This was reported by a correspondent from Ukrinform.
As noted by the Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania to Ukraine, Inga Stanitye-Tolochkiene, modern technologies now allow us to connect with the rich shared history of Ukraine and Lithuania.
"Thanks to the efforts of scholars and historians, we have the opportunity to learn more about one of the artifacts of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania - the Tiahyn Fortress. This significant archaeological site brings together three cultures: Lithuanian, Ukrainian, and Crimean Tatar," she stated.
1Additionally, the ambassador emphasized that Lithuania will always remain a reliable partner for Ukraine.
"Lithuania has been, is, and will be a dependable partner for Ukraine, continuing to provide comprehensive support, as it did during the times of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, when we united in the fight for freedom against our common enemy," she remarked.
In turn, the head of the "Cultural Center Ukraine-Lithuania," and director of the NGO "IRС "Legal Space," Natalia Bimbirayte shared that the idea to create a virtual museum of the Tiahyn Fortress emerged back in 2018 when artifacts of Lithuanian origin began to surface.
2 The Lithuanian Embassy in Kyiv has unveiled a virtual museum of the Tiahyn Fortress / Photo: Pavlo Bahmut. Ukrinform 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5"Until 2022, a lot of resources were dedicated to organizing excavations, but after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, the work was halted. The area where the excavations were taking place fell under occupation. Therefore, we decided to focus on creating a virtual museum of the fortress," she noted.
According to Bimbirayte, it took nearly 8 months to create the museum. Information is available in both English and Ukrainian.
"We really wanted people from all over the world to be able to access the museum's page from a regular iPhone, see the artifacts, and examine them from different angles," Bimbirayte explained.
The virtual museum of the Tiahyn Fortress features 6 halls showcasing nearly 100 artifacts. It can be visited via the link.
The Tiahyn Fortress is a national archaeological heritage site. It is located in the Kherson region on the right bank of the Dnipro River. The fortress was constructed in the 14th-15th centuries during the era of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Archaeologists from the Southern Medieval Expedition of the Institute of Archaeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine discovered artifacts from 2016 to 2021, drawing the attention of researchers from Ukraine and Lithuania.
In 2022, the village of Tiahynka was temporarily occupied by Russian forces. Tiahynka was liberated from the Russians on November 11, 2022; however, after liberation, the community continues to suffer from shelling. In June 2023, part of the village was flooded following the explosion of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Station. In 2024, scientists and activists from Kherson digitized a collection of artifacts rescued from a looted local history museum and created a 3D model of the fortress, now accessible to a wider audience.