Mykola Siadrystyi Museum of Microminiatures. A rose inside a hair and a camel caravan in the eye of a needle, on the grounds of the Lavra

A caravan of camels in the eye of a needle at the Microminiature Museum
The Microminiature Museum hall with its microscopes
A microminiature dragonfly under magnification
The Microminiature Museum building on the Lavra grounds
The Microminiature Museum exhibition
A caravan of camels in the eye of a needle at the Microminiature MuseumThe Microminiature Museum hall with its microscopesA microminiature dragonfly under magnificationThe Microminiature Museum building on the Lavra groundsThe Microminiature Museum exhibition

A one-artist museum: every exhibit was made by hand by Mykola Siadrystyi, who invented his own technique for each type of work. A rose carved inside a hair, a golden caravan of camels in the eye of an ordinary needle, a portrait of ballerina Maya Plisetskaya on a cherry pit measuring 3×4 millimeters – all of this can be seen on the grounds of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra.

Why visit

  • A rose carved inside a human hair – the details can only be seen under a microscope
  • A golden caravan of camels that passes entirely through the eye of an ordinary sewing needle
  • A relief portrait of ballerina Maya Plisetskaya on a cherry pit only 3 by 4 millimeters
  • All the works belong to one master – Mykola Siadrystyi, who invented the technique himself
  • The very word “microminiature” entered the language thanks to this master’s work, starting in 1959
  • On the grounds of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra – easy to combine with a visit to the reserve itself

Good to know

Price of a separate visit to the exhibition
A separate individual visit to the microminiature exhibition (without other sites of the reserve) costs UAH 200 for adults and UAH 100 reduced (Ukrainian school and university students, pensioners).
A combined ticket with the Upper Lavra is cheaper
The “Upper Lavra” sightseeing tour together with the microminiature exhibition (in a group of 5 or more, 1 h 30 min) costs UAH 500 for adults and UAH 250 reduced. This is cheaper than buying two separate tickets if you plan to see both the Lavra and the museum.
Daily, no days off
The microminiature exhibition is open daily from 10:00 to 18:00, with no days off.
Separate entry on the reserve grounds
The exhibition is in Building No. 4 at 9 Lavrska Street, on the grounds of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra National Reserve. Entry to the reserve grounds is paid separately from the microminiature museum ticket unless you take the combined ticket.
Free entry to the reserve grounds
Free entry to the reserve grounds (under specific annexes to the Visitor Rules) applies to designated eligible groups, as well as to staff of Ukrainian museums and reserves and members of ICOMOS and ICOM – with a document on site.

Mykola Siadrystyi created his first microminiature, “The Shod Flea”, in 1959 and first showed it at the Kharkiv Museum of Fine Arts. Since then his works have been known as “microminiatures” – a word that had not appeared in any dictionary or encyclopedia before: the master literally brought a new term into the language. The exhibition consists solely of works by one artist. Each miniature is unique and handmade using a technique Siadrystyi developed himself for each specific material and shape – gold, bone, a hair, a grain. The detail is impossible to see with the naked eye: every exhibit has a microscope or magnifying optics next to it. Since 1959, the master’s solo exhibitions have been shown not only in Ukraine (Kyiv, Lviv, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, Uzhhorod) but also abroad – in Vietnam, Denmark, Israel and other countries. The museum on the grounds of the Lavra is the collection’s permanent home, open any day except Tuesday.