Kyiv Teacher’s House, Ukraine
The former legislative seat of a newly independent Ukraine, this national icon was severely damaged by a missile blast in 2022, highlighting war’s impact on heritage and the power of preservation to catalyze healing.
A Symbol of Ukrainian Independence
When the Ukrainian People’s Republic declared its independence in 1918, the new nation’s parliament took to meeting in the Kyiv Pedagogical Museum. Over a century later, that same building has kept the affectionate moniker of “Teacher’s House” and become an important landmark in the Ukrainian capital. Today, in addition to housing the Pedagogical Museum, the building also contains exhibits dedicated to the Ukrainian Revolution of 1917–21. With its elegant frieze and large glass dome, the historic building has become an iconic element of the Kyiv skyline and a major national symbol.
Restoration in the Wake of a Rocket Blast
After missiles targeted an intersection just a few hundred meters from the building in October of 2022, the resulting shockwave knocked out the Teacher’s House’s doors and windows and damaged the building’s dome. As a result of the damage, the building has been almost entirely out of service since the attack. It is one of thousands of Ukrainian cultural sites that have been damaged or destroyed since the war with Russia began in 2022.
In response, World Monuments Fund (WMF) and its partners acted swiftly to protect the building and secure the site for stabilization and repairs. With support from the U.S. State Department Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP), WMF partnered with the Department of Education and Science of Kyiv City Administration from 2023 to 2024 on emergency measures. These included repairing damaged structural elements and replacing the dome’s shattered glass. In line with other projects at war-damaged sites in Ukraine, WMF secured the building and ensured safe conditions for the local team before proceeding with urgent stabilization efforts. A kind of “greenhouse” was erected to protect workers on the dome from harsh winter conditions. The team also scanned the building to create a three-dimensional rendering of the dome to aid conservation.
Ongoing Revival
However, more work is needed to fully address the damage, with the hope that the building can reopen after the war. Central to the recovery of the Teacher’s House is the rehabilitation of its historic acoustic hall, which is located directly below the dome and lantern that suffered major damage. Restoring this central space will contribute to the ongoing revival of this site, iconic to both the local community in Kyiv and the Ukrainian nation at large.
The 2025 World Monuments Watch calls attention to Teacher’s House as a site emblematic of the risks facing cultural heritage amid the ongoing war. WMF supports efforts to rehabilitate the site as a national symbol of resilience and enduring identity in times of conflict.
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Our Supporters
World Monuments Fund’s work at the Kyiv City Teacher’s House has been made possible, in part, by support from the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) and the U.S. Embassy Kyiv.