Digital archive of stock collections of Lviv Museum of History of Religion presented in Lviv

This was reported by the LRMA (Lviv Regional Military Administration).

“Preservation of cultural heritage is one of the priorities of the museum industry. One of the most effective methods is digitization. Today, we are witnessing the implementation of a large project that has resulted in the digitization of 1200 exhibits from various museum collections.

It is worth noting that the regional military administration pays special attention to this issue. Over the past 6 years, as part of the Comprehensive Program for the Development of Culture in the Lviv Region, more than UAH 2 million has been allocated to museums of regional subordination for the purchase of modern technical equipment for the digitization process. During this period, 57 thousand exhibits were digitized.

I express my gratitude to the museum staff and the Skeiron team for the work done, thanks to which we are able to preserve the most valuable examples of the world's cultural heritage for our descendants,” said Iryna Havryliuk, Director of the Department for Culture, Nationalities and Religions of the Lviv Regional State Administration.

According to the museum director, Orest Malyts, the project aimed at creating a digital archive of the Lviv Museum of the History of Religion is more than just digitizing the collections: “We had the ambition to preserve and present a wide range of exhibits, from ceramics to graphics, from medallions to ancient texts. Thanks to the support of Ukrainian and international partners, including cultural institutions and local experts, we were able to get modern equipment and create a platform that will become the basis for further work.”

During the presentation, the project coordinators spoke about the stages of project implementation and presented the results, including a website with photos and descriptions in Ukrainian and English of the most interesting items from the museum's collection.

“This project will allow visitors to view artifacts in 3D on the international Sketchfab platform and to interact with exhibits in augmented and virtual reality. Thanks to QR codes, users will be able to see the artifacts in their own space, which opens up new opportunities for interaction with cultural heritage,” said Andrii Hryvniak, co-founder of Skeiron.

You can learn more about the archive on the website of the Lviv Museum of the History of Religion. 3D models of individual exhibits are already available at this link, and a full digital catalog will soon be available.

Project coordinator Nadiia Polianska noted that the site is adapted, with the possibility of enlarging fonts and changing the background, to meet the requirements of inclusiveness.

“We have shown various groups of monuments: sculpture, metal, painting, graphics, numismatics, and old prints. Some of them date back thousands of years. For example, the collection includes monuments of Trypillian culture that reveal unique aspects of the history of religious life in Ukraine and across the continent, both in Europe and Asia.

The implementation of this project was made possible by our team, as well as the support of our partners, who helped us create the website. I would especially like to thank all the museum staff, scientific consultants and restorers, without whom this project would not have been possible.

We plan to expand our collection and add new items. The website of 3D models is closely linked to the database, which allows us to quickly update information about the exhibits,” added Nadiia Polianska.

The cost of the project is UAH 930 thousand. It was implemented with the financial support of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation.