In the autumn of 2021, Ukraine celebrated its 30th Independence Day. In connection with this, the Swedish National Archives lent Filip Orlik's constitution from 1710 for an exhibition in the Sofia Cathedral in Kyiv. A tangible reminder of the importance of archives’ value through time.
In November, the National Archivist had the privilege of visiting Kyiv and meeting colleagues from the National Archives of Ukraine, the State Central Historical Archive, the World Heritage Sofia Cathedral, the Second World War Museum and the University of Kyiv.
The National Archives expresses its full support for all archival and cultural heritage institutions in Ukraine in their quest and struggle to preserve their archives and collections from being dispersed and destroyed.
Archives contain information that is central to both society and individuals. Examples of such information are proof of ownership and identity, such as property registers and population registers.
The UNESCO Memory of the World Register contains archives and documents that are considered particularly important to humanity and our collective memory. The National Archives holds the chairmanship of the Swedish Memory of the World Committee and works actively for the programme in Sweden.
There are four Ukrainian inscriptions in the Memory of the World Register:
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Collection of Jewish Musical Folklore,
Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine
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Documentary Heritage Related to accident at Chernobyl,
Central State Archives of Supreme Bodies of Power and Government of Ukraine
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Radzwills’ Archives and Niasvizh (Nieśwież) Library Collection,
partly at Central State Historical Archives of Ukraine
(shared with Belarus, Finland, Lithuania, Poland and Russia)
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The Act of the Union of Lublin document,
Central Archives of Historical Records, Warsaw, Poland
(shared with Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland)
The importance of collegial support and exchange is even greater in the current difficult conditions and must be strengthened during a future construction phase. Archival cooperation between our countries cannot be overemphasized.
The Ukraine Ambassador to Sweden, Mr Andriy Plakhotnyuk visiting the National Archives on March 23rd. On the left side in the picture: Johanna Fries Markiewicz, Head of conservation. On the right side in the picture: Karin Åström Iko, Director-General of the National Archives. Photo: Elisabet Netinder.
The map they are studying can be found on Wikimedia Commons along with other maps of Ukraine from the National Archives.
