The "Ukraine is Here" project has launched—a new collection on the Google Arts & Culture platform that showcases the indomitable spirit of Ukraine and allows everyone to explore our country's rich culture and traditions. This project was implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine and 10 other partners, including the National Art Museum of Ukraine, the Ivan Honchar Museum, and the Museum of Theatre, Music and Cinema of Ukraine.
Five years ago, Google began a partnership with cultural institutions in Ukraine to make our homeland's culture more accessible to everyone, everywhere, through technology. Today, thanks to local partners and despite numerous challenges, more treasures, stories, and artists from Ukraine are being presented to a global audience. This unique collection offers anyone the opportunity to explore authentic and interactive stories about Ukrainian culture, art, architecture, and natural landscapes through music, video, Street View tours, 3D models, and virtual galleries, all brought together on a single platform for the first time.
Through the platform, you can discover both famous and hidden gems of Kyiv, such as the unique Art Nouveau mansion, the House with Chimaeras; or UNESCO World Heritage sites, including the wooden churches of the Carpathian region or the Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans, which spans 12 hectares in the northwestern part of Chernivtsi.
Sunflowers have been grown in Ukraine since the mid-18th century. The ubiquitous presence of sunflowers in villages and rural areas has made them an unofficial national symbol. But Ukraine has much more natural beauty to offer. Across more than 600,000 square kilometers, there are magnificent national parks and biosphere reserves. Enjoy breathtaking bird's-eye views from the Dovbush rocks, Mount Makovytsia, or the Uzhanskyi National Nature Park in the Eastern Carpathians—a territory covered by the largest and oldest oaks in Ukraine and ancient UNESCO-protected beech forests.
Architectural preservation is another key part of this project. In collaboration with Skeiron, a small Ukrainian team of experts in digitizing cultural heritage, more than 40 3D models of architectural landmarks are showcased on Google Arts & Culture and Google Search. These cultural monuments include St. Sophia Cathedral, Palanok Castle, and the National Opera of Ukraine. Thanks to Skeiron's digitization efforts, which were completed before the war, some of this data represents a preserved record of heritage sites that have, unfortunately, been recently damaged, such as the bell tower of the Dormition Cathedral in Kharkiv. You can also learn how local teams and the interior design studio balbek bureau developed shelter designs to protect monuments.
The Google Arts & Culture platform helps explore the art, culture, and history of Ukraine
Take a tour and view the most iconic works of Ukrainian artists in 6 virtual exhibition spaces that celebrate Ukraine's rich heritage, such as Timofiy Boychuk's "At the Apple Tree," which combines Byzantine traditions, Ukrainian folklore, and a modern style.
As you walk through the galleries, you will see portraits, various furry and feathered friends in classical and traditional art, avant-garde works, as well as paintings featuring stunning Ukrainian landscapes or architecture. Admire the creativity of Alexandra Exter, Sonia Delaunay, or Viktor Palmov. By looking closer, you can see the paintings in stunning detail and learn more about each one. You can also see how some of these artworks look in real size by bringing them into your room using the Art Projector, a mobile app feature that uses augmented reality technology.
Discover Ukrainian seasonal folk rituals and festive traditions that are closely linked to agrarian life, with roots reaching back to Slavic pagan beliefs. Join in the Ivan Kupala ritual or the "Vodinnia Kusta" ceremony. Try cooking Vylkove fish soup, a dish from Bessarabian cuisine; watch how Ukrainian pysanky (Easter eggs) are created, decorated with traditional symbols using wax and dyes; or listen to folk songs.
If you are curious about who preserves all these traditions, meet the people who have dedicated themselves to this cause. Through a unique combination of design thinking, deep ethnographic research, and an artistic approach, handcrafted items are born that perfectly meet modern needs, such as the Carpathian outerwear that many Ukrainians wore in winter.
This initiative allows people to discover the heritage of our beautiful country, which has such a rich history, wonderful locations, natural sites, and much more, including our charming capital, Kyiv, which is over 1,500 years old.