The Holodomor Museum is one of the key places that helps to understand the history of Ukraine in the 20th century. It is located in Kyiv at 3 Lavrska Street, near the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra (Google Maps).
The museum’s official name is the National Museum of the Holodomor-Genocide. The museum presents evidence demonstrating the genocidal nature of the Holodomor, initiated by the Stalinist regime in 1932–1933 (more about it here).
The museum preserves facts about the Holodomor of 1932–1933 and serves as a center for commemorating the memory of millions of Ukrainians who died of hunger artificially created by the communist regime on the territory of Ukraine.
The National Museum of the Holodomor-Genocide is an unusual museum. It is a memorial complex consisting of several parts, most of which are located outdoors:
- The Candle of Memory — a 30-metre-high sculpture in the shape of a candle, symbolizing remembrance of the victims.
- Two angel sculptures — “Angels of Sorrow” — symbolizing the protection of the souls of the deceased, positioned on both sides of the entrance to the memorial.
- The “Millstones of Fate” Square, where stone millstones are arranged in a circle — ordinary tools of Ukrainian peasants used to grind grain into flour. During the Holodomor, representatives of the Soviet authorities smashed and confiscated millstones to deprive starving peasants of the possibility to grind any seeds and prepare food.
- At the center of the square stands a bronze figure of a girl holding ears of grain, titled “Bitter Memory of Childhood”, which recalls the “Law of Five Ears of Grain,” under which people — even children — were deprived of freedom or life for collecting ears of grain in the fields in search of food after the harvest had already been gathered and taken away.
- The “Black Boards” Alley, with plaques listing settlements that suffered particularly severely during the Holodomor. The communist regime placed villages that failed to meet grain procurement quotas on the “black board.” The consequence for the peasants was the seizure of all food and goods and the complete isolation of the village. In effect, the “black board” system meant the creation of reservations with conditions incompatible with life.
- Underground is the Memorial Hall of Remembrance, which houses a permanent exhibition of unique artifacts (including, for example, a Leica camera that documented the events of 1933), documents, and eyewitness testimonies. Visitors can honor the deceased by lighting candles. The hall also contains the “National Book of Remembrance,” which records the names of the victims.
Museum staff conduct academic research, record eyewitness testimonies, digitize documents, organize educational programs, and develop inclusive projects for people with different needs. This is a museum with modern technological solutions: it uses interactive screens, multimedia, 3D mapping, and also offers the mobile application Track Holodomor History, which helps recreate the Kyiv context of the 1930s.
The Holodomor Museum is important for Ukrainian society as it provides an opportunity to reflect on the causes and consequences of the Holodomor, preserves historical memory, and helps realize the value of freedom, dignity, and human rights.
It is no less important for foreign tourists: it presents the Holodomor as a crime against humanity, provides verified information about the genocide, and makes Ukrainian history understandable to visitors from all over the world.
Within the memorial grounds and exhibitions, a space has been created for honoring the dead, for silence, reflection, and understanding the scale of the tragedy that changed the country’s history.
We must warn you: this is a deeply emotional place, and many may find it depressing. We hope this will not prevent you from visiting the museum, as it helps to comprehend the magnitude of the tragedy. At the same time, the knowledge you gain during your visit encourages reflection on moral issues — in particular, on how hunger has been used, and in some places continues to be used, as an instrument of political pressure. It also fosters respect for the memory of the victims, promotes empathy, and encourages a rethinking of one’s views on life as the highest value.
Museum website:
https://holodomormuseum.org.ua/
The Holodomor Museum is important for Ukrainian society as it provides an opportunity to reflect on the causes and consequences of the Holodomor, preserves historical memory, and helps realize the value of freedom, dignity, and human rights.
It is no less important for foreign tourists: it presents the Holodomor as a crime against humanity, provides verified information about the genocide, and makes Ukrainian history understandable to visitors from all over the world.
Within the memorial grounds and exhibitions, a space has been created for honoring the dead, for silence, reflection, and understanding the scale of the tragedy that changed the country’s history.
We must warn you: this is a deeply emotional place, and many may find it depressing. We hope this will not prevent you from visiting the museum, as it helps to comprehend the magnitude of the tragedy. At the same time, the knowledge you gain during your visit encourages reflection on moral issues — in particular, on how hunger has been used, and in some places continues to be used, as an instrument of political pressure. It also fosters respect for the memory of the victims, promotes empathy, and encourages a rethinking of one’s views on life as the highest value.
Museum website:
https://holodomormuseum.org.ua/
Written by
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Iryna Prozhohina
Philologist, Associate Professor, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. Researches Ukrainian language and culture, and teaches Ukrainian to foreigners.
Translated by
Mike Svystun
Software developer, entrepreneur.