On 14 November 2024, the Volyn Regional Museum of Local Lore hosted a presentation of the Tiahyn Fortress virtual museum. This event was initiated by Oksana Sushchuk, the head of the Volyn Regional Organisation of the Ukrainian Society for Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments and director of the Kivertsi Local History Museum. Oksana is a well-known activist in the field of heritage protection, so she decided to take the opportunity to introduce Volyn residents not only to the history of Tiahyn, but also to the experience of the “Tiahyn Fortress as stronghold of the European history of the Ukrainian south” project team. This experience is not limited to scientific discoveries. It is the experience of involving the community in researching its own history, finding resources, organising archaeological research, and even more – powerful advocacy campaigns to protect historical and cultural heritage.
Svitlana Bilyaeva, the Head of the Southern Medieval Expedition of the Institute of Archaeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, PhD in history, spoke about the scientific importance of Tiahyn and the discoveries made during the six years of the expeditions.
Serhii Panyshko, PhD in History, Associate Professor of the Department of History of Ukraine and Archaeology at the Volyn National University, literally expanded our geography by revealing the connections between Lutsk and Tiahyn. In his opinion, in the times of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, a road that can be called “royal” ran through Lutsk to the very south, going from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea.
The most unexpected and extremely pleasant surprise was the report of a volunteer who worked on an Tiahyn archaeological expedition in 2018. Yuriy Mazuryk not only came to support the presentation and learn about the virtual museum and 3D-model of the Tiahyn fortress, but also prepared his own story. He also assured us that as soon as the archaeological excavations in Tiahyn resume, a whole group of volunteers will come from Volyn!
