The interactive exhibition "That Day", created by the Ukraine WOW team for the 35th anniversary of the restoration of Ukraine's independence with the support of the President of Ukraine, has concluded its run. Over the course of a little more than 20 days, the exposition was visited by more than 62,000 people, and the funds raised from ticket sales and charity merchandise amounting to 1.5 million hryvnias will be directed to support Ukrainian museums.
Relocation to Lviv and Overcoming Wartime Challenges
Initially, the large-scale project operated in Kyiv, but ongoing air raid alerts made its full operation impossible, forcing the team to spend hours in shelters. According to Ukraine WOW co-founders Yaroslava Gres and Yulia Solovey, the decision to move the exhibition to Lviv was difficult as it required new million-hryvnia investments and work within extremely tight deadlines. An additional obstacle was that the interactive structures were built for a specific space and had never changed locations before.
Interactive Exhibits and the Historical Memory of Generations
The exposition was divided into three thematic blocks: "Choice", "What Defines Us", and "Dream". The first block covered events from the parliamentary vote in August 1991 to the December referendum, with 95% of guests who answered a question about their age at the time of independence declaration either not yet born or under 18. The most popular interactive feature was the Verkhovna Rada dome, over which visitors raised the blue-and-yellow flag more than 14,000 times.
Unique Artifacts and Dreams of the Future
Visitors were able to view historical relics, including the Independence Flag brought into Parliament in August 1991, official presidential symbols, and the Constitution, as well as landmark awards from the full-scale war period, such as Olympic champion Olha Kharlan's sabre and the Eurovision winner's trophy. In the "Dream" hall, organizers conducted a survey on future values and Ukrainians' plans for the day of long-awaited victory, where many confessed they would first cry or hug loved ones, while Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Mariupol, and Nova Kakhovka were most frequently mentioned as desired travel destinations.
Significance of the Cultural Initiative and Museum Support
The project's success in Lviv, where thousands of people and school groups visited the exhibition daily, demonstrated a high public demand for understanding history and national identity. Transferring the raised 1.5 million hryvnias to Ukrainian museums will be a significant contribution to preserving the country's cultural heritage amid ongoing challenges, uniting society around shared values and memory.
