Bukovel Souvenir Market, Polianytsia

Polianytsia, Ivano-Frankivsk region, Ukraine

Bukovel Souvenir Market, Polianytsia — 2

Bukovel Souvenir Market, Polianytsia — 3

Bukovel Souvenir Market, Polianytsia — 4

Bukovel's souvenir market is a row of shops and stalls right in the centre of Ukraine's largest ski resort, on the territory of Polianytsia village. It lies near lift no. 1 and the Lake of Youth, along the footpaths walked every day by thousands of skiers and summer holidaymakers. It sells what people are used to bringing home from the Carpathians: woollens, sheepskins, Hutsul cheeses, honey, liqueurs and wooden souvenirs. The market is open all year and has become as much a part of a resort evening as a stroll around the lake.

Why go

Bukovel is a modern resort, and this market is the easiest place to feel that you are in the Hutsul region. After skiing or a hike up Bukovel and Syniak you can wander between the rows, try on a warm woollen waistcoat, pick up socks and mittens for the next day, taste smoked cheese and buy gifts to take home. Sellers happily tell you which villages their goods come from, and some knit and sew themselves. The market also keeps long hours, so you can drop in in the evening after the slopes have closed.

What to buy and taste

Wool and sheepskin: sweaters, waistcoats, socks, mittens, slippers, sheepskins and lizhnyk blankets.
Hutsul cheeses: bryndza, budz, smoked cheese “horses” and plaits.
Honey and forest produce: mountain and forest honey, bilberry jam, dried mushrooms, herbal teas.
Liqueurs and tinctures made with berries and herbs, in bottles with colourful labels.
Souvenirs: carved tableware, spoons, magnets, icons on wood and fabric, motanka dolls, wooden massagers.

Hutsul crafts next to the resort

Polianytsia and the neighbouring villages around Yaremche and Nadvirna have long been known for sheep farming, weaving and woodwork. Woollens were knitted for the winter, lizhnyk blankets were woven from coarse sheep's wool and fulled in water-powered troughs, and tableware and tools were carved from beech, sycamore and spruce. Today the market sells factory-made souvenirs alongside items by local women knitters and craftsmen, so if you are after genuine handicraft, ask who made the piece and where, and look for natural wool and handwork.

Practical information

Where: Polianytsia village, Shchyvky area, centre of the Bukovel resort — near lift no. 1 and the Lake of Youth, next to the supermarket.

When: daily, all year; in season the shops open from morning till late evening. Individual sellers may keep different hours.

Prices: resort prices — a little higher than at the bazaars of Kosiv or Verkhovyna, but the choice is wide. Most sellers accept cards, though some cash is handy.

Getting there

Bukovel is about 30 km from Yaremche and 110 km from Ivano-Frankivsk. By car, take the H-09 road to Tatariv and follow the signs to Bukovel. In summer and winter buses and minibuses run from Ivano-Frankivsk, Yaremche and Vorokhta, and from Yaremche and Vorokhta railway stations you can reach the resort by taxi or transfer. The market is within walking distance of the central car parks.