Holodomor Genocide Museum — Attraction in Kyiv

National Museum of the Holodomor-Genocide (Ukrainian: Національний музей Голодомору-геноциду),2] formerly known as the Memorial in Commemoration of the Holodomor-Genocide in Ukraine, is Ukraine's national museum and a world-class centre devoted to the victims of the Holodomor of 1932-1933. The museum was opened on the day of the 75th anniversary of the Holodomor in 2008 and gained the status of a national museum in 2010. The museum is located on the Pechersk Hills on the right bank of the Dnieper river in Kyiv, adjacent to the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra.

On 28 November 2006, the Parliament of Ukraine (Verkhovna Rada) voted to recognize the Holodomor, a devastating famine which took place in the early 1930s in the former Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, as a deliberate act of genocide against the Ukrainian people.[3] The bill was signed into law by President Viktor Yushchenko and included a provision for commemorative and research activities, and the construction of memorials to honour the victims and preserve the memory of the Holodomor tragedy for future generations.

The Memorial in Commemoration of Famines' Victims in Ukraine was erected on the slopes of the Dnieper river in 2008, welcoming its first visitors on 22 November 2008.[4] The ceremony of the memorial's opening was dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the Holodomor.

On 8 July 2009, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine signed a decree that established a state museum "The Memorial in Commemoration of Famines' Victims in Ukraine". The museum subsequently acquired the status of a national museum on 18 February 2010.[4]

Starting from February 2010, the museum has been included in the official program for visits to Ukraine by Heads of States and foreign delegations and officials.[5]

On 31 July 2015, the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine renamed the museum in order to reflect the singular instance of the famine-genocide known as Holodomor. Prior to this, the museum, which represents three famines – the 1921-1923 famine, the 1932-1933 famine, and the 1946-1947 famine – used the term 'Holodomor' as a plural term. The plural has been removed in order to offset the understanding of the Holodomor being the 1932-1933 famine as being exclusively deemed to be genocidal...

This little statue on itself is rather modest. But the figure of a skinny little girl holding carefully a few grain stalks expresses a deep feel of despair. The 'holodomor' was a very dramatic period in the history of Ukraine and refers to the severe famine that ruled over big parts of the country in 1932-33. The more that the origins of the famine are subject of huge controverse. Many claim that it was forced voluntary by russian ruler Stalin to punish Ukrainians for the independency movement. Also the number of victims it made is debatable. But the less estimates still remain between 3.5 and 7 million in those 2 years. It sure did disrupt strongly and on a large scale the social and cultural landscape in rural communities. The museum for the Holodomor- where this statue stands close to the entrance - opened on 22 November 2008. Since 2006 the 4th saturday of November is also the official "Holodomor Rememberance day" More info can be found...

The museum is small and there is not much that can be shown, as a famine does not occur in a single point of space or time and the suffering of such a thing is difficult to sum up. The staff surmised that I spoke English and motioned for me to watch a video in English about the famine and the role of Western journalists, both those who covered it up and those who revealed it to the world. After this there is a circular room with many exhibits of primary documents in Russian and Ukrainian, however without knowledge of these languages, it is somewhat difficult to follow the details, although the main story is fairly clear.

If one is in the area, it is worth viewing, and is also near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The monument outside the museum is interesting, but is currently surrounded by cranes and...