Today, on February 6, members of the Lviv Regional Council discussed and supported the decision “On the restoration of the Museum of UPA General-Corporal Roman Shukhevych and ensuring the protection of museum institutions and places of national memory in Lviv region under martial law.”
According to Roman Chmelyk, director of the Lviv Historical Museum, which includes the Shukhevych Museum, several options have been developed for the reconstruction and development of the museum. According to him, various proposals were discussed at the regional council’s specialized committee, the military administration’s department of culture, as well as at a meeting with representatives of regional and city authorities, philanthropists who are willing to contribute financially, the family, and the expert community.
“At the request of the Shukhevych family and the residents of Bila Horsha, we have an idea to rebuild an exact copy of Roman Shukhevych’s estate. In the future, it is also possible to develop this museum institution and build a modern complex opposite, announcing an international competition about the figure of Roman Shukhevych with updated expositions, the use of modern technologies adapted for people with inclusive needs,” said Roman Chmelyk.
Svyatoslav Sheremeta, Chairman of the Committee on Culture, Information Policy and Promotion, said that the committee members visited the site of the attack on the museum in Bilohirsk and emphasized: “It was a targeted attack by the aggressor country on the place of Roman Shukhevych’s last battle. We must do everything possible to rebuild the museum so that the personality of Shukhevych and the history of his family are known throughout the world. A place of memory about our national liberation struggle should appear here.”
According to the decision of the regional council, the military administration, together with the Lviv Historical Museum, the regional and city councils, should develop a concept for the reconstruction and take measures to restore and preserve the Roman Shukhevych Museum, and develop a plan for the development of the museum and memorial space.
The deputies also appeal to the military administration to take measures to ensure the protection of museums and places of national memory in Lviv region from terrorist attacks by the aggressor country.
To recap.
On January 1, 2024, Russian chessmen hit two national memory sites in Lviv: the University of Dubliany, where Stepan Bandera studied 100 years ago, and the Roman Shukhevych Museum in Bilohirsh. In addition to the university and museum, neighboring buildings were damaged. In Dubliany, the shock wave smashed windows in dormitories, a hospital, a chapel, and residential buildings. Several private buildings were damaged in Bilohirsk.
According to Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi, even before the full-scale war, the museum’s exhibits were scanned and a virtual tour was made possible. Now it will greatly help in the further restoration of the object.
“Within a month, we will carry out a number of serious works with the media, with architects, and in February we will announce an international architectural competition for the museum project. It will, of course, take into account the authenticity that exists here, which is very important. But there will also be a modern approach, because we need to make an entrance for people with disabilities, so that a person in a wheelchair can enter.
Later, a piano played by the UPA general-corporal was recovered from the rubble of the Roman Shukhevych Memorial Museum. Destroyed and burnt out, it will forever be a testament to Russian aggression.