Kyiv Oblast: Parks, Protected Areas and Museums

Kyiv Oblast combines a range of protected-area profiles with a diverse museum landscape. In Pereiaslav, the National Historical and Ethnographic Reserve “Pereiaslav” brings together more than 20 museums covering different fields. Other themes include kobzar art and Taras Shevchenko’s stay with the Kozachkovskyi family. The parks also have their own distinct character: from the “Mezhyhiria” Garden Art Park to “Zalissia” National Nature Park.

Parks and protected areas with their own character

“Mezhyhiria” Garden Art Park is located in Novi Petrivtsi, Vyshhorod District, Kyiv Oblast, and is part of the Emerald Network. It is a park of national importance in Ukraine’s Nature Reserve Fund and is described as Ukraine’s “youngest” park. Here, the garden art in its name, a specific location and a national protected-area classification come together.

“Zalissia” National Nature Park is a state institution of national importance for nature, recreation, culture and education, and also belongs to Ukraine’s Nature Reserve Fund. In comparison, the Garden Art Park foregrounds its connection to the Emerald Network, while the National Nature Park emphasizes its state mandate for nature, recreation, culture and education. The two profiles therefore offer different starting points for exploring the nature and protected-area themes of the oblast.

Pereiaslav and its museum landscape

The National Historical and Ethnographic Reserve “Pereiaslav” is located in the city of Pereiaslav and brings together more than 20 museums covering different fields. This makes Pereiaslav a specific destination for travellers interested in a range of cultural and historical subjects: the name represents a broad museum offering, not a single exhibition.

The open-air Museum of Folk Architecture and Everyday Life of the Middle Dnipro Region has a towel museum with 300 towels from different regions. The Museum of the History of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and a museum of Ukrainian customs are also located there. These three subjects are clearly distinct: a collection of towels, the history of a church, and Ukrainian customs. They demonstrate the breadth of the museum’s content without reducing it to a single historical narrative.

Kobzar art: tradition, performance and collection

The Museum of Kobzar Art in Pereiaslav explores the origins and development of kobzar art, as well as its contemporary traditional folk-folkloric and stage-academic forms. The exhibition includes documentary and material evidence, works of art, and the musical and poetic works of kobzars. The main collection comprises 242 exhibits, including 26 banduras. The museum thus combines a presentation of an artistic tradition with its varied forms of expression and specific collection items.

Taras Shevchenko in Pereiaslav

The Taras Shevchenko Testament Museum was established on 18 April 2008 in Pereiaslav, in the former manor house of the doctor A. Kozachkovskyi. The house was built in 1820. The exhibition presents the history of the region during the Cossack era chronologically from Shevchenko’s perspective and recounts his stay in the Pereiaslav area.

The fifth room is a memorial room where Shevchenko stayed overnight during his visits to the Kozachkovskyi family. Another historical detail is precisely dated: Shevchenko wrote his poem “Zapovit” on the night of 24–25 December 1845 at A. Kozachkovskyi’s house in Pereiaslav. The exhibition thus connects regional history, the poet’s biography and a specific literary event.

Choose a focus for your holiday rental

When looking for a holiday rental in Kyiv Oblast, it helps to start with your travel priorities. Would you like to focus on Pereiaslav and its range of museums, or are you more interested in the park and protected-area profiles described here? Let this focus guide your choice of location, and consider each destination individually.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Bila Tserkva, Brovary, Boryspil, Bilohorodka, Vyshneve, Irpin, Olyva, Vyshhorod, Vorzel, Knyazhychi, Kyiv, Brovary, Boryspil, Kyiv-Sviatoshynskyi District, Ivankiv District, Vyshhorod District, Brovary District, Chubynske, Krasnyi Rih, Vasylkiv, Pirnove, Dymer, Hatne, Kyiv, Hora, Petrivske, Vysoke, Ordzhonikidze, Bucha, Sukholuchchia, Fastiv, Petropavlivska Borshchahivka, Kozyn, Mytnytsia, Novosilky, Baryshivka, Protsiv, Khodosivka, Rokytne, Slavutych, Tsybli, Trypillia, Babyntsi, Sadove, Hoholiv, Ukrainka, Krasylivka, Kodaky, Hrebinky, Uzyn, Yahotyn, Horenychi, Hlevakha, Boyarka, Stoianka, Vita-Poshtova, Lebedivka, Romankiv, Peremoha, Havronshchyna, Hvozdiv, Hostomel, Zhukyn, Pidgirtsi, Voropaiv, Kyiliv, Kypiachka, Pohreby, Yatsky, Ruda, Krasne Pershe, Khokhitva, Volodarka, Yosypivka, Mysailivka.

For the regional travel overview: Ukraine.