Museum of Eminent Ukrainian Culture Personalities - Lesya Ukrainka, Mikhail Staritskiy, Nikolai Lysenko and Panas Saksaganskiy 
Address: 97, Saksaganskogo Str., Kiev
Phone number: +38 (044) 220-57-52
Working Hours: 10:00 - 17:00
L. Ukrainka and M.Staritsky Museums are closed on Tuesday; N.Lysenko Museum is closed on Monday.
All the persons, who ever inhabited this area, were legendary figures, more than significant for Ukraine. Among them there were the legendary Ukrainian poetess and dramatist Lesya Ukrainka, the founder of the National Professional School of Composers Nikolai Lysenko, the writer and dramatic figure Mikhail Staritskiy, the coryphaeus of Ukrainian theatre actor Panas Saksaganskiy.
“Ukrainian Parnas” used to be situated here. It was their own decision to live not far from each other – in one block, limited by Zhilyanskaya and Mariinsko- Blagoveshenskaya (contemporary Saksaganskogo) streets. That is why their memorial houses are integrated into one museum. But each exposition is accessible on its own too; someone is more interested in music, someone – in dramatic art and others - in literature.
All the persons, who ever inhabited this area, were legendary figures, more than significant for Ukraine. Among them there were the legendary Ukrainian poetess and dramatist Lesya Ukrainka, the founder of the National Professional School of Composers Nikolai Lysenko, the writer and dramatic figure Mikhail Staritskiy, the coryphaeus of Ukrainian theatre actor Panas Saksaganskiy.
The Kosach family (real Lesya Ukrainka`s name is Larisa Kosach) lived at the address 97, Mariinsko-Blagoveshenskaya street (now Saksaganskogo street). Nikolai Lysenko (1842 – 1919) lived and worked nearby in the house № 95-b. The outstanding Ukrainian dramatist and theatrical figure Mikhail Staritskiy (1840-1904) lived with his family on the same street in the house № 93. One of coryphaei of Ukrainian theatre, an actor and stage director Panas Saksaganskiy (1859-1940) lived on Zhilyanskaya 96.
Personal belongings of these outstanding figures are collected in all these museums. After visiting them, one can see with his own eyes, but not from books and often boring monographs the way Ukrainian geniuses of that time, in a way, ordinary families of Ukrainian intellectuals, lived. But each of them made fundamental contribution into development of art in our country.
Lesya Ukrainka Museum occupies two floors. The memorial apartment of Lesya Ukrainka`s family, the interior of which was reproduced according to recollections of the younger sister of the writer Izidora, is located on the first floor. The flat consists of five rooms: Lesya Ukrainka`s room, the room of her mother - the writer and cultural worker Olena Pchilka, the dining-room, the living-room, the room of Lesya Ukrainka`s brother – Nikolai Kosach. Personal belongings of the writer, her embroideries, souvenirs, brought from voyages, are represented in the interior. There is a picture, painted by Lesya Ukrainka in one of the rooms.
The literary exposition, informing about Lesya Ukrainka`s life and creative work, is placed on the second floor. It contains intravital portraits of the poetess, her manuscripts, rare books and periodicals, everyday life items.
Mikhail Staritskiy Museum consists of two parts: Staritskiy`s memorial apartment and the thematic part “Keeping family traditions”, dedicated to life and creative work of Staritskiy` and Chernyakhovskiy`s families - the descendants of the coryphaeus of Ukrainian theatre. The interiors of the buildings were restored according to recollections of the Master`s granddaughter Irina Steshenko. Staritskiy moved into this house in 1901 and lived there up to his death in 1904. The memorial flat of the dramatist consists of a dining-room, living-room, a study and the room of the writer`s daughter – Maria Mikhailovna.
Numerous family relics of Staritskiy`s family are represented in the Museum – rare books and periodicals from the family library, an intravital portrait of Staritskiy, the collection of ceramics. But the dramatist`s personal belongings are the most precious exhibits: a writing-table, an arm-chair, chess desk, the icon “The Saviour of the Unsleeping Eye”, which used to belong to Staritskiy`s mother, original manuscripts, first printed texts of works of the Maître himself and his descendants.
The family of Staritskiy`s elder daughter – the writer Lyudmila Staritskaya – Chernyakhovskaya (1868 – 1941) moved into the house almost simultaneously with him. The second part of the exposition is placed in her apartment. The five rooms represent lives and creative development of the children and grandchildren of the writer in a chronological abridgement – Maria Staritskaya, Lyudmila Staritskaya – Chernyakhovskaya, Oksana Steshenko, Yuriy Staritskiy, grandchildren Veronika Chernyakhovskaya, Irina and Yaroslav Steshenko. Almost the whole family, except for Irina Steshenko, was repressed during Soviet years.
Nikolai Lysenko Museum also consists of two parts. The exposition, devoted to creative development of the outstanding composer, is located on the first floor. Unique exhibits from Lysenko`s creative archive, photos, memorial things, gifted to the museum by the composer`s descendants, are represented in the halls of the museum. There is Lysenko’s stick, incrusted with mother-of-pearl, silver laurels, which were given to the composer for his jubilees, among them. A memorial flat, where the authentic parquet, moulding, tile stoves have been preserved, is situated on the second floor. Lysenko lived here from 1894 till his very death in 1912. In this flat the composer worked at his operas “Taras Bulba”, “Eneida”, “Nocturne”. Part of the unique collection of Ukrainian folk musical instruments, gathered by the composer, is placed on the walls of the study. The restored grand piano “Blunter”, which used to belong to Lysenko, stands in the living room. It had been kept at the conservatory for many years, until it was delivered to the Museum apartment in 1987.
