For 122 years, the former bank building in the center of Gulyaipol, where the local history museum is now located, kept its original appearance. This would probably continue to be the case if it weren't for the Russian "liberators" who have been shelling the city and destroying the historic center for almost a year.
"The museum has already been damaged several times. Before the New Year, the roof of the museum was destroyed. We had three very beautiful turrets on the roof. They are no longer there, destroyed. Also, in one place, a wall in the upper exhibition hall was broken through. Damaged windows and damaged doors," said museum director Svitlana Mirzoyeva.
To preserve the historical building, the museum is repaired after each enemy attack. "When there is relative calm and there are no shellings, utility workers come and patch everything up. The windows are closed with chipboard, the roof is covered with iron plates so that the inside does not get wet. But, unfortunately, they will only do this - and fly again. It is endlessly damaging."
More than half of the museum collection, which includes 18 exhibits, was taken to a safe place in the first days of the full-scale war. "We did not have time to evacuate. After all, full-scale combat operations on the territory of our city began at the beginning of March. The museum was evacuated, risking life in the literal sense of the word."
The Gulyaipil Museum of Local Lore was founded on December 11, 1960. At first, he occupied a room at 75 Sobornia, and only at the end of the 80s, the historic building was completely given to museum curators. Before that, the house had managed to change many owners. There was a bank, a polyclinic, and a church here.
"This building was built to house the bank "Mutual Credit Society". It is interesting because it was preserved in its original form until the last weeks," says historian Serhiy Zvilinsky.
Currently, the museum exposition has 9 sections. Among them, a prominent place belongs to the period of the Ukrainian revolution and the leader of the insurgent movement in the south of Ukraine, Nestor Makhno, who was born and conducted his activities in Gulyaipol. It is not known whether the famous anarchist and politician was in the current building of the museum. However, this did not prevent 10 tourists, including from abroad, from visiting the Gulyaipil Museum of Local Lore every year. Currently, the institution does not function, and valuable exhibits are gathering dust.
In collaboration with the Agency for Media Growth "ABO" and within the framework of the "Home of Your Own" project, we publish stories told by Ukrainians about houses lost as a result of Russian aggression.
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