The Kharkiv’s History Museum named after Mr. Mykola Sumtsov is considered to be a direct descendant of the 1920 Ukraine Slobodan Museum named after Mr. G. S. Skovoroda, which was directed by Mr. M. F. Sumtsov, an Ukrainian famous historian, an ethnographer, a social activist, an academician, in 1920-1922. In 1920-1930, the museum became a regional center toward the traditional and modern cultural phenomena study; and also, it was the Ukrainian first museum in Kharkiv, which had a goal on the national cultural achievements popularization.
The museum was established thanks to an initiative by Mr. Mykola Fedorovych Sumtsov, a Kharkiv’s social activist, an ethnographer, an Ukrainian folklorist, a literary scholar, an academician in museums science, a professor, in January 2, 1920. Also, Mr. Dmytro Ivanovych Bagaliy, an Ukrainian historian, a philosopher, an Ukrainian Academy of Sciences founding member; Mr. Andriy Petrovych Kovalivs’ky, an Orientalist-historian, an Ukrainian historian; Mrs. Raisa Sergiivna Dankovs’ka, an Ukrainian people historian (who was a head of museum after Mr. M. F. Sumtsov’s death since 1923 up to 1929), were deeply involved into the museum foundational activities and became the museums staff workers since then. Mr. Dmytro Kostyantynovych Zelenin, an ethnographer, a dialectologist, a folklorist, has been worked toward the ethnographic direction, and then he organized the ethnographic division within the museum. Mr. Zelenin paid a lot of attention to the Ukrainian ethnography, and established the research on the Eastern Slavs ethnography as it was requested by Mr. R. Trautman and Mr. M. Fasmer, the German philologists.
In1920, Mr. Mykola Fedorovych Sumtsov was elected as a head of museum. He proposed that the museum’s internal structure must include the three divisions: the hystory division, the art division and the ethnography division. The ethnography division was always regarded as most important. Mr. M. F. Sumtsov planned to organize the fourth division with close connection to the Mr. T. G. Shevchenko’s art activities. The Skovorodynivs’ki, Shevchenkivs’ki, Kharkiv’s theaters’ collectable things are regarded as the most valuable museum’s exhibits.
Today, there are more than the 300 thousands exhibits in the museum’s art collection, which illustrate both the archeological past in XVII—XX centuries as well as the modern regional history. The museum conducts the significant scientific and educational activities. It is one of the scientific-cultural centers in the Eastern Ukraine. There are the Bar’s ceramic exhibits in the museum’s collection.
Address: Kharkiv history museum, 5 University Street, Kharkiv 61003, Ukraine.
Tel.: (057) 731-35-68 (the tours ordering)