The open-air museum of folk architecture and life «Shevchenko’s Hai» is the pride of the city of Lviv and enjoys great popularity among the guests of the city, as well as among the citizens of Lviv.
In a picturesque place on 50 hectares there is a large architectural and landscape ensemble. In the XVIII century this area, which is also called Kaiserwald, belonged to the family Lonshan de Berier, who came from Switzerland. In the XIX and XX centuries, a kind of wild park was formed in the upper part — a place of recreation for Lviv citizens.
In the early 60’s the idea to create a landscape park «Shevchenko’s hai», which included Shevchenko Memorial Complex and ethnographic museum of folk architecture and life. It is built on the principle of ethnographic districts of Western Ukraine. It includes Polesie, Volyn, Lvivshchina, Boykivshchina, Lemkivshchina, Hutsulshchina and Transcarpathia.
Now in «Shevchenko’s hai» there are more than 120 monuments of folk architecture. Many buildings can be seen not only from the outside, but also from the inside.
St. Nicholas Church of 1763 from the village of Krivki, Turkovsky district stands out for its beauty. Currently the church is active and in it the service is conducted.
In total there are six churches in this open-air museum.
It is also worth mentioning a garden (farmstead) from the village of Verbovets, Kosovsky district, Ivano-Frankivsk region, built in the Hutsul style.
On the territory of the museum there are two exhibition halls, where you can see items of folk art. In addition to all this, there is a small menagerie.
In «Shevchenkivsky hai» is beautiful at any time of year — in winter, when there is snow and hoarfrost silvers the trees, on a summer day, when the sun’s rays break through the crowns, or in the fall, when the leaves of trees blaze with all the colors. Walking along narrow paths past old peasant huts, water and windmills, wooden churches and chapels, you feel the beauty and richness of folk architecture.
The museum is open every day except Monday from 10 am to 6 pm.