Mykolaiv Museum Launches Digitization of Maritime Archives with International Support

The Mykolaiv Museum of Shipbuilding and Fleet is launching a large-scale digitization of its archives. For a month and a half, a team of specialists will work with modern equipment to digitize dozens of rare maritime collections, books on navigation, and pre-revolutionary old prints.

This was reported by the Agency for Cultural Sustainability.

According to the head of the museum, Tetiana Mitkovska, the collections contain unique written monuments of the XVIII-XX centuries, documents, drawings, maps and plans that cover the development of shipbuilding and the fleet in the South of Ukraine.

"The digitized material will be available to a wide range of researchers for a comprehensive study of the history of the Northern Black Sea region from ancient times to the present," Mitkovska noted.

"Particular attention will be paid to the archives of Mykolaiv shipyards Naval and the Association of Mykolaiv Shipyards and Shipyards. Maritime collections of the early 20th century, which tell the story of shipbuilding and the work of the maritime department, will also become more accessible.

The digitized assets will also include rare editions of the 18th to 20th centuries related to maritime affairs, shipbuilding, and fleet history.

The project is being implemented with the support of international partners: Cultural Emergency Response, ALIPH Foundation, and the Netherlands Nationaal Archief.

And the Odesa Archaeological Museum of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, together with the NGO Archaica, has launched a large-scale project for the digital preservation of historical exhibits. Within a month, experts will create 3D models of unique artifacts, including Egyptian relics, Cypriot sculptures, and exhibits from Samarkand.

Earlier, a digitized collection of graphic works from two local museums was presented in Mykolaiv. The digital copies created not only preserved the artistic heritage but were also transformed into animated images, an interactive virtual gallery, and a printed catalog. As part of this project, 430 graphic works by artists from Mykolaiv and Odesa were digitized.

Анна Бальчінос