Kochubei House, or the General Court House, is a historical and architectural monument of national significance in Baturyn. Here, in the residence of the General Judge Vasyl Kochubei, cases of the Hetmanate were decided in the second half of the 17th century. Buildings of this type have almost not survived in Ukraine. Today it is a museum of the National Historical and Cultural Reserve “Hetman’s Capital.”
Cossack Baroque Townhouse
The house was built in the second half of the 17th century in the style of Ukrainian Baroque. It is brick, one-storey, with a basement, measuring 22.6 by 10.8 meters. The side projections on the eastern and western facades were added in the second half of the 19th century, but the main volume with the underground floor has been preserved since the Hetmanate times. The most unique part is the basement, which has not undergone any reconstructions for several centuries.
From Beekeeper Museum to Reserve
In 1925, a museum of the prominent beekeeper Petro Prokopovych was opened here, but in 1932 it was closed and the exhibits were transferred to Konotop. The house was restored in 1973–1975 and a historical and local history museum was opened in it. In 1994, the reserve “Hetman’s Capital” was established on its basis. A large-scale restoration of the house took place in 2003–2005, and since 2006 the reserve’s museum has operated here.
What to See
The exhibition occupies four halls and the basement. The first hall tells about the construction and restoration of the house; original locks and keys from the 17th–18th centuries are displayed here. A separate hall is dedicated to the most famous stories of love and betrayal: the central place is occupied by letters from Hetman Ivan Mazepa to Motrona, Kochubei’s daughter, as well as engravings by Vasyl Lopata and Serhii Yakutovych. Another hall tells about Petro Arkadiyovych Kochubei from the untitled branch of the family. The basement recreates a prison with wax figures of a court chancellery clerk and a prisoner.
Nearby stretches the Kochubei Park — a monument of garden and park art.
How to Get There
Kochubei House stands in the center of Baturyn, near the citadel and Rozumovsky Palace. The trip can be conveniently combined with Bakhmach and Borzna.
