Motherland Monument and WWII Museum

The Motherland Monument rises above the Dnipro hills at Lavrska Street 24 in Kyiv's Pechersk district, and the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War sits in the building beneath it. The stainless steel statue of a woman holding a sword and shield was completed in 1981, stands about 62 metres tall on a base that brings the total height to around 102 metres, and is among the tallest statues in Europe. In 2023 the Soviet coat of arms on the shield was replaced with the Ukrainian trident, and the museum has since reoriented its exhibitions toward a Ukrainian narrative. Inside the museum, visitors walk through galleries on the Second World War and a growing section about Russia's war in Ukraine since 2014, with weapons, uniforms, documents and photographs. The outdoor Alley of Cities-Heroes and displays of military equipment in the museum park are free to see. Visitors can also reach a viewing platform in the base of the monument for views across the river and the Pechersk hills. A visit takes about one and a half to two hours. For photographs, the best angle is from the park below the statue, which shows the full height, and the late afternoon light is strongest from the west. Crowds are modest and tend to peak in summer afternoons and at weekends; the museum is quietest on weekday mornings. Hours are irregular since 2022, and visitors should confirm opening before they go. The site is close to the Lavra and the Holodomor museum, so it fits naturally into a Pechersk day, reached by Arsenalna metro and bus 24.