Pottery Museum

Thevillage of Kobolchyn in the Sokyryany district has long been famous for its pottery traditions. Entire dynasties have been practicing this craft here since ancient times. The locals decided to share their achievements in this difficult business with the world and opened the Pottery Museum in Kobolchyn , Chernivtsi region, which aims to introduce visitors to the pottery craft and tell them about the life of the villagers in the past.

Collection of the Pottery Museum

The museum's collection is quite large - more than 1000 exhibits were collected by the museum staff in Kobolchyn in a short period of time. You will be able to see pots of various shapes and other pottery made by local craftsmen over the past hundred years.

The museum will also tell you about the process of making pottery. The exposition features a large pottery kiln and pottery tools. In addition, there is a working pottery workshop where visitors can see the process of making pottery with their own eyes and even join in.

The museum also presents the history of the village of Kobolchyn, collecting household items used by villagers in the early 20th century, furniture, embroidered towels and carpets. Together, they can reveal the history of the village to travelers and introduce the culture of the locals.

History of the museum

The institution is very young today - it was opened in 2008, and it is truly unique, as there are only a few similar institutions in Ukraine. The initiative to open the museum and its implementation belongs to Ivan Honchar, a native of the village and an honored cultural worker. He managed to collect the museum's collection, organize it and present it to the general public.

How to get there

The Pottery Museum is located in the center of the village of Kobolchyn, Sokyriany district. The most convenient way to get here is by car, turning off the P-63 highway near Khotyn in the direction of Sokyriany. If you prefer public transportation, you can use buses from Chernivtsi to Sokyryany, which go through Kobolchyn. You can also get there by suburban train Chernivtsi - Sokyryany, and then take suburban buses to Kobolchyn either from the terminal station or from the Romankivtsi station.

Openinghours ofthe Museum of Pottery in Kobolchyn: the institution is open from 10:00 to 18:00, weekends - Monday and Tuesday.

Entrance fee: 10 UAH for adults and 5 UAH for children.

According to experts, the museum will be almost the only one in Ukraine in terms of the richness and variety of exhibits. It is a manifestation of deep respect for people who have been engaged in pottery since their grandparents, making pottery and various works of applied art from clay. About a thousand pots created by the pottery dynasties of Kobolchyn are kept here. During the Second World War, about 256 craftsmen were mobilized to the front. In 1960, only 130 potters remained in the village. They worked spontaneously, and the Soviet government suppressed the craftsmen with high taxes. The museum is decorated in the form of a potter's house. It even recreates how smoke comes out on the straw, because there were no chimneys before. In the Kobolchyn Museum, you can also learn the secrets of pottery in practice, as it has both equipment for the craft and working kilns for firing products. However, this is a museum not only of pottery, but also of the history of the village of Kobolchyn. It presents a rich arsenal of Ukrainian life of the last century. Ivan Gonchar collected unique exhibits for the museum: a large pottery kiln, kerosene lanterns, old carpets with three flowers that were a symbol of wealth, towels, old doors and windows, shutters. The large house has a chiseled table, sofas, chests, and benches. The master collected all the exhibits in old huts, many of which have already been demolished. Elements of a peasant hut with a stove, which has always been a favorite place for children, and a room for a girl in the publication with its essential attributes - various pillows, embroidered shirts, and towels - are recreated here. The craftswomen can demonstrate how the works of weaving art begin. Many of his fellow villagers helped Ihor Honchar in collecting things, pottery and farming equipment, samples of Bukovyna's national clothes of different times. They also worked a lot on the design of the exhibitions, which are placed in several halls in the old school building. And the new school in Kobolchyn village is located right next door. Thus, children have the opportunity to study the history of their native land. Ivan Ivanovych is convinced that the museum can and should offer both excursions and lessons in ethnography, fine arts, history, and study the customs of our ancestors' life and way of life.