The National Reserve “Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra” has received the ARK III mobile digitization station — an innovative 3D scanning and photogrammetry system designed to help digitize and preserve Ukraine’s cultural heritage amid the war.

The Ark for Ukraine project is being implemented as part of the international initiative “Support Ukrainian Culture,” launched by the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine together with the National Museum of the Czech Republic, in partnership with the Karel Komárek Family Foundation (KKFF). The new mobile station will make it possible to create high-precision digital copies of museum objects, archaeological artifacts, icons, early printed books, and other cultural heritage items that are under threat as a result of Russian aggression.

The event was attended by Anastasiia Bondar, Deputy Minister of Culture of Ukraine for Digital Development, Digital Transformations and Digitalization; Benjamin Žiga, Deputy Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Czech Republic to Ukraine; Michal Lukeš, Director General of the National Museum of the Czech Republic; Luboš Veselý, Director of the Karel Komárek Family Foundation; Zinovii Kozytskyi, Head of the Kozytskyi CharityFoundation; Maksym Ostapenko, Director General of the National Reserve “Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra”; and Vitalii Romanchukevych, Head of the Oles Honchar All-Ukrainian Foundation.

Anastasiia Bondar emphasized that Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine is also a war against Ukrainian history, identity, language, and culture. According to her, recent attacks that damaged Ukrainian cultural institutions are further proof of this. She stressed that today, both the professional cultural community and Ukraine’s national leadership clearly recognize the strategic role of culture in national security.

“Russia’s war against Ukraine is not only about our territory. It is a war against our history, our identity, our language, our literature, and everything that shapes our sense of who we are as Ukrainians,” she said.

Anastasiia Bondar also thanked the Czech partners for their consistent support of Ukrainian culture since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. She noted that cooperation between Ukraine and the Czech Republic began in 2022 with the first consultations on assistance to the cultural sector and later developed into large-scale joint projects.

“The handover of ARK III in Kyiv is an important step in the support that the KKFF Foundation began providing to Ukraine immediately after the russian invasion. From supporting Ukrainian mothers and children forced to flee the war to organizing adaptation camps for children affected by the conflict, we have pursued one goal — to help protect the Ukrainian people and their identity. I am convinced that ARK III can play an important role in these efforts,” said Luboš Veselý, Director of the KKFF Foundation.

He added that the project also demonstrates the Foundation’s ability to bring together key institutions and help turn urgent needs into practical, innovative projects of international significance.

Maksym Ostapenko, Director General of the National Reserve “Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra,” emphasized that the project will become an important tool for supporting museums located near the front line or evacuated because of the war.

“This is a very important step of support and a true act of solidarity with the museums that need it most today,” said Maksym Ostapenko.

ARK III will enable Ukrainian cultural heritage professionals to create highly accurate digital copies of museum objects and heritage sites preserved in the collections of the Lavra and other institutions across the country.

The National Reserve “Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra” is Ukraine’s largest museum complex and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its collections include more than 70,000 items, among them unique icons, early printed books, archaeological artifacts, and sacred objects.

The mobile station combines 3D scanning and photogrammetry technologies, allowing specialists to digitize both small artifacts and large-scale cultural heritage objects directly on site.

The ARK III mobile unit builds on previous stages of the Ark project, including ARK I, which focused on the emergency preservation and restoration of written heritage, including books, manuscripts, and archival materials. To date, ARK I has helped save thousands of documents at risk across Ukraine. ARK III continues this cooperation by moving the project from emergency response toward a systematic, technology-driven approach to preserving cultural memory.

The mobile digitization station is built on a Volkswagen Crafter chassis and equipped with modern 3D scanners and photogrammetry systems. The technological solution was developed by experts from the National Museum of the Czech Republic specifically for use in crisis conditions and war-affected regions.

Following the handover, Ukrainian specialists will receive training in working with the equipment, which will be used both at the National Reserve and at other museums and cultural heritage sites across Ukraine.

Source: Ministry of Culture of Ukraine

Photo: Ministry of Culture of Ukraine