Kyiv's Digital Tourism and Cultural Hub provides online audio-guided 3D tours of monuments, buildings, and museums to both preserve and promote Ukraine's rich cultural heritage.
SUPRESSES CULTURAL HERITAGE
Over the course of time Ukrainian culture has always been suppressed, with Russian attempts to erase our identity, spread false narratives, and claim Ukrainian cultural heritage as its own. Now it is of utmost importance to preserve our culture, as the war brings not only human casualties and destruction of the infrastructure, but also the threat to the irreplaceable artworks. Since the full-scale invasion, many historical buildings in Kyiv have been damaged or destroyed as a result of Russian aggression.
ONLINE CULTURAL TOURS
To save our heritage for future generations the Kyiv Digital Tourism and Cultural Hub was created. The Hub provides 3D tours of the capital's symbols of invincibility, as well as digitised versions UNESCO-protected cultural monuments. Now, citizens and visitors can not only look through the city attractions, but also view online the exhibition of monuments from Kyiv's museums. Among them are a monument to the founder of Kyiv, magical animals from the paintings of Maria Prymachenko, historical figures and buildings from the times of Kyivan Rus, cultural heritage from Tryplian culture, Kosovan ceramics, and Vyshyvanka (national dress).
MERGING THE DIGITAL AND HISTORICAL
Kyiv is rich in its culture and history which can, in part, be preserved in digital form through merging modern AR and VR tools with historical heritage. Audio-guided 3D routes on the Hub are available both in Ukrainian and English, and people from around the world can take virtual tours and popularise our culture abroad. Digital copies of cultural artefacts are less susceptible to physical damage from war or any emergencies, which is priceless given the current situation. Although our borders are now closed, we strongly believe that peace is getting closer and Kyiv will again be one of the most visited capitals in Europe and its true cultural heart.
