Pyrohiv

Pyrohiv ( _uk. Пирогів), also known as Pirogovo ( _ru. Пирогово), originally a village south of Kiev, is a neighborhood in the southern outskirts of the Ukrainian capital city. It is now home to an outdoor Museum of Folk Architecture and Life of Ukraine.

Although the origin of the toponym is uncertain, "pyrohiv" (gen. pl.) is a Ukrainian word meaning a kind of pastry.

Location

Archaeological evidence confirms that the territory of Pyrohiv has been settled at the times of the Bronze Age. "Pyrohivka" settlement was first mentioned in 1627, as a feudal domain of the Kievan Cave Monastery. The 1720 records mention the village of "Pyrozhov". The territory was included within the Kiev administrative boundary in 1957.

Two modern streets now go along the historic road "Pyrohiv way" (Pyrohivs'kyi Shlyah): the "Stolychne Shose" (Capital Motorway) and "Novopyrohivska" (New Pyrohiv) Street..

Museum

The territory of historic Pyrohiv now serves as the location of a 1.5 km² (370 acre) outdoor Museum of Folk Architecture and Life of Ukraine. Founded in 1969, the museum contains over 300 pieces of folk architecture brought here from all parts of Ukraine and carefully reassembled. The picturesque hill with several windmills is the museum centrepiece and the entire territory of the museum is divided into sectors, each representing the folk architecture and life of a specific Ukrainian region.

Commoner's homes, buildings of small trade, commerce and local administration, and old wooden village churches contain authentic items that represent the everyday lifestyle of Ukrainian villagers and townsfolk. Local volunteers and modern Ukrainian artisans selling their wares dress in old-style clothes and demonstrate the use of authentic everyday items to visitors.

Pyrohiv museum has been accorded the status of State Museum of Ukraine and is affiliated with the Institute of Arts, Folklore and Ethnology of the National Academy of Science of Ukraine.

Recent controversies

In recent years, several of the museum's wooden buildings have been damaged by fires. The most recent fire on September 15, 2006 completely destroyed one house and seriously damaged two others. According to both Institute Director Hanna Skrypnyk and the Ukrainian Ministry of Emergencies, the fire was the result of arson, set to cover up the theft of a valuable collection of eighteenth-century cassoni which were exhibited in the burned building. Skrypnyk noted that in Soviet times the museum had a designated security group and fire house, which were disbanded after the Soviet collapse owing to negligence in financing on the part of the Ukrainian government.

The land usage in the vicinity of the museum has become the centre of scandal as the local authorities approved several commercial construction projects, including a luxurious high-rise entertainment complex and a gasoline filling station. The construction work for the former is now stalled due to the public outrage, but the work on building the filling station near the museum entrance has proceeded.

References

*uk icon [http://museum.iatp.org.ua/ANNOUNCE/PIROGOVO.HTM Museum of Folk Architecture and Life of Ukraine] at the Ukrainian Intermuseum Centre Web-site
*uk icon [http://wek.kiev.ua/wiki/index.php/Народних_Архітектури_та_Побуту_музей Museum of Folk Architecture and Life] at Wiki [http://wek.kiev.ua/ WWW-Encyclopedia of Kiev]
*uk icon [http://wek.kiev.ua/wiki/index.php/Пирогів Pyrohiv] at Wiki [http://wek.kiev.ua/ WWW-Encyclopedia of Kiev]
*ru icon/uk icon Natalya Blyznyuk, "The Pyrohiv museum is in danger", "Ukrayina i Svit", March 3, 2006, [http://uwtoday.com.ua/articlea.asp?NID=658&JId=162&LID=2 in Russian] , [http://uwtoday.com.ua/articlea.asp?NID=658&JId=162&LID=1 in Ukrainian] .
*ru iconVladimir Kaminsky, " [http://today.viaduk.net/todayol.nsf/e056e386a85e239fc225712c006ca589/c2256713004f33f5c2257129005b2038!OpenDocument Is the Pyrohiv museum in danger?] ", "Sevodnya", March 3, 2006
*ru icon [http://www.pk.kiev.ua/city/2006/09/16/124158.html The Pyrohiv museum in Kiev was almost burnt] , "Gazeta po-kievski", August 16, 2006
*ru icon/uk icon "The scientists think that the fires in Pyrohiv are used to cover the theft from the museum", September 26, 2006, Korrespondent.net, [http://www.korrespondent.net/main/165275 in Russian] , [http://ua.korrespondent.net/main/57655/ in Ukrainian]
*ru icon " [http://glavred.info/archive/2006/09/25/200520-17.html The damage from Pyrihiv fire is estimated at 4 mln UAH] ", September 25, 2006, Glavred.info.