The Association of Museums of Ukraine was founded: the country’s museums destroyed during the war are also among the members Culture

It states that the newly established association united more than 40 museum institutions, including museums relocated from occupied territories and destroyed during the war. Their restoration will be one of the most important goals of the association.

Address UMA head Milena Chorna says that creating such an organization was a matter of honor for the country’s museum community: “Due to unfortunate circumstances, it has been needed for a long time – we were forced to solve urgent challenges, and by doing it effectively with the help of our international friends, colleagues and partners, we proved to ourselves and hopefully to the world’s museum experts that we are a united and trusted community.”

The chairman of the LMA board, the director of Kaunas Fort IX Museum Marius Pečiulis admits that this is a significant event not only for the Ukrainian cultural sector, but also for the entire international museum community.

“This initiative is a huge step not only towards the protection of Ukrainian cultural heritage. It is a symbol of unity and resilience for a country where museums continue to be a vital part of cultural identity, despite all the challenges,” says M. Pečiulis.

LMA not only becomes an important partner of the new association uniting colleagues from Ukrainian museums, but also actively contributed to its smooth establishment, providing methodological consulting assistance. Maintaining close ties and providing further consultations is expected in the future as well.

“Our cooperation is based on shared values ​​and the belief that culture is a strong unifying element that helps build a peaceful and secure world. We are happy to contribute to the protection of Ukrainian cultural heritage and hope that this will become a solid basis for long-term international cooperation. It will be the cooperation of two equal partners, because the transfer of the experience already accumulated by Ukrainian museums in war situations is also important for us,” said M. Pečiulis.

A large part of the first members of the Association of Museums of Ukraine are museums relocated from the occupied territories.

A large part of the first members of the Association of Museums of Ukraine are museums relocated from the occupied territories. These are the twice relocated Luhansk Oblast Museum, Donetsk and Melitopol Regional History Museums, as well as national-level institutions: National Reserve “Kiev Pechory Laura”, National Architectural-Historical Reserve and National Chernobyl Museum. Museums destroyed during the war, such as the Okhtyrka Regional History Museum, joined the association.

It is emphasized that the restoration of destroyed institutions and the renewal of their collections will be one of the most important priorities of the Ukrainian Museum Association. The newly established Museum Association of Ukraine will also seek to ensure the protection and restoration of the country’s museums and cultural heritage, support international cooperation and strengthen the role of museums in society.