Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Pharmacy Museum
MUSEUM
(vul Prytitsko Mykilska 7; adult/student 15/10uah; 9am-5pm; Kontraktova pl)
This excel-
lent museum is set in the premises of an early-19th-century German pharmacy. There are
separate rooms dedicated to alchemy and witchcraft.
Church of Mykola Prytysk
CHURCH
(vul Khoriva 5A; Kontraktova pl)
The Church of Mykola Prytysk survived the 1811 fire
that destroyed much of Podil. This 1631 church is the oldest structure in the district and
is surrounded by several pastel-coloured brick buildings exhibiting the eclectic style in
vogue in Kyiv at the end of the 19th century.
Chornobyl Museum
MUSEUM
(
www.chornobylmuseum.kiev.ua
;
prov Khoryva 1; admission 10uah, English-language audio guide
50uah; 10am-6pm Mon-Sat; Kontraktova pl)
It's hard to convey the full horror of the
world's worst nuclear accident, but the Chornobyl Museum makes a valiant attempt. It is
not so much a museum as a shrine to all the firemen, soldiers, engineers, peasants and
whole villages that perished in the aftermath of the explosion of Chornobyl power plant
reactor No 4, on 26 April 1986. The location in a former fire-squad garage evokes strong
associations with 9/11. Chornobyl is indeed Ukraine's Ground Zero.
The exhibits are predominantly in Russian and Ukrainian, but there is plenty here of
interest for English speakers, including several videos, distressing photos of the sorts of
deformities - in animals and humans - the accident caused, and a few jarred specimens
of mutant animals such as an eight-legged baby pig. Front pages of the
New York Times
and
Philadelphia Inquirer
from the days immediately following the accident are on dis-
play, and the largest hall contains poignant anti-nuclear posters sent in by artists from
around the world on the 20th anniversary of the accident.
The signs above the stairs as you enter represent the 'ghost' cities evacuated from the
Chornobyl area in the wake of the disaster. If you wish to see for yourself, it's possible to
take a tour to the Chornobyl exclusion zone (
Click here
)
.
English-language audio guides are available, but they are in short supply.
