Kiev will always have a place that brings you joy and pleasure. If you have a desire to learn many new things, learn about the history, art, literature, painting of Ukraine and of the world, you are invited to visit one of Kiev museums. The list below is only a small part of Kiev museums. Out of the large number of Kiev museums anyone can always find the one he would be interested in most of all.

The building of museum is a sort of ancient temple (Architect Vladimir Gorodetsky 1898-1901). The façade may be the manual for classic architectural forms study. The museum exhibition shows various trends in Ukrainian art, starting from XIII century. Here you can see a rich collection of icon paintings of XIV-XVIII centuries, selection of Ukrainian portraits of XVIII century, painting and graphic works of Taras Shevchenko.

The museum building in the spirit of “development of classical heritage” was originally oriented for art school. Historical museum has been open here in 1944, representing all ages- from ancient times till current times.

The museum was founded in 1981 in a former college of Pavel Galagan – school-based landowner and philanthropist Grigory Galagan in memory of his son who died prematurely in 1871.

One street museum is a small but unique and exciting exposition, lovingly made by enthusiasts. It is hard to even imagine a huge stratum of historical and cultural events that are directly related with a comparatively short Andreyevsky descent.

Causes of the disaster, the impact of radiation on animal and plant life, complex work and heroic actions of disaster fighters to minimize the consequences of the disaster in Ukraine are shown at the “Chernobyl” museum. Among the exhibits of the museum are declassified documents, maps, schemes, objects of ethnic culture, personal belongings of participants of liquidation of the accident.

The exposition presents autographs and personal belongings of Taras Shevchenko, his painting and graphics, books and pictures.

During years 1906-1919 son of Kiev theology, future writer Mikhail Bulgakov has lived in the house.

National scientific-natural sciences museum of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine: Botanical, Zoological, Paleontological, Geological, Flora and fauna Museums. Museum of ancient life exhibits. A unique collection of fossils, fossils of living organisms.

The full name of the monastery indicates its main sacred meaning. The miraculous image of Our Lady of the Assumption of the Mother temple in the Upper Monastery. The word “Pechersk” comes from complex of caves (Near and Far), with preserved imperishable graves of the saints. The word “laurel’ comes from Greek “street, town”; it was a name for large and populous monasteries. The oldest and the most respected Lavra of Rus is the Kiev one.

First private pharmacy has been open in 1728. Since 1986 Pharmacy-museum with an interesting exhibit, reflecting the history of Kiev pharmacology has been opened.

It is one of the newest museums of the city. Pushkiniana has become it’s foundation and has been collected by collector Jacov Berdichevsky. Among the exhibits are series of lifetime editions of the poet, the materials of Pushkin’s stay in Kiev in 1820-1821. The building where the museum is has been built in 1882. The family of Kiev Theological academy professor Afanasiy Bulgakov lived there a few years. His firstborn child future writer Mikhail Bulgakov went to school from here for the first time in his life.

At the beginning of XVII century land at Kurenyovka, along Vyshgorodskaya street has been owned by a Dominican monastery ruled by the abbot. In august 1859 here, in a small house during his last trip to Ukraine Taras Shevchenko lived. Nowadays the house has been renewed, it has a museum exhibition devoted to life of ordinary Kiev people, contemporaries of Taras.

Fedor Tereschenko- sugar magnat used to buy first-rate paintings by Russian artists. The museum presents Tropinin, Ge, Kramski, Shishkin, Vrubel, Repin creative work.

St. Sophia’s Cathedral was founded by Kyiv Prince Yaroslav on one of the highest places in Kyiv. Adornments inside the cathedral were made by Byzantine and Kyiv masters. They created inspired images of the Virgin Mary and the patronesses of Kyiv Oranta, faces of archangels, and evangelists. From its founding in the 11th century, St. Sophia Cathedral has been the Kyiv Metropolitan’s residence. The complex now remains a museum of Ukraine's Christianity, with most of its visitors being tourists.

Two-storied building built in the beginning of XVIII century. Kievans call it “The house of Mazepa”. The exposition of the museum presents the destiny of Ivan Mazepa and other Ukrainian hetmans.

National museum of medicine was founded in 1973. Its exposition is disposed in the building of former Anatomical Theatre of Medical Faculty of Kiev University. The exposition depicts the development of Ukrainian medicine from old ages till our days. Besides desk exposition in museum is created original interiors with figures of doctors and scientists, dioramas which represents the most outstanding events in Ukrainian medicine.

The idea of establishing Taras Shevchenko museum appeared just after his death. Trying to preserve the poet’s creative heritage, the members of the Ukrainian community in Petersburg apply every effort to fulfill that. Over the years the museum has become one of the greatest centers of the national culture in Ukraine.

The Central State Museum of T.G. Shevchenko was opened at the Mariinsky Palace in April 1941, based on the National Exhibition held in 1939 in honour of 125th anniversary since the poet’s birth.

Now it is called The Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko Museum and it is located on Boulevard of Taras Shevchenko in Kiev. The museum has 24 halls containing over four thousand items, among which you can see the unique values: original artworks by Shevchenko, documents about his life and work, handwritten lists of his poetry, rare photographs of the poet and his friends, first editions of his works. In addition, here are Shevchenko’s personal belongings: his ink and pen, easel, palette, sketch-book, snuffbox, and others. The relics of museum are collections of poems with poet’s autographs and inscriptions as well as the publication of «Kobzar» 1860.

Water museum is situated in Kreschatiy park, on one of the marvelous hills that stretches along the Dnieper side. Water museum was opened in 2003 in the reconstructed building of old water-tower which is older than 130 years. Museum exposition is located underground - large aquariums, lift to the dungeon, working model of artesian well, gigantic toilet, sewage collector and fairy grotto with waterfall, thunder-storm, rain and lightning’s.

One of the most interesting parts is a room where one can create huge soap bubbles, river bed and touch fairy fishes... You'll make a trip to the Nature Above the Earth and learn about water circulation, rivers and lakes, clouds, snow and even puddles. Using a magic lift you'll go into the Nature Below the Earth where you can see what is soil consists of, see how water penetrates from the surface into the Earth and learn how it moves under the ground, learn what is ground water and its age. You'll learn how water is running from the river through the water treatment system and how it get back to the river.

The museum is informing people about Earth hydrosphere and water resources of Ukraine, its vulnerability and necessity for life, technologies of making safe for health drinking water in the systems of central water-supply, sewage treatment, and rational water consumption.

The semi-underground Kyiv Fortress Museum or Kyivska Fortetsya is a 19th century defense building which was at one-stage part of the western Russian fortresses. These buildings were common sights in Kiev at one time and were placed in most neighborhoods by the Russian army. The entire defense buildings built in the capital make it the largest city fortress found anywhere in the world. You can find this restored Kyiv fortress situated in the center of the capital of Ukraine, Kyiv on a hill. Like other fortresses the Kyiv Museum was used in later years as a place for execution for political prisoners, such as leaders who were part of a rebellion and were against the tsar reigning at that point. The fate of these prisoners was experienced a number of times during the museum's history with all of them reaching the same morbid end. This historical and architectural landmark was also used as a storage unit for a variety of weapons behind the stone and brick walls.

Today set on a picturesque backdrop of rolling hills, located south on the outskirts of Pechersk, a district of Kiev and capital of Ukraine, is the memorial complex in honor of the Great Patriotic War. It was ceremonially opened on the 9th of May 1981 by the Soviet leader, Leonid Brezhnev. Fifteen years later the Memorial complex received the status of ‘National Museum’ by a special decree signed by Leonid Kuchma, President of Ukraine. Over 21 million visitors have passed through the museums doors, gazing at over 300 thousand exhibits on display. However, the most recognized landmark is the infamous 62-meter tall statue of “Mother Motherland” built by Yevgeny Vuchetich in honor of the World War II Soviet defenders. For some, skepticism lays in the safety of this controversial sculpture, measuring with an overall height of 108 meters and a weight of 530 tons. Serenity can be felt as you walk through the Memorial hall, here displayed on beautiful marble plaques are the carved names of 11,600 soldiers including 200 workers from the home front, honored with the titles of “Hero of the Soviet Union” and “Hero of Socialist Labor”.

Museum collection was made on the basis of the private collection of the artist, sculptor and ethnographer I.Gonchar.

The collection of the museum presents past and present of the life of the capital.

Lesya Ukrainka (Larisa Kosach-Kvitka), brilliant poetess used to stay at her mother’s Olena Pchilka (Olga Dragomanova-Kosach) house. Many of her poems, translations, articles and poem collections were written here.

Natural History Museum of NAS is the several museums united into one complex. In 1966 in Kiev downtown, in old building a museum was opened, it collected together exhibits, belonging to different spheres of natural history.

At ground floor there is Geological Museum. Collection of Geological museum was started in 1927 and became a part of National History Museum after its foundation. Great work on creation of Museum collection was made by outstanding geologists Bezborodko, Luchitsky and Tutkovsky. Museum funds store more than 50 000 pieces of rocks and minerals, and also fossil flora and fauna.

The Museum of Art named after Bogdan and Varvara Khanenko was founded in 1919 on the basis of their private museum. The museum is also called the Museum of Western and Oriental Art. Now it keeps one of the best collections of foreign art in Ukraine.

Famous founders of museum's collections Bogdan Khanenko and his wife Varvara always dreamt to open the public museum of art in Kiev, while collecting works of famous artists and sculptors. Finally their dream came true. The collection of the museum consists of 25 thousands of exhibits and is considered to be the biggest foreign art collection in Ukraine.

Among the museum's collection there are real fine art masterpieces. There is, for example, the world-famous work of Diego Velasquez, The Portrait of Infanta Margaret, located in the Spanish hall of the museum.

It is not the number of art pieces, but unique nature of many of them that makes Kiev Museum of Western and Oriental Art famous not only in Ukraine but far abroad as well.