The Oster Local History Museum is one of the oldest local history museums in the Chernihiv region. It is housed in an elegant two-story mansion built in 1898 in the Solonynivshchyna tract in Oster. The building itself, featuring tiled stoves and a fireplace, is also part of the exhibition.
From a school museum to a local history museum
In 1908, the Oster Zemsky Administration established the "School Museum of Visual Aids": its purpose was to show teachers sample aids and teach them how to make them on their own. It was opened in 1912 on the premises of the Zemsky library. In 1919, another museum appeared at the Oster Pedagogical Technical School, and its director Anatolii Rozanov merged the two.
In the same year of 1919, the museum moved to a mansion donated to the town by Lieutenant General Vasyl Solonyna, a descendant of the Cossack starshyna ( старшина ). From 1924, the institution became a local history museum and was called the Museum of the Oster Region. Rozanov established meteorological and hydrobiological stations as well as the Oster Scientific Society of Local History under its auspices.
Wars and revival
Before World War II, the collections numbered several thousand unique exhibits, but during the occupation of 1941–1943 they were partially looted. Oster was liberated on September 22, 1943, and already on September 28, director O. Buzun reopened the museum with the remnants of archaeological finds and a 17th-century cannon. In the 1950s, art historian Viktor Zummer helped create a new exhibition. In 1998, a memorial plaque to Solonyna was installed on the facade.
What to see
Today, there are over 16,000 exhibits in nine halls. The nature section tells about the Desna River region, and the historical section covers Oster from antiquity to the present day. It is definitely worth taking a closer look at the interior of the house: the tiled stoves and fireplace were made by local craftsman Mykhailo Bobruiko.
How to get there
The museum is located at 30 Tatarivska Street in Oster. The town lies on the Desna River, approximately 80 km from Kyiv and 70 km from Chernihiv. It is best to check the days off and opening hours before your trip. Read about the town, the ruins of Yurii's Chapel, and Cossack history in the article "Oster."
