The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) has presented a virtual tour of the Money Museum. To create it, the exhibition panoramas, all display cases, and exhibit items in the museum were shot in the 3D format.
Taking the virtual tour, the visitors can explore over 3,500 items of the museum exhibition. In particular, the exhibition features 180 truly unique items presented in the 3D format. For example, a 3D model allows viewers to closely examine both sides of the Old Rus Kyiv-type silver hryvnia.
The image of the NBU operations hall, which is the architectural gem of the NBU building, has become the highlight of the virtual tour. Visitors will be able to explore the interior decorations of the central bank’s head office building that celebrated the 116th anniversary this year.
Also, the virtual tour offers a unique exhibit item – a 3D image of a bullion made of gold that was mined in modern independent Ukraine (in the Muzhiivske gold deposit in Zakarpattia oblast).
The NBU Money Museum holds a unique collection of exhibit items reflecting the history of currency circulation in Ukraine: pre-coin forms of money, antique and medieval coins, currencies of the Russian Empire and Ukrainian People’s Republic, as well as banknotes and coins of the Soviet period and the ones that have been issued since Ukraine’s independence.
Today the Money Museum is highly popular, but the small exhibition space and quarantine restrictions limit its capacity.
"Currently, the virtual format of hosting tours is in high demand. Since the quarantine was imposed, educational institutions, with their students being the most frequent museum visitors, have adjusted their academic process to the online learning format. They even wish to make group visits to museums online," said Director of the NBU Communications Department Halyna Kalachova. "Professors and teachers find this format more convenient as under the adaptive quarantine, a group of museum attendees is limited to 10 people, which is significantly less than the number of persons in a class or a group."
The NBU’s longstanding cooperation with the USAID Financial Sector Transformation Project enabled the implementation of multiple projects on financial literacy. Introducing the virtual tour of the NBU Money Museum was also supported by the Project.
"Understanding the history of money offers a fascinating glimpse into the past of Ukraine. Access to a virtual tour on the NBU’s website in times of COVID-19 will provide people with an opportunity to get acquainted with the Money Museum at a distance," says Robert Bond, head of the USAID Financial Sector Transformation Project.
Up to 35,000 people can simultaneously take the virtual tour. It is also possible to take the tour in a group of up to 50 people accompanied by a tour guide of the Money Museum who can be asked questions in real-time. The virtual tour lasts for 45 minutes and is available in two languages: Ukrainian and English
You can find the virtual tour at: museum.bank.gov.ua.