The head of the institution is the Director General – Scientific Director. The administration of the Reserve also includes Deputy Directors General for scientific work, cultural heritage protection, economic affairs and management, the chief curator, the academic secretary of the administration, the leading legal counsel, and the senior HR inspector.
The text is being revised and will be published soon.
Department “Museum of the History of Halych” opened in 1960. The museum is located in the Metropolitan Chambers (an architectural monument from the late 18th – early 19th century). It is part of the National Reserve “Ancient Halych”. The ground floor of the Metropolitan Chambers houses an exhibition of ancient and medieval Halych, which can be conditionally divided into two periods: pre-chronicle and chronicle. The first two halls contain exhibits from the Stone and Bronze Ages: Linear Pottery, Trypillian, Corded Ware, and Komariv cultures. The exhibition presents ancient Slavic cultures: Chernyakhiv and Lipitsa, and artifacts of White Croats. Among the exhibits from the princely era, ancient Rus’ weapons occupy a central place: chainmail, a sword, spears, arrows, axes, and a flail. The Halych jewelry school is represented by body crosses, enkolpion crosses, seals, plates, etc. In Halych in 1144, a masterpiece of spiritual literature, the Halych Gospel, was created. The dimensions of the Gospel are: height – 23 cm, width – 16 cm. Material: parchment and ink. Volume: 260 sheets. Currently, the original Gospel is stored in the manuscript department of the State Historical Museum in Moscow. In 2018, after the Patriarchal pilgrimage to the Halych Miraculous Icon of the Mother of God, the Head and Father of the UGCC, His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, presented a facsimile copy of the Halych Gospel to the museum. In 2024, the museum implemented a grant project from the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation “Dressed in History. Medieval Clothing of Princely Halych”. As part of its implementation, in collaboration with the reenactors of the NGO “Chorna Halych”, costumes of six estates of medieval Halych were recreated: a warrior, a noble man, a noble woman, a monk-scribe, a tanner (who processed leather), and a peasant woman. In the museum’s exhibition, one can see original Byzantine amphorae from the 12th century, found in the territory of princely Halych, which are evidence of trade ties between the Halych lands and the Byzantine Empire. Halych artisans made ceramic tiles that paved the walls and floors in temples and palaces. The tiles contained floral and animal ornaments, and quite often depicted mythical creatures, in particular, griffins. A separate hall of the museum houses the best architectural fragments from Halych stone churches, mostly from the 12th-century Dormition Cathedral. Traces of fresco painting have been preserved on some of them.
The second floor of the museum houses an exhibition on the history of the church in Galicia, where items from parishes in the Ivano-Frankivsk region and private collections are gathered. Here you can see icons, Gospels, other liturgical books, and books from the library of Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky. A prominent place in the exhibition is occupied by items belonging to bishops Pavlo Vasylyk, Mykola Simkaylo, Sofron Mudry, Sofron Dmyterko, and Cardinal Lubomyr Husar. The pride of the museum’s exhibition is Andrey Sheptytsky’s metal staff, which he used while being the Bishop of Stanislaviv. On June 06, 2008, Bishop Sofron Mudry handed over the staff for the exhibition of the Museum of the History of Halych.
In the Kachkiv tract, on the southwestern outskirts of the Krylos settlement, there is a chronicle kurgan – Halychyna Mohyla (10th century). Every nation has its architectural sanctuaries, which are a symbol of a heroic past. Such a sanctuary is the 12th-century Dormition Cathedral, built by the most powerful Halych prince Yaroslav Volodymyrovych “Osmomysl”. The foundations of the chronicle cathedral are located on the museum’s territory. In the southwestern part of the cathedral’s foundations, the Chapel of St. Basil (15th century) has been preserved. On the territory of the museum complex, there is the Church of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary (16th century), built from blocks of the chronicle Dormition Cathedral.”””The church houses the image of the Galician Miraculous Icon of the Mother of God, in honor of which annual Patriarchal pilgrimages take place. The museum also includes a preserved system of defensive fortifications (ramparts) from the 9th-12th centuries. On the territory of the holy Krylos Hill, where the Museum of the History of Halych is located, there is a healing spring – Knyazha Krynytsia (Princely Well).
Therefore, we invite everyone to visit Krylos Hill to experience the power and grandeur of princely Halych.
The “Museum of Ethnography” department is a structural unit of the “Ancient Halych” National Reserve and is located in the very heart of historical Galicia – in Prykarpattia. It is a center for the preservation and popularization of the region’s folk culture, where visitors can see how the inhabitants of Hutsulshchyna, Boikivshchyna, Opillia, and Pokuttia lived, worked, and celebrated.
The museum’s exposition recreates the traditional life of a Ukrainian village in the late 19th – early 20th century. Here, unique examples of folk clothing, embroidery, weaving, pottery, blacksmithing, woodworking, as well as household items that tell about ancient customs and rituals, are collected. A special place is occupied by the interiors of a house from Pokuttia, a Hutsul grazhda from 1889, and outbuildings, recreated with great attention to detail.
The museum collection numbers hundreds of items, most of which are authentic things donated by residents of the Carpathian villages. Each exhibit has its own story: a weaving loom on which canvas and lizhnyky were once made, or postoly in which the owner went to church on big holidays. These very things allow one to immerse themselves in the atmosphere of ancient rural life.
Museum staff actively research the traditional culture of the region, conduct ethnographic expeditions, collect oral testimonies from old-timers, and organize exhibitions, thematic meetings, and educational events for children and youth. Great attention is paid to promoting heritage through social networks.
In our museum, everyone will notice something close to them. Children, probably, will be the first to run to the well crane in the Pokuttia yard, or the deacon’s school in the Boyko house. Women will definitely pay attention to ancient dishes, clothes, and various colorful embroideries. Men will more carefully examine the forge, which is in working condition, the oil mill, and the tavern. They will be surprised to see a wooden lock on the door of a Hutsul grazhda or a Boyko house. Art historians will be interested in ancient icons in the church.
Today, the Museum of Ethnography is not just a repository of antiquity, but a living space where traditions come alive. Here you can touch history, hear a folk song, see a master at work, and feel the spirit of an ancient Ukrainian village.
The “Museum of Karaim History and Culture” sector is a branch of the National Reserve “Ancient Halych”. It highlights the religious cult, history of Halych Karaims, traditions, and daily life. The main directions of work are the identification, research, preservation, and popularization of the cultural heritage of the Karaim community of Halych.
The museum was opened on November 4, 2004, in a Karaim residential building from the late 19th – early 20th century, belonging to the famous Abrahamowicz family. The museum’s exposition is presented in three halls. The first hall focuses on cult objects from the kenesa: a parchment Torah scroll (18th century), hatas (18th century), prayer books (16th century), menorahs, parochet, hekhal, a memorial book from the kenesa (1926), handwritten and printed calendars (late 19th century). The second hall is dedicated to the history of the Halych Karaim community: archival materials, family photographs, and household items are exhibited. The third hall illustrates daily life, partially showing preparations for Passover.
At the beginning of the 20th century, 167 Karaims lived in Halych; today, there is only one, Shimon Martkovych. To fully preserve the historical heritage of the Halych Karaims, the only Museum of Karaim History and Culture in Ukraine was created. The past of the Halych Karaims resonates in the museum space with words of history, culture, the language of glances from old photographs and pages of siddurim (prayer books), periodicals, archival materials, and literary works. Here, projects are being worked on to support living traditions, to continue the chain of the multifaceted Karaim culture, as the culture of one of the indigenous peoples of Ukrainian Crimea.
The “Halych Castle” sector is a structural unit of the National Reserve “Ancient Halych”. The main functions and tasks of the sector are:
The Sector interacts with other structural divisions of the Reserve, scientific institutions, museums, reserves, educational institutions, libraries, public organizations, and individuals on matters within its competence.
Funds Sector – main functions and tasks of the sector:
The Sector interacts with other departments of the Reserve, scientific institutions and establishments, enterprises, and workshops. The National Reserve “Ancient Halych” forms the Museum Fund of Ukraine and stores museum objects that are state property. Currently, the collections accumulate over 15 thousand units of the main fund and more than 37 thousand units of the scientific and auxiliary fund. Of these, over 2 thousand exhibits are displayed in the exposition spaces of the Reserve.
The Department of Cultural Heritage Protection is a structural unit of the National Reserve “Ancient Halych”, whose main task is the preservation, popularization, protection, and control over the condition of cultural heritage monuments located within the Reserve’s territory, as well as the implementation of regulatory, scientific, and practical measures to prevent the destruction, damage, or deterioration of these monuments.
The main tasks of the department’s activities are:
The Department of Archaeology and Reconstruction of Historical Landscapes studies the material culture of the past. The work includes: field archaeological research – excavations and surveys, preparation of an archaeological scientific Report on the results of archaeological research (in-house processing of materials, drawings, sketches, photographs, text).
Based on the results of archaeological work, settlements and objects in the territory of the Reserve and adjacent territories are mapped, scientific articles and monographs are written, and participation in scientific conferences is carried out.
Based on the discovered finds, the exhibition in the Museum of Halych History is updated, and the Reserve’s collection is replenished.
The Scientific and Educational Department is one of the leading structural subdivisions of the “Ancient Halych” National Reserve. Its activity is aimed at researching, preserving, and popularizing the historical and cultural heritage of ancient Halych.
The department organizes and coordinates scientific research, conducts обзорные and thematic excursions, lectures, educational, and cultural-enlightenment events. Employees develop scientific topics, prepare methodological materials, and participate in conferences and forums.
The department pays special attention to cooperation with educational institutions, scientific institutions, and tourist organizations, promoting the development of cognitive tourism and the formation of historical consciousness among young people.
The department also deals with methodological training of tour guides, generalization of experience in scientific and educational work, and creation of popular science materials and publications.
The activity of the scientific and educational department is aimed at ensuring that ancient Halych remains a living space of history, science, and culture, open to everyone who seeks to learn about the past of our state.
The department includes the Art Gallery of the “Ancient Halych” National Reserve – an art center where exhibitions of artists, presentations, conferences, and lectures take place. The gallery introduces visitors to the works of contemporary artists, preserves and popularizes the artistic heritage of the region, forming a space for dialogue between history, culture, and contemporary art.
The Art and Restoration Sector is a research unit of the Reserve. The sector’s employees restore museum exhibits and items that are stored in the funds and exhibited in museums and the Reserve’s Art Gallery.
The main tasks of the sector include:
The Information and Publishing Sector is a structural unit of the Reserve that deals with the preparation, creation, design, and dissemination of information and printed materials. The main functions of the information and publishing sector:
Information activities:
Publishing activities:
The Financial and Economic Sector was established as an independent structural unit of the National Reserve “Ancient Halych”. The main goal of the Sector’s work is to develop plans and forecasts for the financial and economic activities of the National Reserve “Ancient Halych”, staffing tables, budget documentation, analysis and search for ways to improve resource utilization efficiency, improve the organization of remuneration, and ensure accounting.
The Engineering and Technical Sector is a structural unit of the National Reserve “Ancient Halych” that deals with technical support, operation, maintenance, and development of the material and technical base. The main directions of the engineering and technical sector’s work are:
The Household Department is a structural unit of the Reserve. The main tasks and functions of the department are to carry out work on the household maintenance of the Reserve and to ensure the preservation of household inventory, its restoration and replenishment, as well as maintaining cleanliness in the premises and on the adjacent territory.
