MAN Science Museum. The first state museum where NOT touching is forbidden: 120+ interactive exhibits in 8 zones at VDNH

A hall of the MAN Science Museum with interactive exhibits
Visitors at the MAN Science Museum
Giant models of a nose and ear at the MAN Science Museum
An exhibit about the senses at the MAN Science Museum
An anatomical model of a human at the MAN Science Museum
The entrance to the MAN Science Museum pavilion at VDNH
A hall of the MAN Science Museum with interactive exhibitsVisitors at the MAN Science MuseumGiant models of a nose and ear at the MAN Science MuseumAn exhibit about the senses at the MAN Science MuseumAn anatomical model of a human at the MAN Science Museum

Ukraine’s first state interactive science museum – the one where NOT touching the exhibits is forbidden. More than 120 exhibits in eight themed zones, Pavilion No. 23 at VDNH.

Why visit

  • Ukraine’s first state museum where NOT touching the exhibits is forbidden – you can press and spin everything
  • More than 120 interactive exhibits in eight themed zones – from astronomy to winter sports
  • A bicycle with square wheels that you can really ride along a special curved track
  • A two-meter hologram, a crystal weighing many kilograms and a glass ceiling that changes color right above you
  • Instead of a tour guide, explainers by the exhibits: ask anything, nobody is in a hurry
  • In the “Astronomy” zone – the real suit and watch of Leonid Kadeniuk, the first Ukrainian astronaut
  • Separate 30-minute science shows: magnetic fluid, crash tests of materials and breakfast chemistry

Good to know

A visit lasts 2 hours, by slot
Visits run in fixed two-hour slots: 10:00–12:00, 12:00–14:00, 14:00–16:00, 16:00–18:00. On Saturdays and Sundays there is an extra 18:00–20:00 slot. A ticket is valid only for the time it was bought for – you cannot come in another slot.
Buying at the box office is possible but risky
Tickets are also sold on site, but the system limits the number of people inside: if a slot is full, the box office will not sell a ticket. Buying online guarantees you get in at your chosen time.
School groups of 10+ – UAH 250
For a school group of 10 or more children, a ticket costs UAH 250 per child, and one accompanying adult per 10 children goes free. Each additional adult – UAH 300.
Reduced ticket – at the box office, on the day
A reduced ticket can be obtained on the day of your visit with valid ID.
No refunds or exchanges
The museum’s terms do not provide for refunds or ticket exchanges. Plan your date and slot in advance.
No guided tours – by design
The museum follows the format of the world’s science centers: you move freely around the space without tour groups. Explainers by the exhibits explain things and answer questions.
Under 12s – only with an adult
Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult in the space: a parent, teacher or caregiver.
Photography allowed
Amateur photo and video for personal use is allowed with an admission ticket, as long as you respect other visitors’ personal space. Professional shooting only with the administration’s permission.
Rules during an air-raid alert
After the alert sounds, the space pauses and visitors must leave and go to the shelter. If the alert starts before opening, the museum opens 60 minutes after it ends. If your slot had lasted 90 minutes or more, it counts as completed. If the alert sounds 30 minutes before closing, the museum does not reopen that day.
No animals
Animals are not allowed, except guide dogs and assistance dogs.

The main rule here is turned upside down: instead of “do not touch” signs, you are asked to press, spin and test everything. There are no guided tours – this is the format of the world’s science centers, where you move freely around the space, and explainers wait by the exhibits to tell you how everything works without hurrying a group along. The best-known exhibit is a bicycle with square wheels that you can actually ride on a special curved track. Nearby are a two-meter hologram, a crystal weighing many kilograms – one of the largest in the world – a mirror tunnel with an optical illusion, a giant shell you can climb inside and a model of the brain you can hold in your hands. And the museum’s largest interactive exhibit is a glass ceiling that changes color. The exhibition is divided into eight themed zones. “Astronomy” – the Solar System up close, the asteroid belt, the rings of Saturn, plus the suit and watch of Leonid Kadeniuk, the first Ukrainian astronaut. “Optics” – about light and color: what light is made of and how it mixes. “Strange Matter” – materials science, magnetism and that same crystal, plus the story of how a microchip is made from sand. “Energy” – electricity, water, wind and sun, how solar and wave power plants work, different types of rotors. “Ukrainian Scientists” – Oleksandr Smakula, Valentyna Radzymovska, Ivan Puluj and Danylo Zabolotnyi tell you about their discoveries in person. “Idea Workshop” – four booths where you have to come up with a solution yourself: make a cartoon, build a bridge or a car from unusual materials. “Rebuilding” – about innovative solutions in housing construction. “Winter Sports” – a snowboard simulator, a bobsleigh track, figure skating and a live voice commentary of the competition that other visitors can hear. A separate offering is 30-minute science shows, which you can add to your admission ticket. “Trick Busters” examines whether magic exists. “Breakfast Chemistry” covers the physics, chemistry and biology of an ordinary morning. “Crash Test” puts materials to the test with heat, cold and pressure. “Atom in Action” features metal that remembers its shape and music from a broom. There are also “What Is Sooound?”, “Ferromagnetic Hedgehog” about magnetic fluid, and “BigBrain”, which debunks the myth about using ten percent of the brain. The museum was created by the Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (MAN), a state body that runs olympiads and competitions for school students. Teams from five countries worked on the exhibition: Ukraine, Sweden, the USA, Canada and Poland. The museum opened in October 2020. Besides the Kyiv space, MAN has a “Traveling Science Museum” that tours the regions. Visits run in fixed two-hour slots – not a whim but a way of controlling the number of people inside. So your ticket is tied to a specific time, and you cannot come at another one.