Ukrainian-Ruthenian Open Air Museum SNM, Svidník

Opened in 1982 as a branch of the Museum of Ukrainian-Ruthenian Culture in Svidník, this 10-hectare open air folkloric museum presents the traditional lifestyle of the Ukrainian-Ruthenian community of Slovakia.

Traditional Ukrainian-Ruthenian buildings have been relocated and reconstructed here and are presented in period style with typical folkloric furniture and fittings, traditional working tools and the samples of folkloric art. Besides traditional dwelling houses there are all kinds of traditional outbuildings, including barns, pigsties, granaries, stables, cellars, wells and other smaller structures, which are used for the installation of traditional of traditional agricultural tools such as carriages, ploughs and baskets. Technical buildings and outbuildings are represented by a watermill, a windmill and a sawmill. Religious buildings include a richly-decorated wooden church dating from 1766, relocated from the village of Nová Polianka (Mergeška). Days of Handicraft and Folk traditions are organised on a regular basis, with displays illustrating the hand processing of wicker, wood, clay, metal, threads and leather, fruit and vegetable expositions and agricultural expositions, as well as international cookery competitions. Refreshments are offered in a traditional carriage drivers' pub.

The museum includes a modern open-air theatre where every year between 30,000 and 50,000 people attend the Festival of Ukrainian-Ruthenian Culture of Slovakia. An important focus of this annual event is the folkloric-ethnographic programme Treasures of the People which involves traditional folk weddings, Easter customs, christenings, spinning, children’s games, markets, folk amusements and displays of traditional folk handicrafts.