The Ukrainian national history museum
The museum started its activities with the archeological exhibition in 1899 as a museum of antiquities and arts at a not yet completed building at the 6 Hrushevsky Street in Kyiv. The building for the museum was designed by the Kyiv’s famous architect, Mr. Vladislav Gorodets’ky. The money for the building construction was collected by the Kyiv’s residents.
The first division in the museum was an archeological division under the supervision by Mr. Vikentiy Hvoyka, Ukrainian famous archeologist.
Mr. Mykola Bilyashevs’ky, a first director since 1902, played an extremely important role in the museum’s collection formation.
Mr. Tereshenko and Mr. Hanenko families, the well known patrons of arts, supported the museum. The museum’s collections significant development was due to the activities by Mr. Danyl Sherbakivs’ky, head of historical and ethnographic divisions. In 1910-14, he organized the expeditions to almost all the Ukrainian provinces in the Russian empire.
A nationalization process of cultural valuable things had place after the capture of the State of Ukraine by the Bol’sheviks revolutionary forces. Mr. Mykola Bilyashevsky and Mr. Danil Sherbakivs’ky were able to save a big number of antiquities, which came from the private collections, churches, monasteries and looted estates to the museum’s fund.
As a result of the German-Soviet war, the museum’s collection has experienced some serious changes – a big number of the antiquities was lost. Over the subsequent years, the museum’s collection replenishment took place at the costs by other museums: the L’viv historical museum, L’viv Ukrainian arts museum, Odessa archeological museum, Ukrainian arts museum, Kyiv- Sofia cathedral, Kyiv-Pechersky Lavra, Chernygiv historical museum.
Since the time, when the state of Ukraine became independent, the Ukrainian national history museum on the base of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialistic Republic state history museum was established.
The «Ceramics» fund’s group has the 3950 antique items to preserve. It was created in 1948. It includes the following collections: the folk ceramics, artistic glass, faience and porcelain. A collection of folk ceramics represents the antiquities from the Ukrainian biggest centers of ceramics production, including the Podolia. The fund has the ceramic antiquities made by the Bar’s famous potters – Mr. Pavel Samolovich, Mr. Philip Lukashenko, Mr. Peter Manita, Mr. Grygory Krulikovs’ky and by others.
