To mark Ukraine’s Independence Day, the cultural and artistic initiative ‘Historical Heritage: Past and Present’ continued its tour of Ukraine. The next venue for the presentation of the exhibition project ‘Heritage Not Doomed to Destruction’ as part of the campaign was the Museum of Art in Kropyvnytskyi, which warmly welcomed the initiative of the municipal institution ‘Administration of the State Historical and Architectural Reserve in Sviatohirsk’.
It was symbolic that the exhibition’s presentation took place precisely during the celebrations marking Ukraine’s Independence Day. After all, cultural heritage is a vital component of national identity, and its preservation in times of war is one of the key ways of safeguarding the state’s historical memory and cultural legacy. The event served as a unique cultural bridge between the Donetsk and Kirovohrad regions, uniting museum communities from different regions around a common goal — the preservation of Ukrainian heritage.
The main aim of the event was to draw public attention to the issue of cultural heritage preservation. The architectural monuments of Sviatohiria were presented not only as unique historical sites, but also as symbols of the resilience of Ukrainian culture, its vulnerability to war and, at the same time, its indomitability.
During the event, the organisers demonstrated how the war had altered the fate and appearance of these cultural heritage sites. Visitors were able to trace their journey from their creation and historical heyday to their current state, marked by destruction. The combination of historical materials with contemporary photographic evidence provided an opportunity to see how architectural monuments, which for centuries had preserved the memory of the past, have become silent witnesses to the war, bearing its visible scars.
The presentation of Sviatohirsk’s heritage in Kropyvnytskyi demonstrated the power of cultural interaction between regions and proved that the memory of Ukrainian history knows no geographical boundaries.