Mykolaiv Shipbuilding and Fleet Museum 

The Mykolaiv Shipbuilding and Fleet Museum is the only museum with this profile in Ukraine. The gem of the shipbuilding region and the city’s business card, it operates as a department of the Mykolaiv Oblast History Museum. The Museum’s specialty is historical and technical.

The Museum is housed in a historic building dating back to 1793. Designed by architect Petro Neyolov in the classicist style, it served as the office and residence for the Black Sea Fleet and Ports chief commanders and the military governors of Mykolaiv and Sevastopol. The documents of that time refer to it as the “admiral’s house” and the “royal palace.” The museum was opened in this building on July 30, 1978, following three years of restoration works performed under the architect Karl Ackroyd’s design prepared for the last retrofitting of the house in 1833-1834.

The Museum’s comprehensive exposition, located in twelve halls, includes more than 3,000 articles. It covers the evolution of shipbuilding and the history of the fleet in the Black Sea basin from the earliest times to the present day, introduces the visitors to ships built in Mykolaiv, biographies of historical figures who participated in the expansion of the fleet and the city, and in creating safe navigation conditions. The Museum portrays the city’s potential through the display of products of the Mykolaiv shipbuilding plants and design bureaus (“Marine Design Engineering Mykolaiv,” “Zalyv,” “Proline,” “Municipal Design and Research Institute of Shipbuilding,” etc.), and educational institutions that train fleet personnel.

Passing along the museum’s cast-iron fence, visitors see busts of naval commanders who contributed to the building and development of the Black Sea Fleet and hydrographic research of the Northern Black Sea area and the World Ocean. Ship weapons and anchors from different times are exhibited outdoors in the open area.

In addition to the main exposition, the Museum has more than 16,000 pieces in stock. These include carefully assembled collections of rare publications on the history of shipbuilding and the fleet, photos, maps and plans, navigational instruments, ship tableware, samples of the World Ocean’s flora and fauna, anchors, and weapons. The Museum is proud to carry the most extensive collection of scale models of vessels in Ukraine, made for the Museum by ship modelers, key members the Ukrainian team of ship modeling sports. All this can be seen at thematic exhibitions.

In addition to the exhibitions, the Museum holds children’s creative contests, quests, lessons, open days, in-person meetings of shipbuilders and sailors, book presentations, as well as annual events within the framework of the international “Night of Museums” campaign.

In 2014, as part of the International Day of Museums campaign, the Museum revived the tradition of holding folk concerts. The city’s public, citizens, and guests welcome and support the tradition. Folk concerts enrich urban recreational space and revive military brass and instrumental bands. During the “Night of Museums,” the Museum delivers thematic workshops.

More than 50,000 people visit the museum annually, and the total number of guests for the entire period of its existence is approaching 2.5 million. Astronauts, politicians, ambassadors and consuls, cultural and artistic figures, writers, journalists, and military personnel from the USA, Austria, Poland, Argentina, Greece, China, and Japan to name a few, left their feedback in the book of honored guests. The Museum was once included in the tour itinerary of the Swedish military history club. Today, the museum is one of Mykolaiv’s most prominent historical and cultural landmarks and is included in the Top 100 global list of museums.

The Museum research staff is passionate about studying the history of shipbuilding, collecting and preserving the most fascinating and valuable items, building a scientifically based high-art exposition, scientific and educational work, and stocking the scientific and technical library and museum collections.