Kolomyia is an architecturally outstanding city. In every town with a population of 70 thousand people you can count at least a dozen sights? And here they are even more. Therefore, a walk along the cozy cobblestone streets will bring great pleasure to connoisseurs of that discreet, timid beauty, which is inherent only in such small provincial Ukrainian towns with an ancient history. One of these streets is Teatralnaya Street, and among its main treasures is the People’s House.
Along with Renaissance Square, Teatralnaya Street is very popular with tourists — here you can see a lot of impressive buildings. In general, its architectural ensemble is attributed to the Viennese Art Nouveau style, and it was finally formed in the middle to the end of the XIX century. One of the most famous buildings on Teatralnaya is the People’s House, which is more than 120 years old.
Talking about the People’s House in Kolomiya, it is impossible not to mention that this name refers to two buildings on Teatralnaya Street at once — under numbers 25 and 27. Both structures attract attention, beautiful and bright. The first one is three-storied and was built at the expense of the Ukrainian society since 1880, and the second one is two-storied and was erected as a savings bank for the citizens in 1891-1892. Today it is the second building that is called the People’s House, while the first one, which was called so earlier, is now Museum of Folk Art of Hutsul and Pokutia.
The People’s House has long been considered the main ceremonial palace of the city. It hosted speeches of famous people, festive events and concerts. M. Lysenko, M. Zankovetska, N. Kobrynska, S. Krushelnitska, V. Stefanyk and many other famous Ukrainian artists performed in the front hall. It was here that the local intelligentsia organized their evenings, which were attended by the most prominent people of Kolomyia and not only. Today the People’s House is still a cultural and creative center of the city, and its official status is a department of the mayor’s office for culture. Here professional and public holidays are celebrated, concerts, theme nights, conferences and lectures, festivals and exhibitions, as well as performances of folk groups are held.
The building itself makes an exceptionally favorable impression: despite the fact that it is more than a century old, it is well maintained and fresh, and its architectural solution is light and weightless. The People’s House is one of those buildings that one would like to call toy-like — it looks more like a small fairy-tale palace of a princess than an administrative city building.
Being in Kolomyja, you should definitely take a walk along Teatralnaya Street — such beautiful and cozy places have a special atmosphere, which, combined with the impressive architecture, leaves a pleasant trace in the soul of every person who is not indifferent to the ancient corners of Ukraine, among which the sights of Kolomyja occupy a worthy place.