Museum of Soviet Occupation, Kiev

Museum of Soviet Occupation
The entrance to the Museum of Soviet occupation in 2007.
Established	November 2001
Location	Kyiv, Ukraine
Website	http://memorial.kiev.ua/expo/eng/second.html

Part of the exhibitions at the Museum of Soviet occupation in 2007.

The Museum of Soviet occupation (Ukrainian: Музей радянської окупації, Muzei radianskoi okupatsii) in Kyiv, Ukraine, is devoted to portraying the crimes of the Soviet regime in Ukraine from 1917 to 1991. It was established in November 2001 by the Vasyl Stus branch of Memorial Society as an exhibition "Not to be forgotten: The Chronicle of Communist inquisition." Between 2001 and 2007, the exposition grew into a full fledged museum. On May 30, 2007, it received its current name.

History of the museum

In November 2001, the Vasyl Stus branch of Memorial Society established on its premises an exhibition titled "Not to be forgotten: The Chronicle of Communist inquisition." Documents, photographs and posters made up the initial items of the exposition. These were gathered by the Memorial branch in Ukraine and by sister-organizations in Russia. Among the most interesting exposee items is a large map of concentration camps compiled during the time of Beria.^[1]

The exhibition contains such sections as "Kyivskyi martirolog", "Ukrainski Solovky", language issue, special library. It has a plenty of archive documents, books, videotapes etc.

In May, 2007, the above mentioned exhibition was named a Museum of Soviet occupation.

The Museum was visited by Honorary President of the Paneuropean Union, European politician and a direct descendant of the Habsburg family Otto von Habsburg.

The activities and the fact itself of the opening of such institution raised disputes in the Ukrainian society. The Head of the State Archive Committee of Ukraine Olha Ginsburg, who belongs to the Communist Party of Ukraine, refused to give archive materials for the new Museum. Such refusal was estimated by the Director of Vasyl Stus Memorial Society Roman Krutsyk as an ordinary communist's practice to conceal their crimes.^[2]

Museums with the same name are active in Georgia (Museum of Soviet Occupation (Tbilisi)), Latvia^[3] and Estonia.^[4]

References

↑ "Museum of Soviet Occupation opened in Kyiv." 5tv. 2 June 2007. Accessed 19 July 2007. (Ukrainian)
↑ "Dispute over the Museum of the Soviet Occupation in Ukraine", Maidan Hub, translated from BBC Ukrainian
↑ Latvijas Okupācijas muzeja
↑ Museum of Occupations (Estonia)

Museums in Kiev, Ukraine

Art museums and galleries	Ivan Honchar Museum Museum of Russian Art in Kiev Museum of Theatre, Music and Cinema Arts of Ukraine Museum of Ukrainian folk art Museum of Western and Oriental Art National Art Museum of Ukraine PinchukArtCentre

History	Kiev Archive Museum of Transitional Period Museum of Ukrainian Revolution (1917-1921) Memorial in Commemoration of Famines' Victims in Ukraine Museum of The History of Ukraine in World War II Museum of Soviet Occupation National Museum of the History of Ukraine National Museum-Preserve "Battle for Kyiv 1943" Ukrainian National Chernobyl Museum

Religion	Kiev Pechersk Lavra St Andrew's Church St Sophia Cathedral St Cyril Church St Nicholas Cathedral

Transportation	Kiev Museum of Electric Transportation Kiev Railway Museum Ukraine State Aviation Museum Kiev Subway Museum

Culture	Golden Gate Kiev Fortress Mamayeva Sloboda Mikhail Bulgakov Museum Museum of Cultural Heritage in Kiev One Street Museum Pyrohiv Savka House

Infrastructure	Pedagogical Museum Kiev Fire Service Museum Kiev Pharmacy Museum Kiev Recycling Museum Kiev Sewer Museum Kiev Toilet History Museum Kiev Water Museum National museum of health care in Kiev

Coordinates: 50°23′37.85″N 30°30′17.78″E / 50.3938472°N 30.5049389°E / 50.3938472; 30.5049389

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