Day of Historical and Cultural Monuments

On 18 April the world marks the International Day for Monuments and Sites, and in Ukraine the Day of Historical and Cultural Monuments.

This Day was established in 1983 by the General Assembly of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), created under UNESCO, and has been observed since 18 April 1984.

In Ukraine this day is called the “Day of Historical and Cultural Monuments” and was established in accordance with the Decree of the President of Ukraine of 23 August 1999 No. 1062/99; it is observed annually on 18 April.

Ukrainian sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

1️⃣. St Sophia’s Cathedral and the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra.

2️⃣. The Ensemble of the Historic Centre of the City of Lviv.

3️⃣. The transboundary scientific and cultural heritage site “Struve Geodetic Arc”.

4️⃣. Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans.

5️⃣. Wooden Tserkvas of the Carpathian Region in Poland and Ukraine.

6️⃣. Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe.

7️⃣. Ancient City of Tauric Chersonese and its Chora.

Since 2023, streets, buildings and other sites of Odesa that show signs of multiculturalism have been under UNESCO protection: the ensemble of Prymorskyi Boulevard, Teatralna Square, Derybasivska and Hoholia streets, and the seaport.

According to the official UNESCO website, since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion and as a result of hostilities in Ukraine, 236 sites of historical, religious and artistic significance have been recorded as damaged.

❗Kyiv Oblast – 35 sites, among them: the bust of Taras Shevchenko in Borodianka, the Central City Library of Irpin, the Makariv Public Library.

The full list is available at the link: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/damaged-cultural-sites-ukraine-verified-unesco

You can learn about all the destroyed monuments from the interactive “Map of Cultural Losses”: https://bit.ly/37s8Pzp

Thanks to the flagship project of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy, the Great Restoration, for the first time since independence Ukraine has taken a comprehensive approach to saving cultural monuments.

According to the Kyiv Regional Centre for the Protection and Scientific Research of Cultural Heritage Sites, the region contains:

2,067 archaeological monuments (25 of national significance);

1,571 historical monuments (6 of national significance);

53 monuments of architecture and urban planning (9 of national significance);

165 monuments of monumental art;

15 monuments of landscape garden art (0 of national significance);

90 monuments of science and technology;

In order to popularise cultural heritage and draw the attention of the wider public and authorities to the protection and preservation of local historical, cultural and architectural monuments, a series of themed events is planned in the cultural institutions of Kyiv region communities as part of the Day of Historical and Cultural Monuments.

Ukraine is full of its own wonders. It is immensely rich in cultural monuments and various historical landmarks, but whether our descendants will have the chance to admire them and touch the past depends entirely on us. Study, be proud of and protect your history! Travelling across our own land, we will discover much that is new and interesting!