Inna Mykhailivna Shevchuk has worked at the Baranivka Local History Museum since 1998. She began as an attendant, and since 2011 she has been its director. Over nearly three decades, she has preserved not just exhibits, but an entire world — porcelain in which every fragment holds the mastery and soul of Baranivka. 

Porcelain production in the town began back in 1802 and survived revolutions, wars, decline, and revival. After the Second World War, in 1952, the museum was opened. The history of the collection is closely tied to the artists who created unique Ukrainian porcelain. 

When the full-scale invasion began in 2022, the museum’s staff packed more than seven thousand exhibits in three weeks. The most valuable — 300 items — were prepared separately in case evacuation became necessary. “We worried over every single piece,” Inna says. The central hall was turned into a storage room, leaving only one narrow passage.

By July 2022 the museum reopened. People began to come. At first just a few, and later groups — from Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro. Someone would recognize the dinner set of their childhood. Someone would call and ask: “Are you open?” Since 2023, more and more young people have been visiting — students of art schools. They are inspired by the forms, ornaments, and history. A “weekend tour” has begun operating. 

Inna recalls an exhibition in Japan, where a Baranivka dinner set called “Ukrainian” won first place. “We tremble over every plate,” she says, “even if it has a tiny crack.” For her, it is living memory and a living Ukraine. It is heritage. And they preserved it.