Folk Craft Workshops at the Bukovynian Centre of Culture and Arts, Chernivtsi

The Bukovynian Centre of Culture and Arts is the main hub of folk art in Chernivtsi Oblast. It stands on Dominik Hill in the Klokuchka district, at 1-A Yosyfa Hlavky Street, and for more than eight decades — since a regional cultural centre was founded here in 1940 — it has collected, preserved and passed on the crafts and customs of Bukovyna. For travellers it is a place not only to see folk art but to try it yourself at a workshop.

Crafts you can try

When the centre was renovated, workshops for traditional crafts were set up here. According to its management, workshops are run in several fields:

• Pysanky — every year the centre's methodologists, folk art masters Vasyl and Alona Bezhenar, teach the painting of Bukovynian Easter eggs.
• Weaving — one past project had participants weaving a traditional shoulder bag (taistra) and a sash.
• Pottery — working with clay in the local tradition.
• Glass painting — an old technique of folk painting.

The centre also promotes cooperage and other rare crafts, and one room displays traditional tools and household objects.

Exhibitions, festivals and a new art space

The exhibition hall regularly hosts shows such as "Bukovynskyi Rozmai" with work by young artists, "Motifs of the Bukovynian Land" by art-school teachers, and Easter exhibitions of pysanky and wickerwork. The centre organises the folk festival "From Christmas to Epiphany" and the international folklore festival "Bukovynian Meetings", and holds lectures on the Bukovynian pysanka and presentations of books on folk dress and crafts.

In October 2026 the art space "Na bukovynskomu ganku" ("On the Bukovynian Porch") was blessed on the grounds — an open, roofed wooden stage built in the style of traditional Bukovynian architecture. It is planned for concerts, exhibitions, creative meetings and workshops for professional and amateur groups, folk craftspeople and the public, as well as a revival of the "Autumn Wedding" festival. The porch offers a panorama of the Roshu and Tsetsyno hills.

The Bukovynian pysanka

Pysanka making is one of the region's best-known crafts. Bukovynian Easter eggs stand out for their dense geometric and plant ornaments and for symbols such as the eight-pointed star, or "rose", which stands for the sun and life. Traditionally the pattern is drawn with hot beeswax using a stylus, and the egg is dipped into dyes in turn, from light colours to dark. At a workshop the meaning of the symbols is usually explained, and you are helped to make your own pysanka to take home.

Practical information

• Address: 1-A Yosyfa Hlavky St, Chernivtsi.
• Phone: +380 372 52-57-08.
• Email: [email protected].
• Website: bukcentre.cv.ua; announcements on Instagram @bukcentr.

There is no permanent workshop schedule: classes follow the events programme, most often before Easter and around folk holidays. Prices depend on the event. Guided visits used to be free, but arrange your visit in advance so someone can meet you. Check current announcements or call before you go.

Getting there

The centre sits on a hill above Klokuchka, north-west of Chernivtsi's historic centre. From Central Square it is about a half-hour walk, or take city transport or a taxi to Hlavky Street.

Website and social media: bukcentre.cv.ua · instagram.com

Photos: bukcentre.cv.ua; lh3.googleusercontent.com.