Kiev for children

The Prime Excursion Bureau recomends:

Anastasia a student of 6th grade, Podil lyceum #100, Kyiv

City tour "Kyiv – the Capital of Ukraine"  in English, German, French, Spanish.   Advantages: Informative tour with the opportunity to practice a foreign language. Excursions are conducted by experienced guides. Rules of conducting a tour: During a tour communication is carried out in the chosen language.   Organizational issues: •    Duration of a tour – 3 hr •   Transport (a comfortable  air-conditioned bus with a microphone). A bus leaves for a tour from your educational institution.

CYCLE OF THEMATIC TOURS
City tour (2.5 hr) + thematic museum at your choice (1-1.5 hr).

1.  BREAD DAY    

Photo1. N. Pimonenko. Жатва на Украине, 1896.	Photo2. Bread.	Photo3.  "Three ears" of the Holodomor (famine) period

Bread museum was established in Kyiv in 1983. Blockade and space bread, history of growing grain and development of implements of our predecessors from Trypillya period until now are shown at the museum. It’s called Bread House. Bread is the main product of our Ukrainian export. Next to the museum are bakeries: from primitive, dated back to Yaroslav the Wise’s times, up to most modern ones. One can buy and taste bread baked by recipes of our predecessors. It’s worth visiting for this reason only.

Among exhibits there are notorious “three ears” of the Holodomor (famine) period and war blockade bread with admixtures. Next to this there is other bread - earthly food of astronauts packed in cellophane; four months that it was in space. There are also over 100 round loaves of ceremonial bread from different regions of Ukraine and world. There is bread from America, France and Germany. Visitors can get acquainted with baking traditions of different nations.   

 

2.  Excursion to the world of bread  

Photo 1. White bread "Kyivsky"	Photo 2. Ceremonial karavay	Photo 3. Bakery workshops

How do they make dough? How do they get browned rolls? Magic smell of our main product… All this will be interesting for both children and adults. We invite you to Bakery #10, one of the most modern, which is in Obolon area in Kyiv.

From old times bread has been baked in stoves. This kind of bread – handmade – is especially tasty and expensive. 20th century brought new technologies, bet kept the secret: hot to get the product that we buy daily out of dough, grain, cereal. These excursions are especially important and informative for children – they are going to get to know the process of baking bread not from books and stories, which are often intentionally instructive, but to see with their own eyes. Respect for the main product of our people, an opportunity to observe the whole process of making bakery – no pictures and illustration will substitute the feeling of holiday for children. The Plant placed in operation in 1995 will reveal its secrets. Festive loaves are baked here, over 40 kinds of bakery, 8 kinds of confectionery, 14 types of cakes and about 10 types pf pastry are created at the plant. And this fact by itself makes this excursion worth visiting – to learn, feel, examine and, naturally, taste bread created by skillful hands of modern bakers.

Duration of the excursion is 1.5 hours. We will see all the stages of turning of bough into product, up-to-date stoves for baking bread, the packing line, learn the history of baking of bread and, at the end, will not deny ourselves the pleasure of tasting production of the Plant.

3.   WATER WORLD

This is one of the most popular Kiev museums. The old water tower by elevator brings us underground where we find ourselves in a magic attraction, the main hero of which is water in all its kinds and types.  Huge aquariums, the giant lavatory pan, models of artesian well and waste collector – how can they find room for all these things here?

The water tower is more than 140 years old. It’s an architectural and historical monument, the main source of water for several generations of Kiev residents. A separate part of the exposition is devoted to the history of water supply in Kiev not without reason. And immediately we can see the example of irrational waste of water - we find out how much water flows away from an open tap or a leaky shower. This information is very useful, especially considering the fact that it is introduced dynamically, without boring didactics. 

In the Museum one becomes a co-creator of the world. And that’s the way it really is. Where else could you lay a riverbed by yourself? We appear at the very beginning of creation: prehistoric thunder can be heard above us, glaciers melt and waterfalls rush down. We see the way water changes nature, brings life, forms our planet, finally filling us since water forms 70% of human body.  

Huge friendly Japanese fish swim in the aquarium. They touch our hands with their lips, splash around, being pleasant to the eye. We can blow out immense soap bubbles by ourselves – this attraction is highly popular. Like in a fairy-tale, for a moment you find yourself in a huge bubble as high as a man. And this moment is enough to return to your childhood.

4. TRIP TO FIRE-TAMERS

The biggest fire station in Europe is situated in Kiev. Fire Fighting Museum will enable us to get to get to know history and modern times of one of the bravest professions. We will see the first fire truck; find out the way fire fighting technique has developed for over a hundred years.

Many of us dreamt to become firemen. We knew it was dangerous, but still wanted it. It seemed great to save someone, no matter a kitten or an old woman, and then walk in full dress proudly.  The profession is dangerous, hard, courageous and in a way romantic.

The Museum, which will show us history of fire fighting of the last century, is waiting for us in Kiev Obolon district. We will not deny ourselves the pleasure of getting into the driving seat of the car of 1930th and feel, touch, compare. Imagine what children might think. The world of fire fighting technique opens its secrets for them. After historical part of the excursion we will find ourselves in the manege, where contemporary firemen train, see the famous pipes, which are used by firemen to get down at the alarm signal.  Who knows – maybe this necessary profession will induce young excursionists to dedicate themselves to this hard work? And their grown up parents will find it useful to immerge into the world and life of another professional caste – firemen, who are familiar to us only from films and books.

5. THROUGH THORNS TO STARS

Solar System	Through thorns to stars	B.V. Sukhodolskiy, Astronomy, fragment, 1754

How can stars be measured? Through what hardship can they be reached? Unique objects from the history of astronomy. The sky seems closer to us in the Kiev observatory Museum: stars and the Moon can be observed even in daytime. Everything unusual is simple. You should just order an excursion to the Museum.

Kiev observatory is more than 150 years old. The main exhibition of the Museum is placed in so-called “Meridian Pavilion” which has existed since 1995. The exhibition represents astronomic techniques and calculating devices, historical telescopes, navigation and geodesic equipment. Astronomy started with quite “earthly’ things: ancient Egyptians and Sumerian wanted to know the time of overflow of their great rivers.

Walking about the circle, watching the first bulky devices which were used to determine orbits and coordinates of distant stars, one can have a feeling of being present in a19th century laboratory. There you can see the first telescopes of the leading European companies, the oldest of which was constructed in 1838. Along with them there are devices for exact time calculation; science doesn’t know any time more precise than astronomic. Clocks and chronographs of more than 100 year old still function - the great European quality. There are clocks that used to be placed on lighthouses.

Pictures made in Kiev observatory, materials of optical observation for more than 40 years, measuring aerial, range finder lasers bring us to cosmic era. What are astrophotometer and comparator like? There are even more here: spectroscope, spherometer and navikart.

The first portative computers and typing machines produced many scientific discoveries. Scientists` helpers are placed near the most unique device that helps to calculate when the Moon will cover one or another star. This real masterpiece of science was constructed in 1936 by Professor O. Yakovkin.

Here we’ll be able to observe lives of Kiev astronomers, find out what discoveries were made in this area – the legendary mountain where remains of an Old Russian warrior were found during construction of the observatory. Who knows, maybe it was Prince Oleg himself.

And all this way in huge time and place space from the epic Prince to distant galaxies we overcome in Einstein manner by compressing it into a ball during our excursion about the Museum of Kiev observatory. 

6. EXCURSION TO AIRCRAFT MUSEUM  

At the Aircraft Museum	Director Ziatdinov Yuriy Kashafovich	MI-26

On the street with the romantic name «Honey» there is one of the greatest museums in the capital - the Aircraft Museum. You will be able to see the very helicopter with vertical flight, the first soviet passenger liner. The only collection of nuclear bombers Tu-22 in the world is also here as well as the airplane from the film «Old men go to fight». It is really the most interesting museum! 

 In 2003, when the hundredth anniversary of aviation was celebrated, a decree about creation of the Museum was released. Collection was collected at factories, hangars, and even at the film studio named after Dovzhenko. More than 70 machines are placed on the territory of 14 hectares - airplanes, helicopters, rockets, engines lie and an armament is exhibited.   

The very first in the USSR Tu-104 with the first serial number – 001 is here, at the entrance to the ground of Museum. There is also similar first test Il-86 and Il-18 with a number 0101. There are not such ones on the territory of USSR anymore.

Here is legendary Su-24, supersonic, elusive for radars. Mig-25, which still keeps the world record of height - more than 37 km., multipurpose flying-boat Be-6 – one of two, saved in the world (second is in China). Alongside – the well-known Tu-22, with rockets, once crowned with nuclear war-heads. Model of «Anatry-Anasal'» is also placed here, the first airplane, which has been made in the Russian empire since 1912. This model was brought specially from Odessa. Near the old «Anatra» there stands Yak-3 - the «film star» of the famous film with Leonid Bykov. 

The exhibits of the Museum are placed according to several principles – according to designer bureaus, to themes (for example «Marine aviation») and to “the place in history» - the serial airplanes, which became symbols of the epoch. 

The Aircraft Museum is filled up regularly – all new types of airplanes are restored in his hangars. There are a great number of possibilities for excursion. Visiting salons of range of fighting and civil machines is foreseen. 

The museum of aviation is waiting for its admirers!

7. Kyiv TV Museum

Photo 1 – BOSH camera	Photo 2 – Editing table	Photo 3 – Photo camera of 1979

TV Museum has started to function in Kiev recently. An integral part of our life, during 60-70 years it rose from trial shows to mass development not just of telecommunication technologies, but of TV appliances. Kiev Museum is located in the TV Center Building and belongs to the National Telecommunication Company of Ukraine.

Here we can see the first TV set named “KVN”, the lens, water in which had to be changed, first TV cameras, editing video tape-recorders, collection of microphones, crane for TV camera weighing 400 kilos. We will learn what kind of technology foreran modern LCD displays: TV sets rose from lenses with distilled water to up-to-date super flat screens.

The history of development of Ukrainian Television is represented in schemes of the first mobile TV stations, photos, albums, accreditations for the most important world events and numerous rewards and charters of UT -1. Especial interest in this part of the Museum is provoked by decoration models in studios, created without using 3-D technologies and different programs on projecting interiors, with materials at hand: paper, plasticine, vinyl. Here you can see in miniature the look of studios of such programs as “To be continued…”, “Evening Eve”, “Evening Fairytale”, to see Katrusya from the legendary “Katrusya`s showing room”

The excursion is supplemented with visit to workshops and editing rooms. You can feel like a television anchorman, an operator or a producer there. 

 8. WHAT IS IN A DOCTOR’S BAG? THE MUSEUM OF MEDICINE AND FIRST AID

Photo 1. V. Obraztsov	Photo 2. Wax figures. Scene of autopsy	Photo 3. N. Strazhesko

At the old anatomic theatre on B. Khmelnitsky St. live ghosts. This fact is proved by old newspapers. Now there is a museum of medicine and the first aid station there  The Kyiv first aid station  was the second in Europe after Vienna’s which was opened in 1902. Legendary world-known professors  Yanovsky, Obraztsov, Karavayev, Mering lived and worked in Kyiv.
Do you know that myocardial infarction was first inscribed by Kyiv professors Strazhesko and Obraztsov? Why did the Communist Party officials like this museum and why did the American millionaire Armand Hammer visit the museum at 3 am. All this will be narrated during the tour.

Children’s groups during the tour can visit a dispatching point and see how they receive emergency 103 calls. They will be shown basics of the first medical aid. The most curious can switch on the alarm of an ambulance.

9. «WITH A HEAVY SLING BAG»

The Main Post-Office of Ukraine	The first stamps of Independent Ukraine	Postman Pechkin

Postman is one of the most positive characters of child fairy-tales, even the main postman of USSR – grumbling Pechkin, whose phrases became common. Useful and necessary work of a postman is the most required in the country. Maybe, our children would like to become postmen after visiting this Museum.

This is central Museum in Kiev by its location. It is resides at the Kiev Post-Office, which is situated on Maydan Nezalezhnosti Str. The post rarities of the last two centuries tell how the service and its attributes, the organization of post business has changed. This Museum has existed for almost 14 years, there “live” ancient telegraph magazines of 19th century, forms of Post-Officers, uniform buttons and writing materials, which you can see only in “flea market”, ancient post boxes, legendary post-horn, and the very “thick shoulder-bag” of the model of 1947 – how can classic character of a postman exist without it? Post insurance remittances were transported in such bags at that time.

The Museum is covered with pictures, connected with post business. You can see all kinds of post transport, beginning with patriarchal ox team to nimble motorcycles of the times of World War II, which served postmen of further decades for a long time. Stamps also are here… Each boy had his first child’s collection – the Museum is worth visiting just to revive the memories. Here, in particular, the first stamps of Independent Ukraine lay under glass – we have already forgotten how they looked like…

The post became Internet-mail, telegrams and letters become things of the past... Let’s hurry up after them – they will bring us to the cozy Museum at the Post-Office, in the very center of noisy capital!

10. Visiting circus

This museum is surely devoted to what we like since childhood. It was opened in 2007 and is in one of picturesque parks of Kyiv. We enter the circus tent and feel the special atmosphere of behind the curtain area. Over 2000 exhibits demonstrate all kinds of circus art. First circus posters, pictures with autographs, circus costumes, awards and the hats from where hares were pulled and funny clown’s pants. 

11. CHILDREN’S KINGDOM

This is the most childish Museum. It first comes to mind when we decide what to show children in Kiev. The collection of toys of the Museum does credit to any European city. The collection has been gathered here since 1930th and it causes nostalgia, kind and nagging like childish photos of one’s father and mother, as pictures of our dearly loved children in cradles and bows. Our grandfathers and grandmothers, our parents played with these bears, dolls and cars. What toys of the plastic world of the 21 century will replenish the halls to represent the started century in a proper manner? The world of children’s games is here, in these show windows. Many things here provoke smile, as the profile, the image of the epoch: for example, polyethylene dolls with faces of little Lenin, the first Soviet transformers with symbolic name “From combine to tractor” (not anyhow). Children, for whom the USSR is unknown abbreviation, learn about that perished country from these exhibits. We’ll be informed of the “Party line in manufacture of toys” and about their “Ideological filling” (we naively believed they were filled with sawdust). We will learn that the idea of creating Toy Museum of the Soviet country appeared over 70 years ago, but the Party’s Resolution was implemented only in 1993. Along with commercial models of toys, exclusive author works of Soviet puppet-makers, unique collection of desk – printing games, colorful collection of Ukrainian national games are represented in the collection of the Museum. History of toys is the history of time, history of techniques and achievements. Adult world in miniature. In the show windows we can observe much interesting: policemen in peg-top trousers of the 1030th, spaceships and clockwork cars, which were dream of the Soviet child of 1960th, dolls, reproducing fashion of seven decades, bears and hares, pioneers and soldiers, the first artificial fir tree, made of chicken feather and functioning model of steam machine. It’s forbidden to touch them since it is history. But even without touching, the collection gives us great pleasure.

12. BEHIND THE CURTAINS OF THE FASHION WORLD

Photo 1. Silk fiber	Photos 2. Collection of knitted wear	Photos 3. Fibers

The tour for the fair sex of all ages but not only. And what, if among young visitors there are future great designers. You’ll  learn here how they make garments, what machinery is used at that. Amazing is the machine for example that fixes one button a second! Among the other you’ll  follow a small thread which in the end will become a ready-made piece of clothes. Isn’t it worth coming and seeing?

13. THE LEMON GARDEN IN BLOSSOM

50 KINDS OF TROPICAL PLANTS – bananas, lemons, pineapples, mandarins, pomegranates, papaya, all this you could see in a big green house of the village Rozhny in Kyiv oblast. You will have the opportunity to talk to the founder of this fairy tale Oleksandr Patiy whose collection started from growing plants on his balcony.

14. MUSEUM OF BEEKEEPING

Photo 1. Ancient instruments.	Photo 2. A bee-toiler.	Photo3. Bees` cells.

Honey beverages were loved and valued by our pagan forefathers. In the treaty of Prince Oleg of 911, honey and wax were called one of the main products of trade between Rus and Byzantium. The founder of modern apiculture Petr Prokopovich (1775-1850) was born in Chernigivshchina; he was an inventor of the first mobile hive for gathering honey in the world, and founder of the first apiculture school in the world. In Apiculture Museum you can learn about all these and many other things.

Museum has existed from the middle of 1980th. The life of apian family, the technology of gathering of honey, developing of scientific apiculture, legends and beliefs, connected with gathering of honey – you can discover all these in the Museum. Here you will be told that there are 3 kinds of apiculture: wild-hive beekeeping, apiarian and body apiculture. Bee-tree is hollowed out in an alive tree, body is hung up to the tree in the wood, and an ordinary stub with a hollow served as a bee-hive. All these you can see in the Museum.

We will find out what saints patronize honey flow, about folk honey holidays, about technology of preparing numerous honey beverages and sweets. And, of course, we can degust sweet pleasure and proud of Ukraine – its honey. There is a huge choice of it for children and adults. So, make the right choice in selecting honey and after visiting the Museum use it expertly and with knowledge of technologies.

On the Museum stands and in show windows there are instruments of apiculturists of the 19th century, pictures and engravings, first editions, reflecting the development of “honey science”. The works of P.Prokopovich were published in Europe and USA; he is famous all round the world reformer of technology of gathering of honey, scientist and enlightener, pedagogue and biologist. His followers saved and increased the basis of culture of Ukrainian apiculture, which was recognized as leading one in the world for a long time.

 

15. KIEV ZOO

Kevin Sloan - Elephant	Camels in the Zoo	Hippopotamus Bresta

Address: 32, Pobedy Avenue.

This is one of the main places of interest in the capital. The Zoo is well-equipped, cozy, well-groomed and it is among the three best zoos in Ukraine along with Nikolaev and Kharkov ones. Kiev Zoo celebrated its one hundredth anniversary in 2009.

It was founded on the 21st of March, 1901 under Kiev St. Vladimir University. Foundation of the Zoo was a great merit of Professorate of the University and Kiev Polytechnic Institute as well as activists of Kiev society of Nature Devotees.

The initial collection included 115 types of vertebrates. During the first years the Zoo was maintained by donations. Twice a year subsidies were assigned by City Authorities. The collection was replenished with animals which had been rejected by their owners. The famous sugar-manufacture A. Tereshchenko, the owner of the reserve Askaniya –Nova baron F. Falts –Fein, architect V. Gorodetskiy, artist S. Svyatoslavskiy, countess M. Brodskaya and even emperor Nikolay 2 are among the sponsors of the Zoo.

It has existed on the same territory since May of 1912. This area with compound relief was meant to recreate the animals` natural habitat.

Little tiger (Anna Silivonchik, 2009)

The collection of animals was preserved during the hard years of Revolution and Civil War. In 1919 the Zoo was nationalized. The following decades became its Golden Age: the collection of animals was replenished, new open-air cages and elephant enclosure were built, water supply of the territory was improved, a veterinary clinic was opened.

German occupation became the first serious stroke for Kiev Zoo. During those years some animals died, most were moved to Germany. Constructions of the Zoo were badly damaged.

During two postwar decades the Zoo existed without reconstruction. Only in 1966 the present central entry was built and the first boiler house was opened. In 1970-80th new pavilions were built extensively, in particular aqua terrarium, premises for birds and primates.

In 1983 Kiev Zoo was given the status of “state”. On June 16, 1992 it was put down on the list of nature-protected funds of state importance. However, after that the Zoo went through hard times which could cause lost of its collection of animals. And it was only in 1998 that new complex reconstruction in accordance with world standards of animal keeping was started.

At the beginning of new Millennium many animals were moved to new abodes. So in 1993 “Bear Continent» appeared – unique construction with the area of about 2 thousand meters with rocks, four-meter high waterfalls, big pools three meters deep, real trees. Birds were the next to be placed in better conditions. In 2008 lions, giraffes and lynxes got new open-air cages. “Ecological modules” have been created on the territory of Kiev Zoo. These are areas where several kinds of animals of a certain climatic or geographical zone are kept together. There are such modules: “Tropical forest”, “Mangrove”, “Africa”, “Amazonia” and “Indonesia”.

For little visitors “Ukrainian yard” was opened. It’s a children’s contact zoo where kids can see and touch domestic animals.

Now the collection of the Zoo includes about 3500 types of animals, which represent 400 kinds, Over 130 kinds of trees and bushes grow on the territory of the Zoo.

Giraffe (Niko Pirosmani)	Giraffes Ace and Base	Kiev Zoo (presumably S.Brandt)

Excursions are conducted about the Zoo. Duration of the excursion is 90 minutes, the maximum number of participants – 30 people.

Administration of the Zoo requests guests to follow the main rules of treating animals:

1. It is forbidden to feed and disturb animals. It disturbs their feeding and keeping schedule and may lead to illness or even death.
2. It is forbidden to cross the barrier.
3. It is especially necessary to keep an eye on children - not let them stand or sit on railings of open-air cages.
4. Silence should be kept when possible – loud sounds can scare or annoy animals.
5. Animals should be photographed without using flash.

Lion (Jerome Jan Leon)	Birds (Susan Bourdet)	Morning in pine forest (I. Shishkin, 1889)

Kiev Zoo is waiting for you!

Follow the reference "Museums in Kiev" to see the full list of Kiev Museums