Kherson Regional Art Museum
This museum is a combination of two ancient and remarkable stories. In 1890, Viktor Hoshkevich, a Ukrainian researcher and public figure, founded an archaeological museum in Kherson, and in 1909, he donated this collection of archaeological artifacts, coins, paintings, ancient icons, and Cossack relics to the city. This institution was then transformed into an independent art museum.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the construction of a town hall was being discussed in Kherson. For the best project to be selected, the competition was anonymous. The winner ended up being Odesa architect Adolf Minkus, with a project of different mixed architectural styles. In 1907, the first owners entered the new town hall. Back then, the building held the city administration, a court, and a bank. Town hall meetings were also held there. The spectacular building quickly became the epicenter of the city's life.
Meanwhile, the museum was also growing, its collection being replenished with new exhibits every year. However, when Kherson was occupied by the Nazis during WWII, the museum was looted. After the city was liberated, the director of the institution stated: “The Kherson Art Museum should be considered to no longer exist.” However, it was rebuilt almost from scratch: some artifacts were recovered, and other museums also helped.
In 1978, these two stories merged – the Museum of Art moved to the premises of the town hall, which became independent from the Local History Museum. It continued to grow rapidly: as of 2021, the collection included almost 14,000 works of art and was one of the most remarkable museum collections in Ukraine.
However, in 2022, Kherson was once again occupied. And the Russians acted just like the Nazis during WWII. After Kherson's liberation by the Ukrainian army later that year, more than 11,000 of the most valuable exhibits were listed as stolen.
Later, the museum building, which is the city's postcard landmark, was shelled several times by the Russians. More than 100 square meters of windows and the facade of this architectural monument were damaged.