Which open-air museum is the largest in Ukraine?

The National Museum of Folk Architecture of Ukraine, located on the southern outskirts of Kyiv, is the largest open-air museum (skansen) in Ukraine and one of the largest in Europe. Its area covers 133.5 hectares, so keep in mind that visiting the museum will take an entire day. We do not know whether anyone has ever managed to walk the whole territory in a single day while also visiting every house, church, or mill and exploring their exhibitions. 

The National Museum of Folk Architecture of Ukraine is an architectural and landscape complex that encompasses all historical and ethnographic regions of Ukraine: Polissia, Slobozhanshchyna and Poltava region, the Carpathians, the Dnipro region, Podillia, and the South. From these regions, around 300 monuments of folk architecture from the 16th to the 20th centuries were transported to the museum grounds and installed there, harmoniously arranged within a picturesque landscape. These include traditional residential and farm buildings (houses, storehouses, various types of mills, forges, wells, etc.) of the old Ukrainian village, as well as its characteristic religious structures (wooden churches and chapels). The oldest architectural exhibit is a house from the second half of the 16th century from Volyn. 

The museum’s collection has been formed over several decades and now comprises more than 83,000 museum objects, some of which are displayed in the interiors of the exhibitions. These authentic household items, works of folk art, and tools introduce visitors to the main and auxiliary occupations of Ukrainians from various ethnic groups and regions. These occupations include agriculture, animal husbandry, horticulture, fishing, pottery, weaving, shoemaking, brewing, woodworking, and more. 

The museum staff not only ensure that the buildings and their interiors are properly maintained but also take care of the areas around the houses and other structures: they sow flowers, plant shrubs, and dry fragrant herbs under the ceiling beams of the houses—in other words, they do what homeowners have done around their dwellings for centuries. 

The landscape of the skansen is diverse: it includes hills, valleys, a ravine, forests, and wooded gullies. Thanks to this, the museum staff have been able to arrange the exhibition areas in a way that closely reflects the real landscape features of different regions. For example, the Carpathian exhibition is located on steep hillsides. As a result, visitors not only become familiar with folk architecture and household items from various regions of Ukraine, but also find themselves in landscapes typical of those regions, creating a sense of immersion in the geography, everyday life, and culture of the respective ethnographic area. 

Kyiv residents often call this museum “Pyrohiv,” after the settlement of Pyrohiv in which it is located. The name “Pyrohiv” is the normative form in the Ukrainian language and in toponymy, whereas the forms “Pyrohovo” or “Pirogovo” are Russified, so they should be avoided. Today, Pyrohiv is within the city limits of Kyiv, so the museum’s official address is: Kyiv, Akademika Tron’ka Street, 1. It can be reached by public transport from the “Vystavkovyi Tsentr” metro station, followed by a walk. Since the museum grounds are large, it is advisable to wear comfortable footwear. There is a small food court and retail kiosks on the premises. 

The Pyrohiv Museum is worth visiting at any time of the year, weather permitting. If you are staying in Kyiv for an extended period, we recommend visiting the museum during folk or religious holidays, when folklore groups perform on the grounds, workshops are held, and you can take part in traditional celebrations yourself. On certain days, religious services and rituals are conducted in the churches located on the museum grounds. Information about current events can be found on the museum’s website: https://www.pyrohiv.com/