An exhibition entitled “Mariupol Port as a Space of Memory” has opened in the exhibition space of the municipal institution of the Lviv Regional Council, the Roman Ivanychuk Lviv Regional Library for Youth. The display is dedicated to the history of the establishment and development of the Mariupol Sea Commercial Port and its role for the city and for the Ukrainian Azov region.
The exhibition presents the port as an important part of Mariupol’s identity: it tells the stories of the people who worked in the port, the formation of seafaring in the region, and the significance of the Sea of Azov for local communities. The materials cover several historical eras — from the times of the Zaporizhian Host and the Kalmius Palanka to February 2022, when, as a result of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Mariupol found itself under blockade and the operation of the Ukrainian port was halted.
The organisers emphasise that over the 137 years of the enterprise’s existence, generations of workers, technologies and cargo types have changed, berths have been expanded and the port’s capacity has grown. Despite its activities being cut short by occupation, the history of the Mariupol port remains an important part of the heritage of the Ukrainian Azov region and of Ukraine as a whole.
“Preserving the history of the Ukrainian Azov region and passing it on to future generations is extremely important today. This exhibition is intended not only to tell the story of the past of the Mariupol port, but also to help preserve the memory of an integral part of Ukrainian history,” the organisers note.
The exhibition will be open to visitors until 10 November in Lviv at the following address: pl. Rynok, 9, in the building of the Roman Ivanychuk Lviv Regional Library for Youth.