Aug 15, 2024

Heritage We are Losing: Exhibition about Historical Monuments under Occupation Opens in Dnipro

Numerous Ukrainian heritage sites are located in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions. The exhibition, “Heritage We Are Losing: We Cannot Forget, We Must Remember,” which is dedicated to these sites, was opened in the Student Park in Dnipro.

NGO “Association Noosphere” installed informational banners in the park, dedicated to Ukrainian historical and cultural heritage sites located in temporarily occupied territories. Visitors, for example, can learn about the history of the “Did” Burial Mound in Mariupol, “Merheleva Ridge” in Luhansk region, Popov Manor in Vasylivka, and Askania-Nova in Kherson region. In total, the exhibition covers 12 objects: 3 for each region. Each featured site was either destroyed as a result of Russia’s war against Ukraine, has been used for enemy propaganda, or has been neglected due to military operations.

The official opening of the exhibition was held on August 7. During the event, Candidate of Historical Sciences and Deputy Director of the Dnipropetrovsk National Historical Museum conducted an informative lecture and a Q&A session on the preservation and protection of cultural heritage during the war. More than fifty guests came to hear about how museum workers protect Ukrainian history. In particular, representatives of Oles Honchar Dnipro National University, the Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia Regional Museums, and the Nova Kakhovkha Society for the Protection of Cultural Heritage visited the event.

The exhibition in the park is part of the project “Heritage We Are Losing: We Cannot Forget, We Must Remember,” which aims to raise awareness among Ukrainian citizens and the world community about the dangers posed to these objects. In addition, a bilingual video clip with Ukrainian and English subtitles was created as part of the project. You can view it via the link.

NGO “Association Noosphere” is a partner of the GOHeritage! national network. The initiative “Heritage We Are Losing: We Cannot Forget, We Must Remember” is being implemented with co-financing from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) within the framework of the Agency for the Development of Private Initiative’s “Heritage Advocates: Support and Promotion of Local Initiative Groups of Youth” project.