It was very interesting but I found the audio guide a bit long and tedious. It takes a couple hours of just standing in front of the artifacts listening. Overall though, if you can't make it to a tour of Chernobyl itself, this is the next best thing.
This was very interesting and I received valuable information. A lot of it I do not want to hear. But it is worth a trip. Find a guide that will help you through the maze and you will have a better time. Now I want to go to the "Site"!
This is best museum in the terms of displays we saw in Ukraine. The exhibits were thought provoking. We had a English speaking guide who explained different things to us . It is sad that such a excellent museum was done on such a horrible event.
A great little museum and a must see when in Kiev! Have lots of pictures from here and there is lots to see.. Strange feeling when inside and the displays really make you feel for the people involved. A sad time in history and very informative exhibition..
First of all, it was a bit hard for me to find this place without speaking local language. The contents were completely under expectation. I expected a lot of pictures of injured or dead persons suffered from nuclear such as Hiroshima or War Museum between US and Vietnam in Ho ChiMin city. Could be enough for academic but no impressive, regardless of positive or negative.
I decided to visit the museum after taking a day trip to Chernobyl yesterday. This was definitely the way to go! None of the captions are in English, but the combination of the audioguide and the firsthand experience of having been there made it perfect for filling in gaps or questions I had after the trip. The pictures, artifacts, and displays are wonderfully presented, and the 100 minute audioguide gives you a complete description of what really happened and how it affected humankind. I highly recommend making this stop!
First let me say three things: Because of the situation in Ukraine today, folks should wait to make a trip there until all is settled again. Next, we took this trip in October 2012, not 2013 as the site has forced me to select, but I will remember it well forever! Finally, I speak and read Russian rather well.We were on a tour with English guides, so our entry fees already had been paid and no translation was necessary. You will pay a small sum extra if you wish to take photos. And speaking of photos, pay attention to those of the abandoned towns and villages. They are haunting. Even when the populace was evacuated, they weren't really told what was going on. There also are many photos of the emergency workers who eventually died of radiation poisoning.There is a good demonstration of just what happened. Of course, arguments still persist about what caused the accident. We had the good fortune to hear a speaker who actually worked at the plant. He went to work his normal shift without knowing the explosion had occurred earlier. Once he arrived, he worked hard with his friends and co-workers to shut down the reactor. They all died, except him. He has been studied by doctors since the accident, at first every 4 months, now only once a year. No one knows why he is still healthy.On the way into the museum proper are signs with the placenames one would see when entering a town or village. On the way out of the main museum, the reverse of the sign has the diagonal red line through the name as is used in much of Europe to indicate one is leaving the town or village. But in this case that line means the town or village is dead, never to be lived in again.This museum is very moving. Do not miss it. But leave the children at home or at the hotel.
The displays and everything were ok, but no real order or anything - I would have liked more to walk around and follow the story from that day. Not much is in English either
Ok, most information are written in ukrainian only and thus, very little English is displayed. Still, I spent 2 hours in it just watching the numerous glasswindows, pictures and videos! Thanks to japanese support, good reconstitutions are displayed. This is in no way a boring museum! It is thrilling and full of emotions! On top of that, the entrance fee is ridiculously cheap (only 10 Hr) if you declare not to wish to take pictures... Instead of stupidly going to Pripiat/Tchernobyl better content yourself with this excellent museum you will never forget in the rest of your life! An absolute must during your visit in Kiev together with Ste-Sophie and Lavra!
There's so much to talk about and learn from the Chernobyl Museum, but the place is let down by poor presentation, a lack of English content, and an unclear user experience.It's definitely worth a visit, but do your homework before you get there to understand what all the exhibitions mean.