The National Museum of the History of Ukraine illustrates Ukraine’s history from ancient times till nowadays. It is one of the leading museums in Ukraine. It holds about 800 000 items in its collection.
The museum holds world-famous archaeological, numismatic, ethnographic and weapons collections, pieces of decorative and applied arts, manuscripts, old prints, paintings and graphics, relics of the Ukrainian national liberation movement of the 20th century. The first jewellery of the Stone Age, including an ornamented mammoth tusk bracelet, ancient Greek utensils and jewels, silver and gold coins with trident images (a personal mark of prince Volodymyr Sviatoslavych, Baptiser of Rus) are among them.
The museum, under different names, was located in various buildings in Kyiv, starting from 1899. Since May, 1944 it has been situated in a prominent position at historic Volodymyrska Street. This building is the former arts school designed by architect Joseph Karakis.
The Treasury of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine is the branch of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine. It’s located on the territory of the National Preserve “Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra”. The Treasury holds more than 56 thousand exhibits of gold, silver, and gemstones. Collections cover the period from the Bronze Age (III millennium BC) to the present. They include Scythian masterpieces, works from the Rus period, creations of 14th–20th-century Ukrainian jewellers. The museum also holds the world-famous Gold Scythian Pectoral.