Modern temporary exhibition created in cooperation with the German Embassy in Ukraine

Memory. Interchange exhibition

View over the open-air exhibition of military vehicles and weapons on the premises of the museum

Exhibition of military vehicles

Animation master classes for children in the War Museum

Museum activities for children

Hall of the permanent museum exhibition dedicated to the events of World War II

Time Capsule exhibition

Panoramic view over the main building of the War Museum and the Motherland Monument

Main Building and the Motherland Monument

The National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War was established in 1974 and opened at its current location in Kyiv in 1981. Originally shaped by Soviet narratives of the so-called “Great Patriotic War,” the Museum has undergone significant transformation since Ukraine has gained independence.In the early decades of the country’s independence, new forms of remembrance coexisted with the Soviet ones. The main accelerator of shaping new narratives within the museum was the beginning of the Russian aggression against Ukraine. During the full-scale invasion, the War Museum initiated its own redefinition aimed at filling it with new senses.Since the early days of the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022, the Museum has been documenting the realities of war. By mid-June 2025, the Museum has collected more than 16,000 war artifacts. Most of them were obtained during field expeditions to the liberated territories. Based on the documentation of the war, the Museum arranged 81 exhibitions within Ukraine and 15 in countries abroad.The Museum complex comprises several indoor and outdoor exhibition spaces, an expansive memorial park, and the iconic Motherland Monument, which stands 102 meters tall. The permanent collection features more than 400,000 items offering personal, military, and cultural perspectives on wartime experiences.Visitors can explore a rich display of military vehicles and weaponry from the 20th and 21st centuries and step inside the Li-2 transport aircraft and MiG-23 fighter jet. A popular highlight is the ascent to the Monument’s observation decks at 36.60 and 91 meters, with panoramic views over Kyiv.The Museum takes an active part in shaping the modern Ukrainian vision of World War II, marked by the significant contribution of the Ukrainian people to the victory over Nazism and the loss of between 8 to 10 million Ukrainians during the conflict. Today, the Museum continually expands the perspectives of its studies and acquires new social roles, such as a national centre of memory of the current Russian-Ukrainian war and the future victory of Ukraine and the democratic world.

Narodowe Muzeum Historii Ukrainy w czasie II wojny światowej. Miejsce pamięci

27 Lavrska Street, 01015 Kyiv, Ukraine

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