We are glad to present the new release of the photo project “In memory of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra” to you.

Today’s series of photographs will introduce you to the staff of the All-Ukrainian Museum Town of the 2nd half of the 1920s - 1930s.

During the interwar period, people with different specialties worked in Lavra’s Preserve. The museum town was in need of various employees, including administrative workers, scientific experts and housekeeping managers. In November 1927 the number of employees was 46, and in November 1933 - almost one hundred.

Until the purges of 1933, All-Ukrainian Museum Town was the center of scientific life in Kyiv. Well-known Ukrainian intellectuals preserved, researched and popularized Lavra’s historical and cultural heritage.

Among those personalities who actively worked in this direction there were archaeologist, art critic, ethnographer, director of the All-Ukrainian Museum Town Petro Kurinny; architectural historian and fine art expert Hippolyte Morgylevsky; art critic, restorer and painter Mykola Kasperovych; historian and founder of the “Museum of Ukraine” collection Pavlo Pototsky.

Besides, one would recollect art critics and art historians Maria Novytska, Nadiya Vengrzhenovska, Kateryna Bilotserkivska and Lyzaveta Levytska, who were students of Danylo Shcherbakivsky. Furthermore, we still keep in our memory the names of such personalities as Iukhym (Euthymius) Sitsinsky - archaeologist, historian, ethnographer and museologist; Marco Weinstein - historian, architectural researcher, museologist and expert in culture heritage protection; Valentyn Shugayevsky – numismatist and archaeologist; Kostyantyn Krzheminsky - art critic, restorer and archaeologist; art critic Mykola Chornohubov and others.

Next week the project “In memory of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra” will start acquainting you with the photos of the postwar visitors of Kyiv-Pechersk Preserve.

Captions to the illustrations:

1. Corporation of the Lavra’s Museum of Cults and Way of Life in Kyiv. November 7, 1927 (Manuscript Institute of Volodymyr Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine, file. 285, collection № 2965)

2. Employees of the All-Ukrainian Museum Town - members of the Trade Union of Educators. May 1, 1928 (According to Serhiy Bilokin’ publications)

3. Employees of the All-Ukrainian Museum Town. Late 1920s (According to Serhiy Bilokin’ publications)

4. Employees of the All-Ukrainian Museum Town. Late 1920s - early 1930s (National Kyiv-Pechersk Historical and Cultural Preserve, inv. № KPL-N-1513)

5. Employees of the All-Ukrainian Museum Town. Early 1930s (National Kyiv-Pechersk Historical and Cultural Preserve, inv. № KPL-F-10687)

6. Employees of the All-Ukrainian Museum Town. Early 1930s (According to Serhiy Bilokin’ publications)

7. Employees of the All-Ukrainian Museum Town. 1930s (From the National Kyiv-Pechersk Historical and Cultural Preserve fund collection)

8. Employees of the “Far Caves” Department of the All-Ukrainian Museum Town. 1930s (From the National Kyiv-Pechersk Historical and Cultural Preserve fund collection)

9. Employees of the All-Ukrainian Museum Town. September 1, 1934 (National Kyiv-Pechersk Historical and Cultural Preserve, inv. № KPL-N-1474)

10. Employees of the All-Ukrainian Museum Town during subbotnik (voluntary Saturday work). The first half of the 1930s (National Kyiv-Pechersk Historical and Cultural Preserve, inv. № KPL-N-1496)