Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
both new and old art. Unfortunately, the place often closes for months on end in the inter-
im periods between exhibitions. Check its website to see what's on during your visit.
Rodina Mat
MEMORIAL
(vul Lavrska 24; Arsenalna)
There's not much to say about Rodina Mat (literally 'Na-
tion's Mother', but formally called the Defence of the Motherland Monument). However,
from certain parts of Kyiv it's highly visible and so requires a high-profile explanation.
Especially when you're approaching from the left (or east) bank, this 62m-tall statue of a
female warrior standing on a 40m-tall podium is liable to loom on the horizon and make
you wonder, 'What the hell is that?'
Inaugurated by Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev in 1981, it was the second and the last
Nation's Mother monument erected in the USSR. Although initially designed by the
same artist as the iconic Rodina Mat in Volgograd, it completely lacked its appeal and
became a subject of ridicule, especially when the communist authorities reduced the size
of the sword so that it doesn't rise over the cupolas of Kyevo-Pecherska Lavra. Even if
you don't like such Soviet pomposity, don't say too much; you'd be taking on a titanium
woman carrying 12 tonnes of shield and sword. You can look straight into her eyes by
taking an elevator (200uah) to a platform located at the top of her shield.
The grounds around Rodina Mat are popular for strolling and contain a number of in-
triguing relics of the communist era, including an eternal flame in memory of WWII vic-
tims; various old tanks, helicopters and anti-aircraft guns; and a veritable garden of
Soviet realist sculpture in and around the underpass leading towards the Lavra.
Museum of the
Great Patriotic War
MUSEUM
(
www.warmuseum.kiev.ua
; vul Lavrska 24; adult/student 40/30uah; 10am-5pm Tue-Sun;
Druzhby Narodiv)
While the Museum of the Great Patriotic War was built belatedly in 1981
to honour Kyiv's defenders during the 'great patriotic war' of WWII, it seems to be
straight out of the 1950s, with gloomy lighting and huge display halls covered in creaky
parquet flooring. This is a sombre and sometimes even macabre exhibition, such as in
Hall No 6 where you find yourself looking at a pair of gloves made from human skin.
Outside the City Centre
Pyrohovo Museum of Folk Architecture
MUSEUM
