This website tells about phase II of the National Holodomor-Genocide Museum construction project

Holodomor Victims’ Memorial

The history of the Project dates back to 2006, when the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the Law of Ukraine ‘On the 1932–1933 Holodomor in Ukraine’ on 28 November 2006. It recognised at the official level the 1932–1933 Holodomor as an act of genocide of the Ukrainian people and stipulated erection of a Memorial to the victims of holodomors in Ukraine.

Memorial to the victims of holodomors in Ukraine

Phase I of the Memorial was built and opened for visitors in 2008. It embodied the Project Systems LTD basic design and was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine in Ordinance No.1094-r of 23 July 2008. The Chief Architect for phase I is Yurii Kovaliov and its sculptors are Mykola Obreziuk and Petro Drozdivskyi.

The architects brought to life the idea conceived by People’s Artist of Ukraine Anatolii Haidamaka. The Black Boards alley appearance uses citations by People’s Artist of Ukraine Mykola Siadrystyi.

Architecture and sculpture components of the phase I of the memorial complex are: 

  • two angel sculptures as a symbolic entrance to the Memorial
  • the Millstone of Fate square
  • the Bitter Memory of Childhood sculpture in honour of the children killed in the Holodomor years
  • Candle of Memory, encircled by a set of artistic characters of storks, iron crosses, lumps of stone and slabs with the years of the crime against the Ukrainian people carved out
  •  the Hall of Memory as the centrepiece of the Memorial and
  •  the Black Boards alley, granite slabs with the list of inhabited localities to which a special regime of destruction of population was applied during the Holodomor.

 

Museum of the Holodomor

In 2010, the construction stopped because of a change in Ukraine’s political course.

The works resumed as late as 2016, after addresses from the Public Committee for Commemorating Victims of the 1932–1933 Holodomor-Genocide and the Ukrainian World Congress to the President of Ukraine and Government of Ukraine.

Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No.754 of 26 October 2016 ‘Concerning pre-construction of phase II of the National Museum ‘Holodomor Victims’ Memorial’’ declared the start of the process of pre-construction of phase ІІ of the National Museum ‘Holodomor Victims’ Memorial’. Pursuant to the Resolution, a Steering Committee for Pre-construction was established. You can review fundamentals of the Committee activities in the ‘Laws and regulations’ section.

Seriousness of the Government’s intentions was reaffirmed by President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, who on 26 November 2016 during mourning events on the Commemoration Day for Holodomor Victims announced to the world: “In 2008, a memorial complex arose on this site to become a place of pilgrimage for many Ukrainians. But still the museum part, which would correspond to the world examples of museum and memorial art, has not been built. I’m convinced that work should start to create a worthy museum facility.”

On 3 April 2018, Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman laid the construction capsule and on 24 November 2018, the day of honouring the 85th anniversary of the Holodomor, a public presentation of the architectural design of the museum took place.

As the Steering Committee for Pre-construction decided, the project is implemented under the terms of partnership between the Government of Ukraine, which finances erection of the museum building, and benefactors, whose contributions are meant for creation and realisation of the exhibit and for the interior fit-out of the museum.

Museum’s Foundation Project progress

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