The Cossack era is one of the main chapters of Ukrainian history, and you do not have to travel to Zaporizhzhia to see it. Kyiv itself has a museum of the hetmans and a rebuilt Cossack settlement, in a day you can visit the Hetman capital of Baturyn, and over a weekend reach the fortress where Sahaidachny’s Cossacks stopped the Ottoman army. Here is a route from the nearest to the farthest.
At a glance: what to choose
- An hour or two in the center: the Museum of the Hetmanate in Podil.
- Half a day with the family: Mamaieva Sloboda.
- A full day: Baturyn and Kozelets, or the Rozumovsky estate in Yahotyn.
- A weekend: Khotyn Fortress, the site of the 1621 battle.
The Museum of the Hetmanate in Podil
The Museum of the Hetmanate occupies a late 17th-century stone house that locals have long called the Mazepa House. Its halls are devoted to Khmelnytskyi, Mazepa, Orlyk, Skoropadskyi and Petliura, and its holdings number over 9000 items: Cossack weapons, regalia, seals and the hetmans’ belongings. It also holds Ukraine’s largest collection related to Pavlo Skoropadskyi.
The exhibition is compact, an hour or an hour and a half is enough, so it fits easily into a walk around old Podil. For kids there are programs such as Meet the Hetman, a quest and a Cossack duel, by appointment. The museum is open Wednesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00.
Mamaieva Sloboda: a Cossack settlement in the city
Mamaieva Sloboda, seven kilometers from Khreshchatyk, is a rebuilt 18th-century Cossack settlement of the Dnipro region: 98 structures on more than 9 hectares. Its heart is the wooden Church of the Intercession, built after the churches of the Zaporizhian Sich. Around it are a thatched tavern, an officer’s stone house, a forge, a pottery, an apiary and windmills, and workshops and folk festivals run here all year.
The settlement is open every day except Monday from 10:00 to 18:00. It is the easiest way to show kids how the Cossacks lived without leaving Kyiv.
Baturyn: the Hetman capital
Baturyn is a full-day trip, 11.5 hours from Kyiv. Here stands the palace of the last hetman, Kyrylo Rozumovsky, the only Hetman palace that survives, and the Resurrection Church where the hetman is buried. The highlight is the rebuilt Cossack citadel: wooden walls, towers, a moat and the house of judge Kochubei. On the way there is a stop in Kozelets at the 18th-century baroque Cathedral of the Nativity.
From November to March the palace is closed on Mondays, so the trip runs on Sundays then. Wear comfortable shoes for the citadel, with its gravel paths and wooden bridges.
Yahotyn: the Rozumovsky and Repnin estate
Yahotyn, about an hour and a half away on the Kyiv–Kharkiv highway, is another chapter of Hetman history. The palace and park on the shore of Lake Supii were founded by Kyrylo Rozumovsky, and later the estate belonged to the Repnin princes. The history museum covers the Cossack era, Hetman Rozumovsky and several generations of Repnins, and the surviving part of the palace houses a gallery with over 70 works by Kateryna Bilokur.
Khotyn: a fortress of Cossack glory
The farthest point of the route is Khotyn Fortress above the Dniester. Here in 1621 Sahaidachny’s Cossacks, together with the Polish army, stopped the army of Sultan Osman II. Today it is one of the 7 Wonders of Ukraine: tall walls and towers on a cliff above the river. From Kyiv it is easy to go on a weekend tour together with Kamianets-Podilskyi.
Good to know
- The Museum of the Hetmanate is closed on Monday and Tuesday, and Mamaieva Sloboda on Monday.
- Baturyn and Khotyn involve a lot of walking on cobblestones and gravel, so comfortable shoes are a must.
- Tickets, prices and the nearest dates are on the cards above.
For more palaces and estates near Kyiv, see castles and palaces near Kyiv, and for every museum in the city with opening hours, see our guide to Kyiv museums.
