Museum of Shipbuilding and Fleet starts digitizing archival materials

How were ships built in Mykolaiv region in pre-revolutionary times?

Ukraine's only Museum of Shipbuilding and Fleet in Mykolaiv is starting to digitize archival materials that reflect the history of shipbuilding and the development of the Black Sea Fleet.

As part of the Mobile Digital Laboratory project, the museum team will work with modern equipment for a month and a half to digitally preserve several dozen maritime collections, books on maritime navigation, and other pre-revolutionary old prints.

“Our funds contain unique collections on the history of shipbuilding and shipping in the South of Ukraine. An important part of the museum's collection is written memorabilia: rare publications of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries on the history of shipbuilding and the navy, a collection of “Marine Collections” published in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a large array of documents, drawings, maps and plans. The digitized material will be available to a wide range of researchers for a comprehensive study of the history of the Northern Black Sea region from ancient times to the present, the history of the development of the navy and civilian fleets, shipping and hydrographic research in the South of Ukraine,” said Tetiana Mitkovska, head of the Museum of Shipbuilding and Fleet.

The pre-revolutionary promotions of Mykolaiv shipyards Naval and the Association of Mykolaiv Shipyards and Shipyards will be processed and stored on digital media. Maritime collections of the early twentieth century, which tell the story of shipbuilding and the work of the maritime department, will also become more accessible.

Among the digitized valuables will be rare editions of the 18th and 20th centuries related to maritime affairs, shipbuilding, and fleet history.
This will be a significant step in preserving the cultural heritage of Mykolaiv and Ukraine.

It is noteworthy that the Museum of Shipbuilding and Fleet, which is a branch of the Mykolaiv Regional Museum of Local Lore, is visited by tourists from all over Ukraine and many countries. It was included in the tour itinerary of the Swedish Military History Club. Since its opening, the museum in Mykolaiv has received more than 2 million visitors.

The project was made possible thanks to the support of international partners: Cultural Emergency Response, ALIPH Foundation, and the Dutch Nationaal Archief.