Carpathian mountaineers or Hutsuls, the indigenous population of the Ukrainian Carpathians, have been known since ancient times as the most talented folk craftsmen, creating amazing handicrafts from wood, leather, wool and ceramics, which are of high artistic value. Arts and crafts have glorified this people far beyond the borders of Hutsul region, and today handmade crafts by Hutsul craftsmen can be seen in many museums in Ukraine and around the world. However, the most interesting and largest collection is presented in the recognized capital of folk art of Gutsulshchina — Kosovo, in the Museum of Folk Art.
The main branches of folk crafts — pottery, embroidery, woodcarving and artistic weaving — developed and were concentrated in Kosovo. This city is considered the cradle of the Hutsul spiritual culture, here their rich cultural heritage has been preserved most fully, and the most interesting part of it can be seen in the Kosovo Museum of Folk Art and Life of Hutsulshchina.
Museum of Folk Art in Kosovo was opened in 1969 as a department of the Kolomiya Museum of Folk Art of Hutsul and Pokutia named after I. Kobrinsky. I. Kobrinsky. The basis of the first expositions were the works of the famous Ukrainian artist E.Y. Saidagachny. Today the museum’s collection includes more than 5 thousand exhibits — the best examples of folk arts and crafts of Gutsulshchina of XIX-XX centuries.
Among the exhibits of the museum are items made of ceramics, wood, metal and leather, Hutsul clothing and embroidery, things both for household and exclusively artistic purposes.
Looking at the mugs, scoops, candlesticks, bowls, jugs, tulups, sleeveless jackets, belts and other exhibits created by the «golden» hands of Hutsul craftsmen, it is impossible not to be surprised by the elegance of their forms and originality of decoration. Each exhibit carries a certain symbolic meaning — the Hutsuls have always carefully kept their spiritual traditions, history and culture, reflected their worldview in the created household and artistic products.
One of the most impressive collections of the museum — ceramic products of the second half of the XIX century, created by such famous masters as A. Bakhmetiuk, P. Baraniuk, P. Koshak. Hutsul ceramics are also represented in the collection of traditional Kosovo ceramics from the middle of the 20th century.
The collection of wood carvings of the Shkribliakov family from the village of Yavorova is of great interest to the guests of the museum due to its high artistic value. In addition, wood carving is represented in the museum by the works of honored masters of folk art and members of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine A. Khovantsi, I. Grimaliuk, V. Guz and other famous Hutsul craftsmen.
A visit to the Museum of Folk Art will be interesting for everyone who spends his holiday in Kosovo, it is here you can deeply penetrate and better feel the original history of art and culture of this amazing artistic region. Tourists from all over Ukraine and abroad visit this museum with pleasure, getting acquainted with the traditions and history of Gutsulshchina. All guests of the museum can participate in fascinating thematic excursions and attend lectures, which tell about the development of wood carving, pottery, weaving, lizhnikarstvo, leather art, about the peculiarities of creating Hutsul folk clothing and about the history of the museum itself.
The original exposition, interesting excursions and informative lectures — all this tells the Museum of Folk Art in Kosova as a Carpathian attraction, a visit to which will leave the most pleasant impressions.