sure that Russia will not implement anything more drastic and widespread, at this time Kyiv was totally safe to travel, there was no panic in the city and I really hope it stays this way 🤞
The highlight of my trip was all the historical experiences of Ukraine that I learned by visiting museums. And I saw just a tiny bit of everything that is there to see.
Below I am sharing some places that I got a chance to visit and learn about harsh past of Ukrainian people.
1. Chernobyl museum
I'm sure you heard about the history of Chernobyl and its' catastrophic nuclear accident. There are amazing HBO TV series on this but coming to a museum filled with personal belongings of the workers from the exploded nuclear power plant was again another compelling experience.
It is sad to see pictures, personal belongings, documents that once belonged to the young people who sacrificed their lives in a disaster caused by soviet greed.
The museum offers audio guides for a small price so you can follow the history of the disaster at your own pace and learn as much details as you wish.
Chernobyl still remains as one of the most interesting topics for me to watch on documentaries or tv series as it also happened so close to my home-country Lithuania.
Quite a lot of people/companies nowadays organize tours to the Chernobyl and Pripyat for tourists, which is my next goal when I visit Ukraine in a warmer weather.
2. Holodomor museum
This place really left a mark in my mind for some time. It was sad, devastating and shocking all at the same time.
I have actually forgotten about this frustrating part of the soviet history and the museum made me to realize the f*cked up things of the soviet government once again.
Shortly, Holodomor is a term for man-made femine in soviet Ukraine (happened in few other countries as well) which made millions of ukrainians starve to death.
The origins of the famine lay in the decision by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin to collectivize agriculture in 1929. They forced peasants to relinquish their land, personal property, collectivization led to a drop in production and food shortages. It also sparked a series of peasant rebellions in some parts of Ukraine.
The rebellions of course worried Stalin so the Soviet Communist Party, took a series of decisions that widened and deepened the famine in the Ukrainian countryside. Farms, villages, and whole towns in Ukraine were placed on blacklists and prevented from receiving food. Peasants were forbidden to leave the Ukrainian republic in search of food. Despite growing starvation, food requisitions were increased and aid was not provided in sufficient quantities. Source
In the museum you can hear personal stories of people who survived this period, see their personal belongings that they hid from the authorities or traded for the food.
It was really emotionally challenging to learn all the personal experiences caused by these government acts.
3. War museum
This is a museum for history of Ukraine in the second world war, but it also has a whole floor dedicated for the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia (since 2014).
It also includes plenty of personal belongings from the military volunteers that fought and is still fighting for Ukraine in the war since 2014 and in-depth information about this conflict.
The museum has three floors and it may take you few hours to see all the exhibitions if you are reading most of the things!
Outside the museum there is also exhibition of military techniques and weapons.
And the Motherland Monument stands just above the museum. It is truly impressive. It height actually reaches 102 metres in total!
4. churches
Of course, if you are not from an Orthodox background, you will be impressed by the churches and their beauty in Kyiv.
All of them have elements of gold and are trully spectacular. The inside is even more luxurious!
Overall, I hope the political tensions will ease and Ukraine will be able to live freely so that we all can visit it, learn its' history and see the amazing places that it has!! 💚