Taras Shevchenko Museum in Baryshivka

The Taras Shevchenko Museum is a cultural and historical museum devoted to the life and work of Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko. Taras Shevchenko visited Baryshivka in 1843; during his stay in the area the poet visited a burial mound near present-day Berezan, where, according to local tradition, he wrote the poem “The Plundered Grave”.

The museum was founded in 1987 on the basis of the private Shevchenko collection of the outstanding Ukrainian historian and public figure Vasyl Semenovych Kostenko. The main part of the museum’s exhibition is a unique collection of more than 500 editions of the “Kobzar”, including lifetime editions of Taras Shevchenko’s works. A special pride of the museum is one of the four death masks of Taras Shevchenko – a rare memorial exhibit of exceptional historical and cultural value.

In 2022, after the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops, the museum devoted to Taras Shevchenko was evacuated to preserve the unique collection and priceless exhibits. In 2024 the museum resumed its work after restoration. A special feature of the museum is its own ID code – an element of digital identification that allows tourists to quickly get additional information about the exhibition, use online materials and interactive guidance.