Racing to Protect Ukraine's Cultural Treasures by ALIPH Foundation

Racing to Protect Ukraine’s Cultural Treasures

This brochure is funded by the European Union

Racing to Protect Ukraine’s Cultural Treasures

Partnering to protect: ALIPH and the NRRC join forces

When the war broke out in Ukraine in February 2022, the International alliance for the protection of heritage (ALIPH) immediately responded, partnering with local organizations and institutions such as the National Research and Restoration Centre (NRRC) to protect and and preserve Ukraine’s rich and diverse cultural treasures.

Together, ALIPH and the NRRC have stabilized, restored, and protected thousands of invaluable objects, and artifacts in Ukraine thanks to the work undertaken by the NRRC staff in the headquarters in Kyiv and its regional offices in Kharkiv, Lviv, and Odesa. This critical first aid for cultural heritage was made possible by the support of ALIPH with the financial contribution from the European Union (EU) and the Getty – EUR 4 million and USD 1 million respectively.

Mobilizing cultural emergency teams on the ground

The urgency during the early days of war and the threat of bombing demanded that measures to protect heritage sites and collections were swiftly implemented. In March 2022, the NRRC responded by forming teams of highly skilled heritage professionals who could carry out urgent conservation and restoration aid and rapidly relocate fragile objects to safety. Soon after, however, the Centre suffered from lack of resources, equipment, and funding, preventing these teams from being deployed across the country.

In late March 2022, ALIPH stepped in, providing a critical grant that allowed the NRRC to purchase conservation equipment and four vehicles. They became heritage ambulances – mobile laboratories that could transport conservators, stock materials and equipment, and move artifacts away from conflict zones. These ambulances represent a unique means of carrying out emergency conservation work in critical situations, such as in Ukraine.

Responding to needs across the country

By summer 2022, the heritage ambulances were on the move, traveling to Chernihiv, museums in the Sumy region, as well as in Irpin, Vorzel, Borodyanka, Horenka, Nemyshaevo in Kyiv region. These missions preserved and safely moved books, paintings, sculptures, historic garments.

One piece preserved by the Kharkiv branch of the NRRC is the sculpture of the 18th century philosopher Hryhoriy Skovoroda, known as the “Socrates of Ukraine”. This piece was significantly damaged following intensive shelling of the National Literary and Memorial Museum of H.S. Skovoroda that led to the destruction of the museum building and damage to numerous exhibits. In September 2024, thanks to materials bought through an ALIPH grant, the NRRC completed restoration of a grand iconostasis consisting of 97 icons and decorative elements. This piece is housed at the St George’s church in Drohobych, Lviv region, a wooden church and UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In Borodyanka and Horenka (Kyiv region), NRRC specialists worked tirelessly to protect and stabilize Banksy’s murals “David and Goliath” and “Old man in a bathtub”, thanks to the equipment acquired on an ALIPH grant.

Today, NRRC teams continue their vital work with ALIPH’s support, traveling to deliver aid and equipment to local professionals, ensuring that the country’s cultural heritage survives the war. Together, ALIPH and the NRRC have proven that, even in the darkest times, cultural heritage can be protected and preserved for future generations.

Dr. Svitlana Stryelnikova, Director General, NRRC

“With the beginning of the full-scale war, the NRRC understood that Ukrainian cultural heritage is under threat of being damaged or even destroyed. Despite the lack of human and financial resources, we knew that we needed to act quickly to preserve as much heritage as we could. Almost immediately ALIPH provided us with the generous and invaluable support which strengthened our institutional capacity and provided an opportunity to be at the forefront of restoration.

Supported by ALIPH with funds from the EU and Getty, we received emergency heritage ambulances, specialized equipment, restoration supplies, and means to train our staff abroad. Our deepest gratitude goes to the ALIPH Foundation for supporting the Ukrainian people in the struggle to preserve our cultural heritage and national identity.”

“Since March 2022, ALIPH has been working hand in hand with dozens of local partners in Ukraine, helping them preserve museums, archives, libraries and their collections as well as monuments and sites. Preserving cultural heritage is about giving people hope, sense of belonging, and a future to look forward to. This work is not only crucial for Ukraine of today, but also for future generations of Ukrainians and all of humanity.”

Valéry Freland, Executive Director, ALIPH

ALIPH and NRRC in Numbers

From March 2022 to October 2024, ALIPH has supported the NRRC:

USD 378,413

grants for a total amount of mobile heritage ambulances

120,000+

353

18,000+

3000

museum objects examined collections received NRRC conservation intervention km covered artifacts restored Almost

The ALIPH Action Plan in Ukraine

ALIPH’s support to the NRRC falls under the ALIPH Action Plan to Protect Cultural Heritage in Ukraine. The plan was adopted in early March 2022 to rapidly provide emergency aid as well as mobilize wider international assistance. Since then, ALIPH has worked with multiple donors, including the EU and Getty, who have generously supported the Action Plan. From March 2022 to October 2024, ALIPH has supported more than 445 cultural organizations through 225 projects, 179 out of which are today completed, in Ukraine. The total funding committed as of October 2024 is USD 7.75 million.

175 USD7.75million

cultural organizations projects projects completed the total funding committed as of October 2024

350+

120

1 5

45+

museums, archives and libraries

sites and historical buildings

national institution

regional institutions

civil society organizations

What was acquired

wooden museum crates sent from the city of Geneva

Hundreds of wooden museum crates from Italy, France, Poland, Austria, and the United Kingdom

4 equipped vehicles (Cultural Heritage Ambulances)

Hundreds of generators to support security and climate control systems during winter and power shortages

Fire protection equipment, including hundreds of fire extinguishers, gas masks, fireproof blankets, and suits as well as fire alarm systems

Storage

major artifact storage facilities upgraded

Millions of artifacts and archival documents safely stored

Documentation

Emergency documentation of collections

Documentation of 120 monuments and sites

Digitization equipment provided, including professional scanners, cameras, laptops, hard drives, and other material

assisted all over Ukraine, 800 cultural professionals 75% of whom are women

Odesa Emergency Fund

In response to shelling in the historic city of Odesa in July, August, and November 2023 as well as March 2024, ALIPH activated a supplementary emergency fund to support cultural institutions in the city and larger region. Emergency measures included:

Door and window shields for four Odesa museums Emergency stabilization works for historical buildings of national and local significance

Protecting films on doors and windows to shield from the impact of explosions

The National Research and Restoration Centre

Under the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine, the NRRC is an important Ukrainian state institution. The Centre oversees the collections of all State museum reserves, churches and galleries, which contained an estimated 12 million objects before the war. Established in 1938, the NRRC is the oldest leading specialized

restoration institution in the country. With its headquarters in Kyiv, the NRRC has three branches in Kharkiv, Lviv, and Odesa. The activities of the NRRC aim to preserve museum heritage in Ukraine. Since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022, ALIPH, with the support of the EU and Getty, has funded thirteen NRRC grants.

ALIPH

The International alliance for the protection of heritage (ALIPH) is the main global fund exclusively dedicated to the protection and rehabilitation of cultural heritage in conflict, post-conflict, and crisis areas. It was created in 2017 in response to the massive destruction of cultural heritage over the previous two decades, predominantly in the Middle East and the Sahel. ALIPH is a public-private partnership assembling eight countries (China, Cyprus, France, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Morocco, Saudia Arabia, and United Arab Emirates) and three private donors (Dr. Thomas S. Kaplan, Getty Trust, and Fondation Gandur pour l’Art). Based in Geneva, this Swiss Foundation also benefits from the privileges and immunities of an international organization. To date, ALIPH has supported nearly 500 projects in 41 countries. Building on the strength of these first years of experience, ALIPH is now committed to protecting the heritage from the impact of climate change in crisis areas. ALIPH finances concrete initiatives carried out on the ground, hand in hand with local partners, authorities, and communities. Its mission places cultural heritage protection as a central contributor to peacebuilding and sustainable development.

Since 2017, ALIPH has been able to carry out its work thanks to the support of: Member states:

Private donor-members: Dr. Thomas S. Kaplan | J. Paul Getty Trust | Fondation Gandur pour l’Art

Host country: Switzerland

ALIPH

Action Plan for the Protection of Cultural Heritage in Ukraine

To enable its work in Ukraine, ALIPH has received funding from its member states and private donors, as well as from the European Union (Foreign Policy Instruments, EUR 4 million), Getty (USD 1 million), and the Principality of Monaco (EUR 40,000).

In February 2024, ALIPH received support from the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation in the amount of USD 645,000 to contribute to protecting archives in Ukraine.

ALIPH