Ukrainian Museum of National History to host Armenian exhibition

PanARMENIAN.Net - Exhibits documenting Ukraine’s Armenian community’s history and culture will be showcased at Ukrainian Museum of National History, Analitika.at.ua reported.

The exposition will comprise rare photographs, documents, awards, printed editions, national costumes, household items and other artifacts reflecting the Ukrainian Armenians’ long history.

As head of the Union of Armenians of Ukraine Vilen Shatvoryan said, Kyiv attaches special importance to Armenian cultural and historic heritage, with different exhibitions and presentations planned.

The number of Armenians in Ukraine totals 99,894 according to the 2001 Ukrainian census.

Armenians first appeared in Ukraine during the times of Kievan Rus. During the 10th century individual Armenian merchants, mercenaries and craftsmen served at the courts of various Ruthenian rulers. Today, the Donetsk Oblast holds the greatest number of Armenians in Ukraine (~16 000, 0.33% of the population). Armenian communities can also be found in Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Kiev,Luhansk, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhia, and Odessa where the late Ukrainian-Armenian artist Sarkis Ordyan spent most of his life.