The reserve was established as a state institution in August 1925 by a resolution of the Council of People’s Commissars of the Ukrainian SSR titled „On declaring the territory of Taras Shevchenko’s grave a state reserve“, with the aim of preserving the memorial and spreading knowledge about the poet. Today, it is a globally recognized cultural, educational, research, and tourist center that studies and promotes the achievements of Ukrainian and global historical and cultural heritage, the works of the Ukrainian genius, and the history of Tarasova (Chernecha) Hill. It also protects cultural monuments on its territory – from the most ancient times to the present—and safeguards the unique natural and landscape complex of the Kaniv Dnipro region. Currently, the reserve covers an area of 42 hectares and unites into a single complex Tarasova (Chernecha) Hill with the picturesque Pylypenkova Hill (a site of the Zarubyntsi culture, 5th century BC), Melanchyn Stream, the Nyzhni Hrushky ravine, a landscape park on the Dnipro River bank, and various facilities of modern tourist infrastructure.

The museum collection of the reserve is housed in the central building – an architectural monument of the first half of the 20th century (total area 1,932 sq.m.) – and comprises over 20,000 unique artifacts. These include memorial items and etchings by Taras Shevchenko, rare editions of his works, outstanding creations by Ukrainian and international artists, masterpieces of folk art, valuable archival documents, photographs and film footage, as well as audio and video recordings of renowned bandura and kobza players. Every year, the museums of the Shevchenko National Reserve are visited by over one hundred thousand tourists from Ukraine and dozens of other countries, who come to Tarasova Hill to discover the enchanting world of Ukrainian culture – a world that was shaped in no small part by the poetic and artistic genius of Taras Shevchenko.