The Museum of Folk Architecture and Way of Life

The museum, one of the largest open-air museums in the world, is situated in a picturesque area totaling 150 acres. It is designed to reflect the landscape and the architectural style of the wooden buildings and village life of different Ukrainian regions.

The buildings include peasants' houses, churches, mills, farm structures along with village utensils and household furnishing. The museum includes more than 70,000 ethnographic antiquities. Also, this museum contains several churches that are still used for divine services.

The museum gives bright picture of how people have been living in 16 to 20th century.

You will feel yourself as a true Kozak (Ukrainian Warrior) and discover the atmosphere of Ukrainian country life, surrounded by our hospitality and enjoying national cuisine

Situated right outside of Kyiv, Pirogovo consists of 6 parts, each representing a different region of Ukraine. It's basically a simulation of Ukrainian life from 16th century to this day. Ironically, the actual village of Pirogovo is right outside the 'fake' one, and life there has really been the same for centuries.

The territory is divided into separate zones corresponding to the historical regions of the country. From the main entrance, the road leads across a large field to the zone Middle Pridneieprovie with the great Church of the Great Martyr Saint Paraskeva Friday ( Cherkassy region, 1742), the small Church of the Archangel Michael ( 1601 ), and the unique collection of windmills ( ''vitriaky''). Next on the hillside comes the zone Podolie where visitors can see the Church of Saint Micholas and the bell tower from the beginning of the 19th century from near Gusiatin. A stone pot-house stands near the road. The complex Poltavshchina and Slobohanshchina is situated in the center of the museum territory. A little farther on, visitors can see the Polesiye one with Voskresenskaya Church ( Rovenshchina, 17th -18th century ) under it's hipped roof. The exposition of village houses ( khatas) here is unique for its age (1587 and 1987 ). In the northern part of the museum, the Carpathian zone is divided into small farms. The bell tower on the ancient Pokrovskaya Church rises above this one.

The visitors can enter the building and courtyards, see the details of old peasant life, household utensils, the stove, which was the center-piece of any khata, since it was used for cooking, drying, heating and res. Exhibits include objects from wood and ceramics, examples of weaving and embroidery. The employees of the museum are dressed in national costumes that appear very natural here. Pirogovo museum is the biggest establishment of it's kind in Eastern Europe. A visit to the museum allows you to the get acquainted with the origins of the Ukrainian spirit and take and unforgettable walk through picturesque surrounding. Traditional fairs are organized on the territory of the museum in May and in September (at the beginning and the end of season), and holidays are celebrated according to folk traditions.