Information
Landmark: Regional Museum of Local LoreCity: Uzhhorod
Country: Ukraine
Continent: Europe
Regional Museum of Local Lore, Uzhhorod, Ukraine, Europe
Overview
The Transcarpathian Regional Museum of Local Lore, named after Tyvodar Lehotskyi, sits inside the stone walls of historic Uzhhorod-castle_uzhhorod" class="underline">Uzhhorod Castle at 33 Kapitulna Street.Founded on June 20, 1945, it’s now led by director Olha Shumovska and holds more than 133,000 exhibits.Visitors can explore from Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and should call +380 31 261 44 32 for details.Its main draws include archaeology and ancient artifacts, with one of Ukraine’s largest Bronze Age and Celtic collections-rows of weathered tools that still catch the light.Archaeologists unearthed artifacts in the Transcarpathian region-pottery shards, worn smooth by time-that reveal the lives and cultures of ancient settlements.Numismatics-an impressive collection of over 12,000 coins, some still cool to the touch from the metal cases that hold them.It features coins from ancient Rome through Austria, Hungary, Poland, the Czech lands, and Ukraine-some worn smooth by centuries of passing hands.Manuscripts and Rare Books houses treasured historical works, like the 1581 Ostroh Bible-its thick, aged pages make up one of the earliest complete Slavic Bibles.The Royal Gospel manuscript from 1401, its pages tinged with the faint smell of aged parchment.Ethnography showcases traditional folk clothing and the intricate embroidery of the Transcarpathian peoples, with bright threads stitched into dense, swirling patterns.Local ethnic groups use musical instruments and everyday items-a drum’s warm thump, a worn wooden bowl-to shape their daily lives.Presentations that dive into the region’s customs, traditions, and everyday life-like the smell of bread baking in a village oven.Weapons and firearms from the 16th through 19th centuries, their metal worn smooth by time and touch.Furniture, old papers, and other pieces that reveal Transcarpathia’s history and culture-like a carved oak chair worn smooth by decades of use.The Nature Branch now features a freshly renovated section that celebrates the region’s natural environment, from mossy riverbanks to the scent of pine in the air.Hands-on exhibits bring the region’s plants and wildlife to life, from the pine’s sharp scent to the flash of a trout in clear water.Colorful, hands-on displays invite visitors of all ages to discover the natural heritage of Transcarpathia, from the scent of wild herbs to the curve of a mountain ridge.Admission fees are 100 UAH for adults, 70 UAH for students, 75 UAH for pensioners, 40 UAH for school-age children, and free for preschoolers; guided tours in Russian or Ukrainian cost 350 UAH for adults and 250 UAH for children, while thematic tours are 400 UAH, all set within Uzhhorod Castle’s stone walls, where the windows frame sweeping views of the city.It hosts pop-up exhibitions and lively cultural events that bring the region’s history and ethnography to life-like a display of handwoven linen you can still smell faintly of flax.Just a short walk away, you’ll find the Museum of Folk Architecture and Life, an open-air display of weathered wooden cottages, and the Transcarpathian Art Museum, where walls glow with the colors of local artists’ work.Step inside this museum and you’ll dive into the history, culture, and wild landscapes of the Transcarpathian region-old wooden carvings, mountain air still clinging to them-making it a must for anyone curious about Eastern European heritage.
