Kosiv Market (Smodnyansky Market), Kosiv

Kosiv (Smodnyansky) Market in Ivano-Frankivsk region is a treasure trove of folk traditions, a corner of Hutsulshchyna that tourists and guests should definitely visit to fully experience this beautiful Carpathian region in Western Ukraine. Prices at the Kosiv market are lower than elsewhere (though they can't be called too low either). In the "popular" tourist spots of the region and in the shops of large cities in Ukraine, which often resell local products, the prices are significantly higher. In terms of size, the Kosiv market is only slightly smaller than the famous Chernivtsi Market. But behind the facade of souvenirs lies something more, as Kosiv is an ancient city of craftsmen.

The traditions of folk arts in Kosiv date back to ancient times. The city long thrived on salt extraction, ceramics, and carving, and it was only under Polish rule, which lasted briefly after World War I, that it became a resort. During Soviet times, the tourism sector was not highly regarded, but it did contribute to the development of folk art. Kosiv Institute of Decorative and Applied Arts is one of the few educational institutions of a "bohemian" profile in Ukraine. It has a museum with an interesting exhibition. For cultural impressions, you won't have to go far - the Institute building is located on Mickiewicz Street, not far from the river.

The structure of the Kosiv market is quite simple, making it easy for tourists to navigate. Similar products are mostly sold in certain parts of the market: in one place, you’ll find embroidered shirts, in another – carpets, and elsewhere – shoes. It’s easy to encounter stalls with mountain herbs, for example, stands with traditional dishes or children's toys. The "thematic" division of goods at the market is conditional; you won't find any signs to help you orient yourself.

It must be acknowledged that the Kosiv market does not yet boast a developed infrastructure. This applies to the surrounding area, the road surface in the market square, and the operation of restrooms. In fact, the market operates fully until 2 PM, but some sellers start packing up to go home around noon. However, it is not worth going to the market just to "look around". You should bring a large wallet and an even larger bag, as there are temptations at every turn. Some buyers come to Kosiv the day before to fully enjoy the market from early morning.

Kosiv Market is actually no longer entirely Kosiv, but Smodnyansky. The new name appeared after the market was moved to the neighboring village of Smodna. However, the new name has not really caught on, and it continues to be called Kosiv. The Kosiv market is among the TOP-10 souvenir markets in Ukraine. Among the most popular souvenirs here are: embroidered shirts (from embroidered t-shirts to elegant dresses), Carpathian herbal teas and alcoholic tinctures, wooden pens with a funny surprise, cheese horses, carpets, painted traditional ceramics, embroidered towels, carved wooden products (like boxes), trembita, clay whistles, rooster lollipops, wooden toys, cherec (a wide Hutsul belt with original decoration), kepter, Carpathian tincture, handmade chess, national clay dishes, jewelry, famous corals, clothing, bags, wooden products, interior and exterior elements, metal and leather goods. In total, there are over three hundred types of products collected here.

If you find that you have saved some time after visiting the Kosiv market, you can visit one of the wonderful museums located nearby: the Museum of Folk Art and Life of Hutsulshchyna, the Museum of Folk Creativity of Mykhailo Strutynsky, the Museum of the Liberation Struggle of the Prykarpattia region. Then your impressions of Kosivshchyna will be even brighter.

You can reach the Kosiv market by car or public transport. By car, the Kosiv market is located just a few dozen meters from the R24 highway, which connects Verkhovyna, Vorokhta, Kolomyia, and Horodenka. By bus, you can reach Kosiv without transfers from Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Chernivtsi, and many other cities and villages. The only thing to remember is that the market operates only on Saturdays from 4 AM to 2 PM (except for religious holidays). In the morning, the market is easy to find by joining the flow of buyers. During the season, there are so many souvenir seekers that it seems they are going to Kosiv for spawning. The Hutsul trading zone begins immediately after the bridge over the Rybnytsia River.

The market operates in the morning, and from 5:00 AM you can actively search for gerda, dishes, towels. For tourists who love to lounge in bed, there’s bad news: by around 11:00 AM, craftsmen and traders are already dispersing. Therefore, it’s better to arrive in the city the day before, or you’ll have to set off almost at sunrise. And what if you can’t make it to Kosiv on Saturday? Don’t worry - in the city, it’s not difficult to find a craftsman who has a small private museum and produces traditional household items. So you will still find the best Carpathian souvenir, just not at the market, but directly in the workshop.

In summer, the city sells delicacies: berries, mushrooms, cheese, etc. All of this is delicious and should be tried, but being a gourmet on Sunday is difficult. The church has a significant influence in the city, so delicacies are not sold on Sundays - you can buy souvenirs, but not brynza. However, Kosiv has a well-developed infrastructure, with 3 round-the-clock shops, and restaurants and cafes are usually open from 9:00 AM to 11:00 PM. So you won’t go hungry.

The market is filled with embroidered shirts, making it hard to choose just one - you don’t know which is better. You notice that the embroiderers keep their noses to the wind of fashion: there are embroidered shirts on white fabric, black, and gray in an antique style. The market also sells many genuine antique shirts, as they say here, "zribny". They have lain in trunks for decades, waiting for their time. Now there is a real boom for them. Here, you can also match accessories to the shirts - herds or corals. The market is also a kind of "gathering" of craftsmen, a search for new channels for product realization, creative competition, and a vernissage of fresh works.

You are unlikely to find a larger assortment of goods at any other market! And most importantly – every little thing that the smiling sellers will offer you carries the traditional Hutsul flavor.

Kosiv has long been the center of Hutsul applied arts. Here, carving, embroidery, carpet weaving, furriery (the tanning of leather with fur and the sewing of various clothing from it), brass working (a type of artistic metal processing), bone and wood carving, and pottery developed. The famous local greenish ceramics, as a traditional craft of the Carpathian region, has been included in the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Ukraine. And in 2019, Kosiv painted ceramics were included in the UNESCO List.

Thus, at the Kosiv market, there will be plenty of quality goods made by hand using authorial techniques. First of all – traditional Hutsul crafts: leather goods (bags, wallets, chereces – wide Hutsul belts with original decoration), postoly – traditional Hutsul footwear worn with woolen socks), Hutsul ceramics (dishes, also decorative, tiles for stoves or kitchens, antiques), musical instruments (trembita, clay whistles, trembita).

Beautiful wool products – warm socks, slippers, carpets, multifunctional woven rugs, wooden products, also decorated with Hutsul carving decorative wooden plates and high Hutsul chests, folk clothing (many authentic – outerwear, kepters, embroidered shirts, as well as modern – bead embroidery, smooth embroidery, embroidered dresses), bead and ceramic jewelry, traditional regional cheese horses, berries, white mushrooms, Carpathian tea. And of course, a lot of antiques.

Entry by car to the territory is paid, and there is both spontaneous and organized parking nearby. Trading begins at dawn, but at the tourist market at 9 AM, some are still just laying out their goods, so it’s not necessary to arrive too early. The market operates fully until 2 PM, but keep in mind that some sellers start packing up to go home after 12 PM. To visit the market, you probably need to stay overnight in Kosiv, or at least in the region, and wake up early to have time to get there.