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The Ukrainian museum of Historical Jewellery

The Ukrainian museum of Historical Jewellery has one of the largest collections of golden items among all the soviet countries. The museum represents a kind of valuable chronical in Ukraine starting with the Bronze Age till nowadays.

It was opened for visitors on January 4, 1969 on the territory of Kievo Pecherska Lavra in the 18th century building, former monastery bakery, built according to the ketches made by famous Ukrainian archeologist Stepan Kovrina (the building is also called Kovrinovskoe after its architect's last name).

The main fond of the museum counts 56000 items of archeology and mode of life made from precious stones and metals, that came to the museum from the Kiev historical museum, the Art museum, Ukrainian museum of Jew culture, the institute of Archeology of the Academy of Science in Ukraine and other museums and private collections. The exhibits represented in the museum include famous treasures from the burial mounds "Guymanov's Tomb" and "The thick tomb", Scythian burials dating from the 4th BC. The masterpiece of the collection is a famous golden pectoral, found in burial "The thick tomb".

The unique skills of the ancient jewelers also show items such as gold shoulder bandages, suspensions for churches and diadem, found in the village Sakhnovka, and other products made in the exquisite jewelry cloisonne technique. Ukrainian Museum of Historical Treasures of Ukraine also presents works of gold and silver, made in the XIV-XVI centuries.

Ukrainian tradition of precious metals goes back to the times of Kievan Rus. When Byzantine masters experienced the adoption of Christianity, they also enriched Slavic traditions. The exhibition includes moldings and frames for icons and religious tomes, decorated with stones: emeralds, rubies, sapphires and pearls.

The exposition of the museum is represented in 9 rooms according to historical-chronological principle.