Lesia Ukrainka Museum in Kyiv: The Kosach Family Home

Larysa Petrivna Kosach-Kvitka is one of the greatest poets and writers in Ukrainian history, known to everyone by her vivid pen name, Lesia Ukrainka. Throughout her life she worked to promote Ukrainian culture and collected all kinds of folklore.

To learn more about this remarkable figure, who stands among Ukraine's greatest cultural icons alongside Taras Shevchenko, visit the Literary and Memorial House Museum of the Kosach Family in Kyiv. Between 1899 and 1909 this house was home to Lesia Ukrainka's mother, Olha Drahomanova-Kosach (better known as the writer Olena Pchilka), her brother Mykola Kosach, and the poet herself. Because of her serious illness, however, Lesia often had to leave the house in winter and travel to warmer climates.

The museum building has two floors and a basement, which houses the cloakroom. The exhibition devoted to Lesia Ukrainka and the other residents of the house is on the first floor, its interior recreated from the memories of the poet's younger sister, Isydora. Here you can see large mirrors, old well-worn chests of drawers, rugs, a daybed and the other furnishings that made a home cozy at the turn of the 20th century.

Visitors can see the three rooms that belonged to Lesia Ukrainka, Olena Pchilka and Mykola Kosach. Each holds unique items and collections gathered by its owner. In Lesia Ukrainka's room, for instance, you will find the writer's desk, her personal belongings, souvenirs from her travels, an oil painting by the poet herself, and the silverware of Klyment Kvitka, her husband. Olena Pchilka's room displays the collection of embroidered vyshyvanka shirts that the famous writer assembled over her lifetime.

The second floor is devoted entirely to Lesia Ukrainka's development as a writer. Here you can trace how the gifted poet started out, what inspired her timeless works, and the hardships she had to face. Admirers of her work can also see drafts and manuscripts she left behind, her favorite writing implements, and rare book editions kept in these rooms.

Lesia Ukrainka's life and creative path were anything but easy. A terrible disease, tuberculosis of the bones, struck her in her youth and troubled her for the rest of her life. Yet it could not break the poet's iron will or her love for Ukrainian folklore. In her short life Lesia Ukrainka wrote a great many works and poems that have earned a permanent place in Ukrainian culture.

Even if you are not a devoted reader of the famous Ukrainian writer, we still recommend a visit to the Lesia Ukrainka Museum. First, you get to touch a piece of the country's history, since the museum building dates back to the 19th century. Second, you can admire the architecture of the house and think to yourself, "They really knew how to build back then." Third, you can immerse yourself in the literary legacy Lesia Ukrainka left behind — and perhaps come away wanting to read (or reread) the great writer's works.

Those are the main reasons. If you and your friends and family are tired of the usual walks in the park and want something interesting and enriching, visit the Lesia Ukrainka Literary and Memorial House Museum and rediscover one of Ukraine's most outstanding writers.

Address: 97 Saksahanskoho Street, Kyiv.