Cross-border route “Carpathian Cultural Route”

MORE THAN A JOURNEY!

The Carpathian Cultural Route is a unique cross-border tourist route that connects 40 of the most prominent and interesting historical and cultural heritage sites of the Ivano-Frankivsk and Zakarpattia regions (Ukraine) and the Maramureș county (Romania), 11 of which are on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Carpathian Cultural Route

In the Carpathian region, you can admire not only picturesque mountain landscapes, but also beautiful old buildings created in harmony with nature itself. 

The region has a unique cultural and historical heritage. There are a large number of museums, architectural and religious monuments that are not only of architectural but also historical value. In cities, these historic buildings are usually used as concert halls, museums, art galleries and other cultural institutions.

There are dozens of museums whose thematic collections have accumulated unique specimens over the centuries, ranging from prehistoric objects to the present day. They represent the vibrant Carpathian culture, folk crafts, trades, architecture, as well as the extraordinary geology, flora and fauna of the Carpathian region. The museums also cover the tragic pages of the region’s history, both during the Second World War and the communist period. This region is multinational, so some exhibitions also present the culture, life, and crafts of other peoples – Jews, Armenians, Poles, Turks, and others.

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Objects of the Carpathian cultural route

Church of the Descent of the Holy Spirit, UNESCO

The oldest surviving wooden church in Ukraine, a monument of folk architecture and monumental art of national importance. The Church of the Holy Spirit in Rohatyn was probably built in the first half of the seventeenth century, although it is still officially dated to 1598 – this date was found…

Rohatyn Historical and Local Lore Museum “Opillya”

The museum’s exposition covers the past of Rohatyn district in a historical and chronological sequence.  The first exhibition hall presents the most ancient history of the region, from the Paleolithic period to the developed Middle Ages, starting with primitive tools and their reconstructions. Visitors can see fragments of Lipytska culture…

National Reserve “Davniy Halych”

A complex of historical and cultural monuments of Davniy Halychand the Halych-Volyn state of the 12th-13th centuries, most of which are located within the modern village of Krylos and the city of Halych, Halych district, Ivano-Frankivsk region. The area of the reserve is almost 80 km². Halych Castle, 14th century.

Geological Museum of the Ivano-Frankivsk National Technical University of Oil and Gas

The Geological Museum is located in the main building of the Ivano-Frankivsk National Technical University of Oil and Gas in a 550 m2 hall. The museum’s collections have been replenished through the acquisition of exhibits at exhibitions, museums, expeditions and from individuals in Bonn, Paris, Prague, Vienna, New York, Freiberg,…

Complex of buildings of the Potocki Palace with gates.

An architectural and urban planning monument of historical significance in the city of Ivano-Frankivsk. The palace complex was built in 1672-1682 and was completed in the 1980s. It was built by Polish Crown Hetman Andriy Potocki for himself and his family. The complex of buildings of the Potocki Palace was…

Fortress gallery «Bastion»

The Bastion Fortress Gallery has long been a favourite place for many residents of Ivano-Frankivsk to relax and enjoy shopping. Visitors from other cities and even countries often come here. The gallery opened in 2012, and its project was developed by famous architects. In their work, they emphasised the great…

Ivano-Frankivsk Museum of Local Lore.

The Ivano-Frankivsk Museum of Local Lore was opened on 1 May 1940 in a building on 7 Halytska Street. At that time, the museum’s exposition included sections on history, folk art, nature, and a book collection.  In 1957, the City Hall (designed by architect Treli) was transferred to the museum.

Art Museum of Prykarpattia.

The Museum of Arts of Prykarpattia is a rich treasure trove of fine and folk art of the region. Currently, the 15,000-strong museum collection includes unique monuments of Galician iconography and Baroque sculpture, including 5 sculptures by Pinsel; works by the classics of Western Ukrainian painting – Kornil Ustianovych, Ivan…

Kosiv Institute of Applied and Decorative Arts of Lviv National Academy of Arts.

Kosiv Art School is a leading regional higher education institution that has celebrated its 140th anniversary and is of great importance for the development of culture and art not only in the Carpathian region but also throughout Ukraine. The Institute and the College of Decorative and Applied Arts perform an…

Yosaphat Kobrynskyi National Museum of Hutsulshchyna and Pokuttia Folk Art.

Over its almost century-long history, the Kobrynsky National Museum of Folk Art of Hutsulshchyna and Pokuttia has become a significant cultural institution for research, preservation and promotion of folk culture and artistic heritage of the Carpathian region. It was founded in 1926 on the initiative of Volodymyr Kobrynskyi as the…

Museum of Ethnography, Life and Musical Instruments by Roman Kumlyk.

The museum was organised in the early 2000s. The materials have been collected over 30 years, including household items, ancient Hutsul clothing, tools, banknotes of different times, and much more, which gives an idea of the life of the Hutsuls. The collection of musical instruments is particularly noteworthy, including violins…

Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, UNESCO.

According to the legend, the present-day Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was built with opryshkivskyi money by Hryhorii Melnyk, who lived for 114 years and was buried right next to the church. The donor inscription in front of the entrance names Hryhorii Semeniuk and “other pharmacists”…

Folk-park “Hutsul Land”

The Hutsul Land ethno-park on the territory of the Bukovel ski and SPA resort is an original, carefully dismantled and moved wooden huts of the XIX-XX centuries, along with utensils and recreated everyday life, where representatives of various Carpathian ethnic groups lived: Hutsuls, Boyky, Lemky. There is also a skansen,…

Petro Shekeryk-Donykiv Memorial Museum, Kryivka Museum. 

Petro Shekerik-Donikov belongs to the cohort of the most famous and conscious Ukrainian Hutsuls who cared with all their hearts and souls about their native mountains, their sweet and dear Hutsul land. He fought against the invaders-conquerors of all stripes who oppressed his Hutsul brothers and destroyed their native land.

Hutsulshchyna Museum of History and Local Lore.

Verkhovyna is one of the largest Hutsul regions in the Carpathians. It is here, living in an area remote from large settlements, that over the centuries the locals have been best able to preserve their traditions and protect them from the influence of the “outside world”. Today, the museum has…

Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary belongs to the Hutsul school of traditional church building. The building is cruciform in plan, five-storeyed, and one-storeyed. Thanks to the artistic means, perfect proportions, good location and a raised stone base, the interior space of the church, despite its…

Park – Museum “Carpathians in Miniature”.

Here you can get acquainted with the famous cultural heritage sites, architectural monuments and interesting natural objects of the Yaremche region. All copies of the park’s exhibits are 25 times smaller than the original size of the popular tourist attractions. But despite such a tiny size, every line, carving, colour…

Maramureș County Museum of History and Archaeology

The idea of establishing a museum in Baia Mare originated in the late 19th century, when there were already quite consistent collections of “old objects”, capitalised on by the first historical exhibition. On 31 August 1899, thanks to the efforts of the historian Schӧnherr Gyula, the Baia Mare Museum Association…

Church of the Ascension, UNESCO

The Yasinya community is rich in cultural and architectural monuments inherited from previous generations. Each monument reflects our heritage, historical past and achievements. The Church of the Ascension is an architectural monument of national importance that was built in 1824.  The iconostasis has been preserved inside the church since its…

Maramureș Museum, Sighetu Marmației.

It is a regional museum that represents the historical province of Maramures. The current structure of the museum includes it as a type of museum complex, nationally representative of each historical province of the country. It differs from museums based on territorial and administrative structures, i.e. county museums, which are…

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Useful information about the region

History

Ivano-Frankivsk and Zakarpattia regions are located in the geographical centre of Europe. Ivano-Frankivsk region shares borders with Zakarpattia, Lviv, Ternopil, Chernivtsi regions of Ukraine and Romania, and Zakarpattia region shares borders with Ivano-Frankivsk and Lviv regions of Ukraine, as well as with four countries of the European Union – Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania (Maramures County). Maramures County is located in the northwestern part of Romania. Maramures County is bordered by Suceava County to the east, Bistrița Năsăud, Cluj, Salaj to the south, Satu Mare County to the west, and the state border with Ukraine to the north. This region is multinational, so in addition to Ukrainian and Romanian cultural heritage, separate exhibitions present the culture, life and crafts of other peoples – Hungarians, Jews, Karaites, Armenians and Poles.

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Useful information for tourists

Given the particularities of the rules of behaviour in the mountains along the route of the Carpathian Cultural Route, we recommend that you do not take it lightly and register at the post of the relevant local mountain rescue service in Ukraine or Romania before going to the mountains. The Carpathian Cultural Route provides an opportunity not only to visit the sites along the route, but also to improve your health in numerous sanatoriums, go skiing and other outdoor activities. For convenience, we recommend contacting local tourist information centres and tour operators.

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Culture, customs and traditions

For those interested in colour and gastronomic traditions, the Carpathian Cultural Route offers meetings with craftsmen and master classes in leather processing, pottery, quilt making, woodworking, metalwork (artistic processing of brass and copper), embroidery and Easter egg making and other traditional crafts of the Carpathians, as well as tasting of craft products and local cuisine. The region has preserved not only ancient crafts, but also the traditions of celebrating religious holidays, which have absorbed and transformed pre-Christian beliefs, traditions and rituals.

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Unique tourist attractions

The region has a unique cultural and historical heritage. There are a large number of museums, architectural and religious monuments of historical value, as well as historical monuments. These buildings usually house concert halls, museums, art galleries and other cultural institutions, as well as themed festivals. There are dozens of museums whose thematic collections have accumulated unique examples over the centuries, ranging from prehistoric objects to the present day. They represent the vibrant Carpathian culture, folk crafts, trades, architecture, as well as the extraordinary geology, flora and fauna of the Carpathian region. The museums also highlight the tragic pages of the region’s history and the fate of people of different nationalities.

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Natural resources

The Carpathian Cultural Route combines the opportunity to visit more than 30 nature reserves in Ukraine and Romania, including the well-known hiking routes through the Chornohora and Gorgany Mountains in Ukraine and the Rodnei Mountains in Romania. Water tourism (rafting) – the Dniester Canyon, Prut, Black and White Cheremosh. Legendary rocks, picturesque mountain lakes and waterfalls, as well as the unique Starunsky mud volcano with a prehistoric past.

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Transport connection

This tourist product has a main programme, which is the most saturated with targeted cultural and historical sites, which actually determine the content of the proposed tour. The transport network includes an airport, railway and bus stations, as well as car rental. Accordingly, there are car service and petrol stations.

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