Museum "Vyhoda Narrow Gauge Railway Heritage Center" Vyhoda

A unique museum, the Vyhoda Narrow Gauge Railway Heritage Center, has been opened in the village of Vyhoda, Dolyna district. Visitors here are introduced to the history of the region, including the timber processing tartak, and told about the life of ethnic Boikos, their culture and traditions. The interactive exhibition demonstrates the natural features of the Carpathian region and the ecosystem of the mountains. The interpretive center started its work in April 2016 and is located in the oldest building - the former estate of Leopold Popper von Podhragi.

The facility was being prepared for the opening for 2 years. The abandoned residence of the Austrian baron was restored and turned into a modern museum with interactive abstractions. This is the only center of its kind in Ukraine. Created with the support of the European Union as part of the Carpathian Narrow Gauge Railways initiative, in a few years it has acquired infrastructure, become a visitor center of the region and serves as a tourist crossroads. Plus, there are mountains at arm's length, the Mizunka River with waterfalls, and mineral springs.

In the center of the main hall, there is a rare steam locomotive that could once have served in the woodworking industry. There is also a model of the Vyhoda narrow-gauge railway, power supply circuit structures, samples of tree trunks, and many other interesting exhibits. In addition, the exposition presents the cultural aspect of the area, ethnographic achievements, and items created by folk craftsmen. Everyone can get all the necessary tourist information. There is also a natural history school for children and teenagers.

The museum "Vyhoda Narrow Gauge Railway Heritage Center" looks both old and new. This is true: it is the oldest building in Vyhoda, a monument dating back to 1885, the former residence of Austrian baron Leopold Popper von Podragi, owner of the local forests, founder of the first Vyhoda tartak (sawmill) and the first narrow-gauge railway in the Carpathians.

The railroad was built along the Svicha and Mizunka rivers deep into the mountains in 1890 to cut and transport timber. Initially, the cars and platforms were pulled by horses, and later they were replaced by a steam locomotive.

Until the beginning of the First World War, this was the Popper family farmstead - his son Oleksandr took over his father's woodworking business after his death. At the beginning of the twentieth century, there was a factory in Vyhoda that produced wooden blanks for musical instruments, and the goods were sold throughout the Austro-Hungarian Empire and beyond. The Polish era changed everything - the estate was first the headquarters of the military, and then the office of a company that also cut and processed wood at the former Popper facilities.

In Soviet times, after World War II, the house was used as a village club, and then closed down altogether. In the mid-2000s, it was almost a ruin. The monument was given a second life when the first Ukrainian center for historical and natural heritage was opened in 2015. Now it is a museum, a visitor center, and a conference hall under one roof. There are restrooms, showers, and lockers where tourists can leave their backpacks or outerwear. There is a separate seating area with a coffee machine and a collection of Carpathian teas. Free access to the Internet.

In the main hall, where the reception is located, local products are presented - teas and gingerbread, handmade souvenirs and jewelry, dolls, folk musical instruments, toys. A separate box contains wooden swords and axes, modern bats. "There is a merchant for every product," the administrator smiles. She offers us a flute - unlike the products from the souvenir markets of the Hutsul region, this one sounds like a trill.

One wing of the building is reserved for the museum. It has four sections and a cinema hall. The movie is part of the tour. The half-hour film was specially created for the Heritage Center and tells the story of Vyhoda in an original way, from the prehistoric period to the time of the Carpathians. The film introduces the world of the local inhabitants - the Boikos, tells about the charm of their simple life in the heart of the western Gorgan Mountains, about the preserved culture and traditions. It is dubbed in five languages - Ukrainian, English, Polish, Russian and German. "It is important to know this land in order to feel at home here," the guide will say at the beginning of the screening.

The museum's exhibition is original and unexpected in many ways. It is interactive - the exhibits do not just show something or tell about something, but do it in the form of games, tasks to which you need to find answers, and interact with them. The halls, according to their themes, also differ in light and echo the historical and natural monuments that can be seen from the Carpathian Tram. For example, the relict Shyrkovets b og is presented here as a "Fairy Tale Bog" where you can open windows and find "fairy-tale" plants from the Red Book.

The museum "Vyhoda Narrow Gauge Railway Heritage Center" is located in the town of Vyhoda at 66 Danyla Halytskoho Street. The institution is located next to the P21 highway, so that it is clearly visible from the road. You can get to the settlement by train or train, and there is a railway station in the village.

Opening hours: from Wednesday to Saturday from 9:00 to 18:00, on Sunday - until 17:00. Lunch is from 12:00 to 13:00. Monday and Tuesday are days off.