In the park of the Poltava Museum of Regional History named after Vasyl Krychevskyi, the Sulanzh hybrid magnolia, which was presented to the institution by students of the local agricultural university, bloomed for the first time. And although there are only two flowers on a young tree, they are extremely charming – pink and white, like porcelain. This is how tenderly beloved flowers were described by senior researcher Olena Halimon. She shared her plans for the near future: the renovation of the first floor of the museum building, which was started even before the war, will continue here. According to the tender documentation, the preliminary cost of the works is almost 7 million hryvnias.
“The main works that will be carried out will be whitewashing, painting and minor repairs in the exhibition hall, the treasury and the hall on the first floor of the nature department. A significant part of the restoration works in the department of archeology has already been completed. According to the tender for capital construction, certain works will be carried out in hall No. 22 regarding the fire extinguishing system,” said Oleksandr Suprunenko, Director of Poltava Local History.
Renovation of the first floor began in September 2021 within the framework of funding from the regional budget. Then everything was not completed due to the end of the budget year. Oleksandr Suprunenko says: “Today, on the first floor, ongoing repairs have been made in the first hall and almost completed in the second and third halls, in which the floor still needs to be restored.”
In addition to ongoing repairs, the year before last, restoration work began in the local history museum: the preliminary cost of the works per year was 116 million hryvnias, of which 105 million were state subsidies. The regional government wants to completely renovate the museum building.
The Poltava local history center is located in the former building of the provincial zemstvo, the artist and architect of which was Vasyl Krychevsky himself. The building was built in 1903-1908, it is the founder of Ukrainian architectural modernism. However, the unique monument has not been fully restored for 60 years. Only selective repairs of walls, parquet, etc. were carried out, the last of them in 2007.
When developing the restoration project, they focused on preserving the authentic appearance of the building. The main goal of the project was to stop its destruction.
In almost two years, a new heating station was installed and opened in it. The contractor upgraded the electrical network and started connecting to the broadband Internet. The contractor sewed up and injected cracks in the walls and ceiling, treated them with antifungal solutions.
According to the project, a multi-slope attic, sometimes a mansard roof, with two insolation lanterns and many dormer windows, will be insulated at the facility. Lightning arrestors will be installed on it, and the roof will be equipped with heating elements against icing.
In the hall of ceremonies on the second floor, stains and jamming will be eliminated, painting on paintings, decorative wall paintings will be restored, the lost stained-glass window in the door leaf between the hall of ceremonies and the room for receiving official guests will be restored, as well as the tiling will be changed, which will be made close to the authentic on a special order.
It is also planned to update the three-dimensional xenons, lamps, columns and entablature of the celebration hall. Columns and eaves must be cleaned, plastered over the lost places, decorated with an imitation of oak surface, lost caissons must be restored, sconces should be installed in them. The oak window blocks will be replaced with preservation and restoration of the stained glass windows.
In the lobby of the first and second floors, the ceramic cladding, wall paintings will be partially replaced and restored, walls and ceilings will be painted, entablature benches with soft seats will be installed in accordance with the practice of Vasyl Krychevsky himself, and the lighting will also be replaced.
On the first floor, there will be a wardrobe for 250 seats, lockers for storing personal belongings, as well as places for carts, scooters, etc. The stairs to the lobby will be illuminated for safety.
Outside, paving with drainage will be moved around the museum building, the foundation of the building will be waterproofed and insulated, and ramps will be made. Information and navigational elements and signs in Braille will be installed on the walls.
The second goal of the restoration project is to modernize the museum with the help of advanced technology and multimedia developments.
“We will not only update the building, but also fill the museum exhibition with new content. To do this, we will use the latest technological developments and make the exhibition exhibits more presentable, the exhibition halls more informative and mobile, and we will also provide for the change of collections. We have to equip this museum with the most modern security equipment,” Oleg Sinegubov, the head of the Poltava Regional State Administration at the time, shared the plans two years ago.
The museum will purchase Audio Guide devices, install a projector on the wall near the ticket office, place stands with souvenirs, make stickers on the stair railings with relief markings, floor numbers, and accessibility directions.
New equipment and multimedia equipment will be purchased for the celebration hall. On the first floor, there will be bathrooms with cabins for people with limited mobility and a universal room with a changing table, wheelchair lifts for moving between the first and third floors. Restrooms will be updated on other floors as well.
It is planned to install a “Dozor-S” gas alarm system and a security video surveillance system with 64 cameras, which will have infrared lighting.
For the past year and a half, the building of the local history museum has been closed to visitors, but its employees organize exhibitions on the basis of other institutions: the Poltava Museum of Aviation and Cosmonautics, the Mykola Yaroshenko Art Museum (Art Gallery), the literary and memorial museums of Ivan Kotlyarevsky and Volodymyr Korolenko, the regional library.
Oleksandr Suprunenko says: “Our museum got into unforeseen circumstances caused by the war. The exposition was completely dismantled. Exhibits were partially evacuated, partially moved to funds. Shop windows have been dismantled. It is actually impossible to resume work on our squares now. In addition, the replacement of the electrical wiring has not yet been completed, because it was already 80 years old. And when the weather is warm, we will offer a public artistic and cultural space in the open air in the courtyard of our museum for creative, business, educational and entertainment events.”
During this year, the employees of the Poltava Local History Museum named after Vasyl Krychevsky planned to hold almost 60 events.
