Today, on August 25th, to mark the completion of the “Trident of the Motherland” project, the opening of the exhibition “Sign on the Shield” took place at the exhibition center of the Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War.
The event was attended by the acting Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine Rostyslav Karandieiev, former Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko, Director of the War Museum Yurii Savchuk, as well as patrons who contributed to the implementation of the project.
“This is a significant project in modern Ukrainian history. The replacement of the Soviet symbol with the Ukrainian coat of arms is one of the important elements in the struggle for independence. Alongside the battle on the front lines, the spiritual resistance continues. Finally, after 32 years of independence, our national symbol has taken its rightful place. And we continue to implement a state policy aimed at cleaning the cultural space from Soviet symbols and promoting new Ukrainian ideas and true values,” – stated Rostyslav Karandieiev.
He expressed gratitude to all those involved in the project, to those who are not only indifferent to Ukrainian history but also committed to building Ukraine’s future.
“The exhibition ‘Sign on the Shield’ is closely tied to the ‘Trident of the Motherland’ project. The project is significant in the path of our country’s development, its movement towards democracy and the civilized circle of European nations. This is the perspective of Ukraine,” noted Yurii Savchuk, Director of the War Museum.
The exhibition tells the story of the inheritance of Ukrainian state traditions embodied in the trident, through unique artifacts such as ancient Ukrainian silver coins, insignias of princely power belonging to Sviatoslav the Brave, Volodymyr the Great, and Yaroslav the Wise.
“We are witnesses to an absolutely unique event today. For 32 years, we sat under the ‘creation of Bolshevik heraldry’ and found reasons not to dismantle it. The great war pushed us to make it happen. Now our trident, our national coat of arms, is organically integrated on the shield. Ukraine lives, will live, and will only move towards victory!” said Ivan Patryliak, doctor of historical sciences, Ukrainian military historian.
As a reminder, the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine announced the launch of the large-scale project “Trident of the Motherland” on July 13, 2023. The sculptor of the project is Oleksii Pergamenshchyk, a graduate of the Republican Art School and the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture. His works are distinguished by high craftsmanship and illustrate Ukraine’s rich history.
