The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra has launched a new exhibition titled «Ukraine in Miniature», merging traditional architecture with cutting-edge technologies. The display features 3D models of significant structures from all over the country, including the St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, St. George's Cathedral in Lviv, the modern Ivano-Frankivsk Drama Theater, and the «Ukraine» hotel in Luhansk.
Among the exhibits are also those that currently exist only in digital form, as they were destroyed by Russian aggressors: the Donetsk Drama Theater in Mariupol and the Hryhorii Skovoroda Museum in Kharkiv.
The exhibition allows visitors not only to examine the models but also to immerse themselves in the atmosphere of these places through VR tours, immersive videos, and music by contemporary Ukrainian artists. VR glasses, audiovisual formats, and interactive tools enable one to «hear» architecture and feel its emotional context.
The team from Skeiron studio has conducted extensive work in digitally preserving architectural monuments, creating accurate 3D models of buildings that form the basis of the exhibition. The project has already traveled to Finland, Latvia, France, Hungary, and Germany, showcasing Ukraine's rich cultural heritage, its ties to European history, and the losses it has faced due to war.
Acting Director of the National Reserve «Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra», Svitlana Kotliarevska, emphasized that the return of the exhibition from Europe to the Lavra is symbolic, as is the hope for the return of temporarily occupied territories.
Curator Lina Romanukha conducted the first tour, highlighting the stylistic diversity of buildings — from Baroque to modernism. According to her, this project is not merely a showcase of architectural landmarks, but an effort to preserve the memory of what has been destroyed while simultaneously demonstrating that culture can recover.
«We have gathered models from various regions of Ukraine to create a unique map of architectural identity that speaks through the voices of cities, histories, losses, and hopes. The project combines the physical presence of models with digital tools — VR, audio, video — allowing viewers not only to see the monument but also to imagine it in reality.
«We hope that every visitor leaves this exhibition not only with an aesthetic impression but also with an internal conviction: Ukrainian culture is alive, strong, and deserves to be preserved», — concluded the project curator.
The project is implemented within the framework of the «Join Us!» program with the support of USAID and the international organization Pact in Ukraine.
Exhibition «Ukraine in Miniature»
When: September 29, daily from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
Where: Refectory of the Church of Anthony and Theodosius of the Caves, Lavrska Street, 9
Admission — with a general ticket to the National Reserve «Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra».