National chronicle

The national flag, documents, and emblems that are symbols of independent Ukraine can be seen till September 18 in the Museum of Kyiv History. The exhibit was created based on Viktor Kyrkevych’s materials, with an active cooperation with the Museum of Historical Center of the City of Kyiv.

The documents presented in the exposition accentuate the key moments of the history of formation of a free state, and military uniforms on the mannequins are telltale evidence of the high price paid by our ancestors for the right to live in a free state. The entire exposition is organized in such a way that we can look consistently at the process of developing the most important elements of modern Ukrainian attributes, which were created in different historical epochs, starting with Kyivan Rus’ and the time of Cossack statehood.

Specialists underline that the meaning of the symbols and their interpretation during our history have changed. “But today, during the war against Ukraine, direct encroachments on its territorial sovereignty and independence, it is very important to expose the circumstances of the ideological war for Ukraine, as well as its history for the entire 20th century, when various political and governmental forces turned to symbols of Ukrainian history,” the organizers of the exhibit assert.

The stands show the originals of the most important documents: universals of the Central Rada, the Unification Act, the Act of Independence. Nearby we can see the most famous symbols known to every child: the trident, blue-and-yellow flag, and Archangel Michael depicted on Kyiv coat of arms.

However, let’s be honest, most of us know these symbols only superficially. We have just seen them, remaining in the usual whirlpool of our everyday concerns, and did not go deeply in the essence, idea and history of origin of these symbol. Maidan and military situation in the east of Ukraine have intensified the general interest to the history of Ukrainian statehood. Namely at this exhibit the audience can fill up the gaps in its knowledge.

For example, the trident is an ancient sign of the Rurikovich kin; it became the state coat of arms as a symbol of inheritance of our statehood back since the time of Kyivan Rus’. The trident is a central heraldic figure of the coat of arms of Prince Volodymyr who is also known as a baptizer of Kyivan Rus’. According to the Ukrainian Constitution, the elements of the Grand Ukrainian Coat of Arms should be the trident, a Cossack with a musket, a symbol of Zaporizhian army, as well as a crowned lion from Galician-Volynian coat of arms.

Archangel Michael appeared on the coat of arms of Kyiv in 1995. The symbol is described in the following way: “Archangel Michael symbolizes the light forces, ready to defend Kyiv from trouble. The figure of Archangel Michael is in white shirt of a prince, military garment with silver armor decorated with stylized disc of the Sun, depicted in the blue background of the Old Rus’ (Varangian) shield. Archangel Michael is holding in his right hand a fire sword turned to side, the symbol of defense, and in the left hand – a silver shield in a gold framework with a golden cross as a symbol of light and Christian faith. The dark crimson coat, by Old Rus’ tradition, is fastened from the side by a fibula. White wings of the archangel are decorated with gold stripes. Golden halo is the symbol of holiness.”

Interestingly, the symbol of Kyiv, Archangel Michael sometimes was depicted with the symbol of the city of Lviv, in such a way the unity of western and central-eastern Ukraine was underlined with confirmation of the idea of consolidation. Archangel and lion were depicted on the so-called distinguishing tings worn by participants of the First Winter March of 1919-20.

Looking at the exposition, we are moving step by step along the entire chronology of historical events of the 20th century: we can see how Ukraine covered the way from a social-democratic people’s republic to monarchic state of Pavlo Skoropadsky, then the entire Bolshevist and Soviet time. Notably, the entire development and assertion of the statehood is shown at the exhibition not only via the symbols, but also via personalities who had an essential influence on its development: we will meet here Pavlo Skoropadsky, Taras Shevchenko, Ivan Mazepa, and other very significant figures whose destinies cannot be separated from the historical process.

“Symbols of Ukrainian statehood in the 20th century” is an exhibit, executed in a thorough and interesting way, which consists of the most previous archive material and calls upon us to know and remember our past. On the posters, postcards, manifests, as well as in books, newspapers, and documentary films the audience can see the chronology of our homeland’s advancing to the future, which was always expected to be light and free: this ideal is extremely topical today.