The Khortytsia National Reserve recently celebrated its 59th anniversary!

The Khortytsia National Reserve recently celebrated its 59th anniversary!

On September 18, 1965, the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR issued a historic resolution, without a doubt, declaring Khortytsia Island a State Historical and Cultural Reserve.

On this day, we honor the memory of Arnold Leonidovych Sokulskyi, the reserve’s first director. His passion was the history of the Zaporozhzhia Cossacks and the legendary Khortytsia. Despite the overwhelming pressure of Soviet ideology, he devoted his energy and expertise to establishing and developing the reserve.

The team at the reserve is proud to celebrate another anniversary despite the challenging circumstances of wartime and the forced temporary restrictions from February 2022. We are pleased to report the fruitful results of our research and educational work.

The reserve’s museum funds have been replenished with more than 2,000 new artifacts dating back to a wide range—from the Eneolithic era to the 19th century! Our archaeologists deserve the credit for this. They conducted tireless search operations and made more than 160 trips to survey the coast after the Dnipro River shallowed. Scientists work tirelessly daily to study, preserve, and museify their findings.

We take great pride in our employees, who defend our country from the Russian aggressor with weapons in their hands and continue to protect our culture.

Archaeologists and underwater archaeologists from the reserve, who are active servicemen in the Armed Forces, took part in a specially organized expedition in 2023 to prevent the destruction of historical and archeological monuments as a result of the detonation by the occupiers of the Kakhovka HPP.

Nature conservation specialists are relentlessly researching the island’s ecosystem and monitoring its changes following the rapid shallowing of the Dnipro River. Our scientists worked closely with an expedition from the National Academy of Sciences, which visited the island of Khortytsia.

Our scientists regularly report on their discoveries and findings, as well as significant historical events in the history of the Zaporozhzhia Cossacks and other pivotal moments in Ukrainian history on the reserve’s official social media pages.

We will continue to carry out inclusive planning. The reserve is one of the best cultural institutions for people with disabilities, offering unparalleled access to historical and cultural objects. We are currently expanding and improving the possibilities of inclusion in the territory of the historical and cultural complex “Zaporozhzhia Sich”.

Khortytsia Island is the primary venue for national and patriotic education events for children and youth. The Reserve is committed to supporting and assisting in organizing such events in every possible way.

The reserve has taken the initiative of organizing educational campaigns in the Museum Studios “The City Beyond the Rapids” located in Zaporizhzhia at Tsentralnyi Boulevard 3, permanently.

Every Saturday and Sunday, the reserve offers a variety of master classes for children and adults. The best reserve experts deliver lectures on the history of the Zaporozhzhia Cossacks and the unique nature of Khortytsia Island. Additionally, there are exhibition events.

We are proud to announce that our most significant achievement this year is the resumption of excursion and tourist activities in the northeastern part of Khortytsia Island, permitted by the Defense Council of the Zaporizhzhia Region. In particular, opening the historical and cultural complex “Zaporozhzhia Sich” to guests is a significant milestone.

The favorable decision of the Defense Council was made possible by the cooperation and active participation of the Zaporizhia Regional State Administration and the organizational and preparatory work carried out by the reserve administration and specialists of various departments and services.

We have prepared an updated excursion-tourist program for visitors to the reserve, and we have put related infrastructure facilities into operation—a café, a bicycle center, and an archery site.

The opening of the complex “Zaporozhzhia Sich” means that scientific, educational, and national-patriotic events can now also be held on its territory.

The island of Khortytsya is once again filled with curious and grateful visitors. It is a great joy to meet our defenders on Khortytsia, who come to be inspired by the history of the Zaporozhzhia Cossacks and touch the island’s ancient history.

In 2025, the Khortytsia National Reserve will celebrate its 50th anniversary. We are already planning events and preparing for this important date. We will focus on scientific achievements and prospects for developing the reserve as one of the state’s most important historical and cultural centers. The history of the Zaporozhzhia Cossacks is one of the critical factors in the creation of the Ukrainian nation and statehood, one of the cornerstones of our identity.