A special screening of Akim Galimov's historical documentary series Ukrainian Palaces. The Golden Age"

The project was created by the team of Akim Galimov, producer, author and host of the Real History project, with the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The purpose of the documentary series is to tell the story of the life and work of the owners of Ukrainian palaces, both those that still stand today and those who did not survive the turbulent twentieth century. And also, together with historians, 3D reconstruction architects and VFX specialists, to recreate the exteriors and interiors of the lost estates, revealing their history, which the Soviet government tried to erase.

According to the producer Akim Galimov, it took about a year to shoot one season of the historical documentary series, as preparation, script development, reconstruction of the palaces, and editing are all painstaking work. 

"I am convinced that palaces are a doorway to history through which you can tell about people and relics. I am sincerely grateful to our production team, 3D architects, and everyone involved in the project. I am also grateful to our partners from USAID and TCA, who have been supporting this project for four years," commented Akim Galimov.

The special event was attended by historians, cultural figures, promoters of Ukrainian history, and government officials, who, in addition to watching the first episode about the mysterious history of Pidhirtsi Castle, discussed the possibilities of restoring Ukraine's architectural heritage.  

"Today, after almost 2 years of full-scale invasion, Russia's tactics are becoming obvious. Attempts to diminish Ukrainian identity are one of the elements of hybrid warfare. USAID is proud to have helped produce two seasons of the historical documentary series "Ukrainian Palaces. The Golden Age". This project demonstrates the ability of Ukrainians to restore what was destroyed by the war," adds Corey Johnston, Democracy Development Specialist, Office of Democracy and Governance Programmes, USAID Mission to Ukraine. 

In his turn, Taras Shevchenko, Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine on European Integration, added: 

"Undoubtedly, the war and the struggle for identity, preservation of Ukrainian culture and heritage are extremely important. It is important that this is understood and supported by both our American partners and Ukrainians who create and shoot a lot of high-quality products."

The screening was followed by a panel discussion with the following speakers: Ukrainian historian Oleksandr Alfiorov, Head of the Department of Culture and Tourism of the Executive Committee of the Rivne City Council Natalia Lozovska, Director of the Department of Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy Mariana Tomyn and Akim Galimov himself. The discussion was moderated by 1+1 media host and 1+1 Production. Originals Ruslan Sharipov, who is the creative producer of the project. 

The discussion focused on the importance of returning archives to Ukraine, architectural solutions for the restoration of partially destroyed estates, and the role of palaces as tourist magnets. 

In particular, Oleksandr Alfiorov spoke about the most popular myths of Pidhirtsi Castle and explained why stories with a halo of mystery win. Nataliia Lozovska spoke about a successful case study of how a real attraction - a modern interactive museum with a VR space - was created on the site of the collapsed Lubomirski Palace in Rivne. Using the example of the palaces in Sokyryntsi and Vyshnivka, Mariana Tomyn spoke about the role of palaces in domestic tourism in general. 

You can watch the offline screening in the TSN story on the project's YouTube channel at this link. By the way, the project "Ukrainian Palaces. The Golden Age" is available for viewing on the Real History YouTube channel at this link.