tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91207561111919056212024-03-18T21:15:21.660-07:00Wooden Churches and Folk Architecture of Central & Eastern EuropeThis blog is dedicated to the wooden churches and other forms of traditional folk architecture found throughout Central & Eastern Europe, particularly the Carpathian Mountains region in Ukraine, Slovakia, Poland, Romania and the Czech Republic. My eventual goal is to visit and photograph all of these churches, and I will post the photos and a description of each of them here.Goulash Trainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07469376520091036889noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120756111191905621.post-91945268642319770112019-07-28T15:42:00.000-07:002019-07-28T15:42:19.248-07:00Roztoka, Ukraine
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The small village of Roztoka lies in the foothills of the Carpathians in a remote and rustic corner of Ukraine's Zakarpattya region. Located several kilometres off the main road between Volovets and Mizhhirya, the village stretches along a valley with the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary a short climb up the embankment from the roadside. The church sits on a very steep incline with the doorway facing uphill with the bell tower directly in front and a small cemetery along the side.
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Originally constructed in the 1600's, the church has changed its appearance several times in its history. The original structure had a Boyko design with three steeples above the roof of the nave with the tallest placed in the centre. In 1759 the church was rebuilt in a Baroque style with the single square-sided tower above the entrance seen today. At some point the original porch entrance with its wooden columns were replaced with a modern enclosed verandah with glass windows.
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The interior of the church is mostly empty, since the villagers sold the iconostasis and some of the icons in 2001 and the rest of the interior fittings were moved to another more modern church in the village. As a result the wooden church is not used for regular religious services and is seldom opened. The structure of the church was in danger of collapsing in the early 2000's but efforts to stabilize the roof were successful following restoration work conducted in 2005.
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The current wooden bell tower dates from the eighteenth century, though an older structure likely stood on the same spot. Its square floor plan with two levels and an octagonal roof above is typical for the region and many of the surrounding villages have church bell towers with a similar appearance.
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Getting to Roztoka is challenging by public transport, though minibuses run several times per day between Volovets and Mizhhirya and stop at the turnoff point for the village. From the bus stop it's a walk of about three kilometres along the road up the valley to reach the church, which is hidden in a clump of trees on the left-hand side. Finding the person who keeps the keys for the church proved challenging during my visit, I was unable to see the interior despite asking several villagers.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZcxHG4XT5hEPMqc93rvh_TdteYzFZoWc0k9iSMuw6hsLFBb5c4OCFg-EF0IeT1gzkomoC1hZ_5bDOmzg-5V5DvEMbJVZVsOn9N_JsueS9w_9ZR813gsBXgeSxSlT7hj1HBo0Vl5iqeCf_/s1600/IMG_1520.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZcxHG4XT5hEPMqc93rvh_TdteYzFZoWc0k9iSMuw6hsLFBb5c4OCFg-EF0IeT1gzkomoC1hZ_5bDOmzg-5V5DvEMbJVZVsOn9N_JsueS9w_9ZR813gsBXgeSxSlT7hj1HBo0Vl5iqeCf_/s640/IMG_1520.JPG" width="640" height="480" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1200" /></a></div>Goulash Trainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07469376520091036889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120756111191905621.post-77380579815281011912018-12-15T20:02:00.002-08:002018-12-15T20:03:26.330-08:00Huklyvyi, Ukraine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyboDNsLskI62twueTEDPwjHP2OYy7SiGZ2x-gFHAeE-1Bwxgt8P8kJ-1NL8hpZ6hauOrSSQpG0WUezULcEGmzLn9ERfEcp5J_nFPv33P5FZuHW4pW1uPoYelAajXZurIU75NMlRQdD3U-/s1600/IMG_1441.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyboDNsLskI62twueTEDPwjHP2OYy7SiGZ2x-gFHAeE-1Bwxgt8P8kJ-1NL8hpZ6hauOrSSQpG0WUezULcEGmzLn9ERfEcp5J_nFPv33P5FZuHW4pW1uPoYelAajXZurIU75NMlRQdD3U-/s640/IMG_1441.JPG" width="640" height="480" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1200" /></a></div>
Huklyvyi is a small village located a few kilometres from the town of Volovets in a remote corner of Ukraine's Zakarpattia region. The Church of the Holy Spirit stands near the top of the village with a small stream running in front of it and forested hills behind. A crumbling wooden fence and a small grove of trees surround it and the accompanying bell tower. This is one of Zakarpattia's oldest and finest wooden churches, with beautifully proportioned contours.
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Built in the middle of the 18th century, the church represents an early phase in the development of the Boyko architectural style, before the broad adoption of the three-cupola domed design plan. The beautiful iconostasis inside dates from 1784.
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During the Communist period the church was preserved as a "Museum of Atheism," which helped to protect its iconostasis and interior fittings. In 1970 the church underwent extensive restorations, but by the 1990s the church had fallen into disrepair and some of the roof shingles had rotted to the point where rain could penetrate inside the structure. Community funds were raised to fix the roof and in 2001 work began on a new shingle roof.
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The eight-metre bell tower is tall and narrow, with a ladder providing access to an upper platform below the bells. A second bell tower once stood on the opposite side of the church, but it was torn down in the 1940s. Several old stone cross markers surround the church, most are marked with dates from the early 1800s.
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Getting to Huklyvyi by bus or marshrutka requires some advance planning with the timetables, but isn't too difficult. Buses from Uzhhorod and Mukacheve run to the nearby town of Volovec several times per day, and local marshrutkas head south quite regularly covering the 5 kilometres to the Huklyvyi bus stop. From there walk up the hill through the village about one kilometre to reach the church. The keys are theoretically kept by the family who live next door to the church, though I was unable to find anyone who could open it during my visit.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQWgNqvl5yJEGzsPveX6DPfa-WViRWPFs0aIE4SiGK1U-vUsYMmrQ0G_JXEUb3XfKAI1y_BXFQ7vMZaPJE3aarSGWbP86NqkkH2_c-mwhEXJz6ywJjL4GpDJR5n2qdyDq8TVjdWxFMLiTr/s1600/IMG_1451.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQWgNqvl5yJEGzsPveX6DPfa-WViRWPFs0aIE4SiGK1U-vUsYMmrQ0G_JXEUb3XfKAI1y_BXFQ7vMZaPJE3aarSGWbP86NqkkH2_c-mwhEXJz6ywJjL4GpDJR5n2qdyDq8TVjdWxFMLiTr/s640/IMG_1451.JPG" width="480" height="640" data-original-width="1200" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div>Goulash Trainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07469376520091036889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120756111191905621.post-80920272742321489182015-10-21T06:55:00.000-07:002015-10-21T06:55:10.940-07:00Nehrovets, Ukraine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQSmyo8OC3Zu3NPXPwYn_PO9YbGJyTOwPZdJRirfBbomD74kYkZY_uMRVrVi9PbIgMqW_Pk8mCMKG0fyRbE8MUTCoVAI5Trw7dPHWVPzRaMfKnanExXtB2xR-cxNGXGbsEtjWsRZOzh7UF/s1600/IMG_1652.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQSmyo8OC3Zu3NPXPwYn_PO9YbGJyTOwPZdJRirfBbomD74kYkZY_uMRVrVi9PbIgMqW_Pk8mCMKG0fyRbE8MUTCoVAI5Trw7dPHWVPzRaMfKnanExXtB2xR-cxNGXGbsEtjWsRZOzh7UF/s640/IMG_1652.JPG" /></a></div>
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Nehrovets is a small village in the Zakarpattya region of western Ukraine, close to the larger village of Kolochava and 40 kilometres north of the small city of Khust. The church stands on a low hill above the central part of the village, with tall trees making it hard to see from the road. Views of the peaks and ridges of the Carpathian mountains to the north make an impressive backdrop for the church and separate wooden bell tower.
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The church is dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel and was built during the eighteenth century. It is constructed primarily of spruce wood. The floor plan of the church features three rooms and there are three distinct roof lines above, making it an example of the Boyko architectural style. The height of the tower and the steeple above it dominate the structure, yet the overall design retains well-balanced proportions. An inscription indicates that in 1918 the church was moved to the present location and received a new roof and tower at that time.
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The church interior contains a modern iconostasis and icons, though several historical icons from the 18th century have also been preserved. A large two-storey bell tower stands at the top of the steps leading up from the road. The bell tower has a shape which is typical for the 'Verkhovina' highlands of this region, though it is in a much better state of preservation than most others. A modern wooden church stands beside the historical one and serves as the main place of worship for the local villagers.
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Nehrovets is difficult to reach by public transport, the best option is to walk the two kilometres along the road from the neighbouring village of Kolochava which has limited bus and marshrutka connections to Khust. In the morning marshrutkas also go from Nehrovets to the nearby town of Mizhhirya. The road through the village is paved but it is not in good condition. The keeper of the church keys lives across the road from the church, though I was unable to locate them during my visit.
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This small Greek Catholic church lies on a hill above the village of Hrabová Roztoka in eastern Slovakia, just a few kilometres from the border with Ukraine. The church was built in the middle of the 18th century and dedicated to Saint Basil the Great. A sign on the rear wall of the church declares it to be a 'national cultural monument' of Slovakia (this type of metal sign is affixed to most of Slovakia's wooden churches), but interestingly a second sign declares it to be 'Ukrainian national architecture' written in the Ukrainian Cyrillic alphabet.
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The church has a simple, rustic design which is similar to the nearby church in the village of Ruská Bystrá. It follows a three-room plan with a nave, sanctuary and 'babinec' or entrance room, while above there are two towers with onion domes topped by three-barred iron crosses. In the front tower there are three bells which date from 1796. The roof and exterior walls underwent repairs and replacement of wooden tiles in the year 2000.
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The impressive iconostasis in the interior dates from 1794 and is almost as old as the church itself. A rare feature of this church among those in Slovakia is the Czar door, in place of the usual 'Tree of Jesse' doors. In the second row of the iconostasis the image of the Last Supper is in the central position, instead of the more common image of Christ. Five icons were stolen from the church in 2003; they were later recovered, but were damaged and required restoration.
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Kalná Roztoka can be reached by infrequent buses from the towns of Snina and Stakčín to the north, while the neighbouring village of Ruská Bystrá has bus services connecting it to the town of Sobrance to the south. Therefore it is possible to see both Ruská Bystrá and Kalná Roztoka in a day by walking along the forest trail between them and arriving and departing from each by bus. The church key keeper lives down the hill in the centre of the village, but they weren't at home when I visited.
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4053A6LXm7PpNw11GU_2WlxIsRE64wsvo05AknAsSwYix5WNrAE_Ws9Vxi2VttNdI_ZyNCfK8WObYKyopmHcmnpexBs1sDV8BRmd6NwTVINDPAFTUU3ji1Ya8Z3-_jxOGHkKSUznbsE6H/s1600/Spring+2009+Geoff+336.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4053A6LXm7PpNw11GU_2WlxIsRE64wsvo05AknAsSwYix5WNrAE_Ws9Vxi2VttNdI_ZyNCfK8WObYKyopmHcmnpexBs1sDV8BRmd6NwTVINDPAFTUU3ji1Ya8Z3-_jxOGHkKSUznbsE6H/s640/Spring+2009+Geoff+336.jpg" /></a></div>Goulash Trainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07469376520091036889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120756111191905621.post-22411250238195061022015-10-13T06:30:00.000-07:002015-10-13T06:30:27.504-07:00Slavoňov, Czech Republic
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This Roman Catholic wooden church sits on a small hill at the edge of the village of Slavoňov in the East Bohemia region of the Czech Republic. The church was built in 1553 on the site of a much older structure. It was originally founded by Utraquists (a moderate branch of the Hussite movement) and dedicated to Saint Martin, but the church became Roman Catholic in 1683.
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The large bell tower within the church yard dates from the same era as the church, probably built in 1555. The lower half of the tower is made of brick and its height suggests it was also intended to have a defensive military function in the event of the village coming under attack. Three bells cast in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries hang in the tower.
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The beams of the church are made of oak, spruce and fir logs. The joints between the logs were filled in with mortar and then the exterior of the building was covered in whitewash. The interior walls and ceiling are painted with murals of plants and flowers which date from the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries. The murals were restored twice in the twentieth century.
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Getting to Slavoňov is possible by public transport since there are several buses daily from the nearby town of Nové Město nad Metují which has train and bus links to most major cities across the country. The village is just 4 kilometres east of Nové Město nad Metují so it is also possible to walk there along a forest trail. The church is open for religious services four times per week, and at other times the door into the front entrance room is left open where it is possible to get an obstructed view of the church interior.
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Kostryna is a small village in the north-western part of Zakarpattya region in Ukraine, close to the borders with Slovakia and Poland. The church stands at the top of a hill above the village in a clearing among the trees. New wooden steps added in 2013 lead the way up the hill from the road. The church is a fascinating example of a hybrid architectural style encompassing both Boyko and Lemko elements in its design. This is apparent in the large, dominant central tower above the nave, a feature of Boyko design, combined with the three towers descending in height from the bell tower above the entrance area, a feature of Lemko style.
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The Church of the Intercession was built in 1761 and the original structure is a fine example of Boyko design. However, the addition of a taller bell tower above the entrance area in place of the original tower converted the style of the church from Boyko to Lemko, showing the dominant influence of Lemko style in this region in the early nineteenth century. This modification likely occurred around the year 1800. The largest bell in the tower was taken and melted down as part of the war effort in the Hungarian revolution of 1848, and was later replaced with a new bell in 1899.
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According to some accounts the church originally stood in a nearby village and the people of Kostryna purchased it and moved it to its present location in 1703. The church has been lucky to survive until the present day; in the 1860s the villagers planned to replace the wooden church with a new stone church on the same site, but a lack of funds prevented this from happening. Enough money for a new stone church was finally collected by 1914, but the outbreak of World War One stopped construction, and following the war devaluation of the currency they had collected prevented construction of a stone church yet again.
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Kostryna can be reached from Uzhgorod by elektrichka (regional train) or by marshrutka (minibus). There are several buses and trains per day travelling in each direction, so making a day trip to Kostryna from Uzhgorod by public transport is possible. The minibuses are usually very full and often uncomfortable, so the train is a more pleasant way to travel there. The beautiful mountain scenery in the region is more easily seen from the windows of the train as well.
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimp1oer9SYx8adSgzukJtRAY-2gTCS2r9gnpT252AwFTxS4bqDrS6czeI8Kx8WxjyxMrrQyifeh1X4_ctXFBfSTd-Yap9eiKXeWl350m0s1w_MB83M3e5_7O3lTfQtYZHlnwUWUhR_-mWV/s1600/IMG_1405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimp1oer9SYx8adSgzukJtRAY-2gTCS2r9gnpT252AwFTxS4bqDrS6czeI8Kx8WxjyxMrrQyifeh1X4_ctXFBfSTd-Yap9eiKXeWl350m0s1w_MB83M3e5_7O3lTfQtYZHlnwUWUhR_-mWV/s640/IMG_1405.JPG" /></a></div>Goulash Trainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07469376520091036889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120756111191905621.post-59168631376135364792014-06-08T00:45:00.001-07:002014-06-08T00:53:19.020-07:00Bodružal, Slovakia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9N5pBjTOy3eAKkDw6vMUfsLUFT62OgZVvGtBetvWx8AiBegyLbCqZw3pDkb-blI5jo1_m2V4kZfF3d_4Vqx_y5HzX3nW8mXWBdZwxthTFV-Ap2IOLwpuurqbtHJxcdmoY5xUfvfkCj59G/s1600/Spring+2009+Geoff+935.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9N5pBjTOy3eAKkDw6vMUfsLUFT62OgZVvGtBetvWx8AiBegyLbCqZw3pDkb-blI5jo1_m2V4kZfF3d_4Vqx_y5HzX3nW8mXWBdZwxthTFV-Ap2IOLwpuurqbtHJxcdmoY5xUfvfkCj59G/s640/Spring+2009+Geoff+935.jpg" /></a></div>
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This Greek Catholic church is found on a small hill above the village of Bodružal among the forest covered mountains in the north-eastern corner of Slovakia. The church is dedicated to Saint Nicholas and was built in 1658, making it one of the oldest churches with a Lemko design in the Carpathian region. It was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2008 together with seven other wooden churches in present-day Slovakia.
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The three-part Lemko design (narthex, nave and sanctuary) are intended to represent the holy trinity. An onion dome projects above each of the three room sections with the highest dome placed above the narthex (entrance room) which is a typical feature of the Lemko style. The tower above the entrance contains three bells, the oldest of which was cast in 1759. The iconostasis wall in the interior is entirely original, dating from the 17th century, and is one of the finest examples of icon painting in this region of the Carpathians. The church grounds are surrounded by a low wooden fence with a main wooden entrance gate with a small shingled roof.
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The church is in use at least weekly with regular services held on Sunday morning. The key keeper lives 50 metres down the road from the church and since this is a popular church with tourist visitors it's usually not a problem to find someone willing to come and open the door. They will expect an entrance fee of about two Euros per person to be paid, and donations can be left in front of the icons.
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There is no direct transportation to Bodružal, but it is an easy 15 minute walk from the village of Krajná Poľana which is on the main road between Svidník and the Polish border and there are frequent buses throughout the day from Svidník. A walking trail through the forests connects four villages with wooden churches (Bodružal, Príkra, Miroľa and Krajné Čierno) which makes a perfect day hike to experience both the villages and the surrounding countryside.
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguBVaoTeyhys1s073nn7_ZsJZjfYReXKxCPvbPFhIaAkuuoDRTPB6zdcaueozmTl2tFVimEwRrTSgUa8b-wCDjGeTgoFihl-shyE7r-WWKFBzosTVMsyfeL0rqcZr8J8a7rxjsx1vWe1UK/s1600/Spring+2009+Geoff+937.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguBVaoTeyhys1s073nn7_ZsJZjfYReXKxCPvbPFhIaAkuuoDRTPB6zdcaueozmTl2tFVimEwRrTSgUa8b-wCDjGeTgoFihl-shyE7r-WWKFBzosTVMsyfeL0rqcZr8J8a7rxjsx1vWe1UK/s640/Spring+2009+Geoff+937.jpg" /></a></div>Goulash Trainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07469376520091036889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120756111191905621.post-8357445202293318812014-06-07T06:35:00.000-07:002014-06-08T00:53:37.922-07:00Tarnoszyn, Poland (Now in Lublin Outdoor Museum)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUJKUnmtjP0Ymr1ZMPVfNP0DCv6ufERYzSUFxJAlDU17w8zOv4lmW-HxSkbIzERlFczd8HsqFuSV5LcdDjegf30XyXEZjW1OaGYc3iL4iC8ruzP93BqkihrhGxoa0NsvuUN6cLgeKHnX14/s1600/IMG_2196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUJKUnmtjP0Ymr1ZMPVfNP0DCv6ufERYzSUFxJAlDU17w8zOv4lmW-HxSkbIzERlFczd8HsqFuSV5LcdDjegf30XyXEZjW1OaGYc3iL4iC8ruzP93BqkihrhGxoa0NsvuUN6cLgeKHnX14/s640/IMG_2196.JPG" /></a></div>
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This Greek-Catholic wooden church is dedicated to the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and is now located in the Outdoor Folk Architecture Museum in Lublin, Poland. The church was originally constructed in 1759 in the village of Uhrynów (Uhryniv in Ukrainian) which is now part of Ukraine.
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In 1904 the church was moved further west to the village of Tarnoszyn, which today lies in Poland just a few kilometres from the Ukrainian border. Following the expulsion and resettlement of the Greek-Catholic population of the village following World War Two, the church was used for Roman Catholic services until the early 1960's. Over the following decades the church was abandoned and fell into ruin.
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In 1994 the church was purchased by the Greek Catholic parish in Lublin, and in 1997 it was transported to its present site in the Lublin Outdoor Museum. Extensive renovations were carried out between 1999 and 2001, and the interior fittings including the iconostasis were completely reconstructed.
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The church features a classic Boyko style with a three-part design (nave, narthex and sanctuary) each topped by a dome with the largest dome placed above the nave. The design of the entrance area with a porch and four pillars is very unusual and is likely not an original feature of the building plan. The lowest part of the structure reveals the original horizontal log construction while the upper portions are covered in a modern vertical timber facade. Next to the church there is a large wooden bell tower which was also transported from Tarnoszyn and includes a cone-shaped roof over the bells.
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The Lublin Outdoor Museum is located in the north-western suburbs of the city and can be easily reached by city bus from the old town. The museum is very large, you could spend most of a day seeing all of the different building styles and regions which are displayed.
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Goulash Trainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07469376520091036889noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120756111191905621.post-35411831245302338652014-05-16T02:00:00.001-07:002014-05-16T02:00:46.917-07:00Yasinya, Ukraine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha_0fLdNeJn5yz3u_b1qRhQN0XI7OPNuq7MIwzNy33aQvhmHfo8zA61dRpiTB10dAFyu0QZMjDkhMvke0TRJHUPmmMrF5ajXaUECIpvM4o8G02akZF_4sw5YgbG6hiYuZfPVldl6fXJ7h-/s1600/IMG_1819.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha_0fLdNeJn5yz3u_b1qRhQN0XI7OPNuq7MIwzNy33aQvhmHfo8zA61dRpiTB10dAFyu0QZMjDkhMvke0TRJHUPmmMrF5ajXaUECIpvM4o8G02akZF_4sw5YgbG6hiYuZfPVldl6fXJ7h-/s640/IMG_1819.JPG" /></a></div>
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This originally Greek Catholic wooden church sits on a small hill above the village of Yasinya and the Chorna Tysa river among the Carpathian mountains of Ukraine. The church is considered to be one of the finest examples of the Hutsul architectural style and few modern alterations have been made to the building, two factors which contributed to its selection as a UNESCO world heritage site in 2013. According to a Hutsul legend the church was built on the site where a flock of sheep miraculously survived through the winter unharmed after being left behind by a shepherd in a snowstorm.
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The Church of the Ascension was built in 1824 on the site of an older church, though some accounts suggest the current church is from the late 18th century. It is frequently referred to by locals as the 'Strukivska' church. As a perfect example of the Hutsul style it features a floor plan in the shape of a cross, a large central dome above the nave with an onion dome at the top and four much smaller onion domes at the four corners of the building. A minor addition was added to the structure of the church in 1994 when a wooden entrance room was added onto the side in the same style as the rest of the church.
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Unfortunately the interior of the church is not in its original state, and the icons and iconostasis are crudely crafted versions of the originals. The overall effect is warm and welcoming, but without a feeling of true authenticity. There are many brightly coloured icons and paintings on the upper walls and dome of the roof, which intentionally draw your eyes upwards to heaven. Since 1995 the church has been used jointly for Orthodox and Greek Catholic services.
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The broad bell tower was built in 1813, supposedly a decade before the current church, and is equally impressive as the church in terms of its architectural significance. The structure has an octagonal upper floor where the bells are kept and a lower floor shaped like a square. If you are lucky enough to find the key keeper in the house below the church you will be able to climb to the bell platform in the tower for views of the church and the village. In return for opening the church and bell tower for visitors they expect that you will make a small donation to the church and perhaps buy one of the postcards they have available.
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Yasinya is one of the easiest Hutsul villages to visit by public transport since it is directly on the main road running east to west across the Carpathian mountains in this region and many buses and marshrutkas use this route to travel between cities like Uzhgorod and Mukachevo on the western side of the mountains and Kolomiya, Ivano-Frankivsk and Chernivtsi on the eastern side. The bus and marshrutka station is in the centre of the village on the main road, and to reach the church from there you will need to walk about 1.5 kilometres south through the village and then across the river to the west on a rickety old bridge with wooden slats. From there the church is visible on the hill just to the south, though finding the way there can be confusing through the maze of narrow streets between the houses and fenced pastures.
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This Greek Catholic wooden church stands in the Outdoor Museum of Folk Architecture in Uzhgorod, Ukraine. The church was originally constructed in 1777 in the village of Shelestovo near the city of Mukachevo, and was dedicated to Saint Michael. In 1927 the church was moved to Mukachevo, where it was later neglected during the early Soviet period. The church was transferred to the Uzhgorod museum in the 1970's to form the centrepiece of the museum's collection of Transcarpathian folk buildings.
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The church is an outstanding example of the Lemko style of architecture, with its three onion domes arranged with the highest above the narthex (entrance area) a middle dome above the nave and the lowest dome above the sanctuary. There are only a few remaining examples of the Lemko architectural style in Ukraine, since the style is more commonly seen further west in the Carpathians in what today are Slovakia and Poland. Three Lemko churches were moved to what today is the Czech Republic while Transcarpathia was part of Czechoslovakia between the World Wars. Two other Lemko churches which are still in Ukraine have been transferred to the Outdoor Museums in the capital Kiev and in Lviv. A further example of the style is in the town of Svalyava, where the large church of St. Nicholas can be seen.
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The tall and slender 22 metre Baroque tower is one of the finest features of the church, and it is topped with a decorative cross above the onion dome. This feature is repeated with crosses featuring intricate metalwork designs found above all three of the onion domes. The square pagoda-style series of roof layers above the nave are wonderfully proportioned in conjunction with the smaller tent roof over the sanctuary. The walls of the church are made of oak beams which are fastened together with dovetail joints in each of the corners.
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The carved wooden posts which form a balcony around the entrance door and along the sides of the narthex and the nave are typical of the central Transcarpathian style where northern Lemko and Boyko elements mixed with design features seen further south in areas influenced by Romanian builders. Most of the original icons and the iconostasis wall from the original Shelestovo church have been lost, and the icons displayed in the church today as part of the Outdoor Museum were brought from the church in the village of Kolochava in the Carpathian highlands. These icons date from the 18th century.
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The Outdoor Museum of Folk Architecture is a short walk from the centre of Uzhgorod, with the main entrance lying just beyond Uzhgorod castle. Uzhgorod is located at a crossroads of different countries and Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania all lie within easy reach. Buses cross the border to Košice in Slovakia several times daily. Minibuses travel south to Chop near the Hungarian border where international trains depart for Budapest. Buses and minibuses run at least every hour to the neighbouring city of Mukachevo and there are direct trains heading north to Lviv.
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6MEaC47UNWrB5Rvsd0hrO4vqeLSLjQOp948x-A3lT4yDZ3d5HY7ixKX7NUOO5hnzo1Wur8jUTAAWsLbcK1x3rZFa26vDxWwuMQaWN9xKAzfK5_jRLWxH24Z2-ReU8mgtuY5THotBBp39w/s1600/IMG_1300.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6MEaC47UNWrB5Rvsd0hrO4vqeLSLjQOp948x-A3lT4yDZ3d5HY7ixKX7NUOO5hnzo1Wur8jUTAAWsLbcK1x3rZFa26vDxWwuMQaWN9xKAzfK5_jRLWxH24Z2-ReU8mgtuY5THotBBp39w/s640/IMG_1300.JPG" /></a></div>Goulash Trainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07469376520091036889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120756111191905621.post-86637530949821087192014-01-29T02:55:00.001-08:002014-05-15T19:40:24.204-07:00Uzhok, Ukraine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9TtCffpiwl9whTGO3Wv3d2O8DqMWD6nVR5JcASvKEXBOCqFoWcTvnbB1BIvFyMVlevdO2P0xKRCzXtnE9SeYDoIWXQZ9j6iEoomXQ3PO5vP1o7Q0BzTYfTHbajkAjOlzv8hQs-bp69yaV/s1600/IMG_1961.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9TtCffpiwl9whTGO3Wv3d2O8DqMWD6nVR5JcASvKEXBOCqFoWcTvnbB1BIvFyMVlevdO2P0xKRCzXtnE9SeYDoIWXQZ9j6iEoomXQ3PO5vP1o7Q0BzTYfTHbajkAjOlzv8hQs-bp69yaV/s640/IMG_1961.JPG" /></a></div>
This small church, found in a remote corner of the Carpathian highlands of Ukraine, was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 2013 together with fifteen other tserkvas in Ukraine and Poland. The village of Uzhok lies in the Uzhok pass, the highest pass in this part of the Carpathians and one of the most scenic locations in Transcarpathian Ukraine. The church is one of the most famous in the region and often features in tourism and other promotional materials as a symbol of Transcarpathian Ukraine.
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The church was built in the Boyko style in 1745 and dedicated to Saint Michael. Supposedly the church was originally placed higher up the slope of the hill, but it was moved down nearer to the road because it was difficult for elderly villagers to walk up the incline. The architectural proportions of this church make it one of the most perfect examples of the Boyko style of architecture. The large triple-layered roof above the nave stands above the smaller single-layered roof of the narthex and the double-layered sanctuary roof. The shape of the tower above the narthex is similar to that of churches in the Lemko style found a little further to the west in the Carpathians.
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The brightly coloured interior has had several modern additions to its fittings and decorations, but still has a pleasing appearance overall. The 18th-century iconostasis has luckily been only slightly altered from its original appearance. The elegant windows with white framing are not an original feature and were added during a later renovation. The church exterior is covered in a dark coating of oil stain to protect the wood, and this has led to the church being referred to locally as 'the little black ship'.
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Standing next to the church is a wooden bell tower, though its roof and upper walls are now covered in metal rather than wooden shingles. During World War One the government of Austro-Hungary (the state to which Uzhok belonged at that time) had the bells from the bell tower removed and melted down for military use. On the slope above the church is the village cemetery, with many older graves overgrown by grasses and trees.
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The village of Uzhok is most easily reached by train, since there are several regional trains daily from Uzhhorod which run directly there. A few trains daily also continue onwards to Lviv to the north. There are a couple of buses and marshrutkas which run to the village daily from Uzhhorod, but the timing of the trains is more convenient to make a comfortable day trip. Just before arriving at the platform for Uzhok the train crosses a spectacular rail bridge across the valley, offering excellent views in all directions.
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This small Orthodox church stands on a raised patch of ground in the centre of the village of Ruský Potok in the far northeast corner of Slovakia. The forested hills of the Poloniny National Park surround the village on three sides, and sections of the UNESCO-listed Beech Forests of the Carpathians site are also nearby.
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The church was built in 1740 and dedicated to Michael the Archangel as a Greek Catholic church. Since the year 2000 it has been used by the local Orthodox church community, though services are only held on religious holidays and special occasions.
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The church contains a three-section floor plan (narthex, nave and sanctuary) on an east-west axis which is typical of Greek Catholic churches found in this region. The church was built on a low stone foundation to enhance its durability.
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Next to the church is a small bell tower which contains three bells. The bell tower is not part of the original church plan and was built only in 1956. The three bells it contains were originally housed in the belfry in the tower above the narthex of the church. The tower features a series of small windows, which is a unique feature among the churches found in this region.
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The iconostasis in the church likely dates from the eighteenth century. Due to the narrow space available in the small nave, the icons on the far left and right are placed on the side walls at a ninety degree angle to the rest of the iconostasis. This is another very unusual feature which does not appear in any of the other churches in this region.
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The church was originally surrounded by a stone wall with two entrance gates, though at present there is a wooden fence with one entrance gate leading down towards the village square. A modern church has been built within the same grounds as the original wooden church.
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Ruský Potok is very difficult to reach by public transport, since no buses run to the village and just a few buses per day pass along the Snina - Ulič road four kilometres to the south. The road into the village from the Snina - Ulič main road is paved and fine for access by car or bicycle. There is a blue-marked hiking trail over the hills connecting the villages of Topoľa, Ruský Potok and Uličské Krivé, and since all three villages contain wooden churches this route makes a nice one day trek.
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Goulash Trainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07469376520091036889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120756111191905621.post-31501765038495785492012-11-22T07:49:00.000-08:002014-05-15T19:49:49.121-07:00Hărnicești, Romania<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqOxPgFnVOR8G-sFUuFTr0Pig1bl7gn0SEBGcqQpo_dti7JUhaa5vhgkvU6djloIG-XzTodUNI9ml3ZmVz-ZIDNOvSohk7XShv_qmHiAu0SjT3pVUhiBAR9dmSiHrTeKeyNvahmcEL7p72/s1600/Geoff's+Autumn+2009+301.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqOxPgFnVOR8G-sFUuFTr0Pig1bl7gn0SEBGcqQpo_dti7JUhaa5vhgkvU6djloIG-XzTodUNI9ml3ZmVz-ZIDNOvSohk7XShv_qmHiAu0SjT3pVUhiBAR9dmSiHrTeKeyNvahmcEL7p72/s640/Geoff's+Autumn+2009+301.jpg" /></a></div>
This Orthodox church stands on a small forest-covered hill in the village of Hărnicești in the Maramures region of northwestern Romania. It was built in 1770 on the site of an older monastery, and was dedicated to the Birth of the Virgin Mary. It is close to several other wooden churches in the Mara valley such as the one in the neighbouring village of Desești.
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The church has a very irregular design when compared to other nearby churches in the region, and this is the result of a series of restorations and additions which have occurred through the centuries. In the original design the tower of the church was considerably taller than it is today and the length of the nave was several metres shorter. The first major changes were made in 1893 when a newly enlarged narthex (entrance room) was added on to the end of the nave, and when the old interior wall between the nave and the original narthex was removed the nave was also enlarged in size.
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In 1911 a porch was added on the southern side of the nave with an extension made to the roof line with wooden pillars added to support the weight. The original decorated entrance portal on the western side was moved to the southern side to form part of the new entrance area. In 1942 the original iconostasis was replaced with a larger modern one, and in 1972 the tower was moved from its position above the end of the nave to a new position above the extended narthex.
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The interior contains several valuable icons, the finest of which are 'Ascension to Heaven', 'The Annunciation' and 'Entry into Jerusalem'. These icons have been displayed internationally as part of touring exhibitions of Romanian folk art. The rest of the interior is not particularly memorable, so the local villagers have compensated for this by decorating the church both inside and out with white scarves and colourful flower arrangements attached to the eaves.
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The addition of the bright scarves and wildflowers adds much to the overall impression given by the church, since these decorations are not seen in such abundance on other churches in the region. Around the exterior walls of the church below the eaves are the framed pictures of the Stations of the Cross which are used by worshippers during religious services. On the southern exterior wall of the nave there is a 'clapper', a wooden board which is struck to create a high-pitched sound which traditionally would have called the villagers to masses. A decorative wooden cross with a shingled roof covering it can be seen beside the pathway on the way up to the church from the entrance gate by the road.
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The village of Hărnicești is directly on the main road between Sighetu Marmației and Baia Mare, so a number of buses pass through daily. Sighet is a good place to use as a base for exploring the region of Maramures and it has good onward transport connections by train and bus to other parts of the country. There is also a border crossing to Ukraine just north of the city if you would like to see some of the wooden churches in the neighbouring Zakarpattya region.
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Goulash Trainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07469376520091036889noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120756111191905621.post-22418544735743636802012-11-21T14:47:00.000-08:002014-06-08T00:54:10.202-07:00Hunkovce, Slovakia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgljaUthSFXfWcLbTNdJH7v_s8zW3C1YezjEdsHrcfPwoXS8e4gIK5_C2rIPsEPgwS8YT5i9O2cXnAGAanpclhObXJlbDST0ZxaWmxDrkbUJ561NbWUeMRqgERVvIDKwYpM2PdHF50x2w7w/s1600/Spring+2009+Geoff+919.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgljaUthSFXfWcLbTNdJH7v_s8zW3C1YezjEdsHrcfPwoXS8e4gIK5_C2rIPsEPgwS8YT5i9O2cXnAGAanpclhObXJlbDST0ZxaWmxDrkbUJ561NbWUeMRqgERVvIDKwYpM2PdHF50x2w7w/s640/Spring+2009+Geoff+919.jpg" /></a></div>
This photogenic Greek-Catholic church stands on a small hill next to the road in the village of Hunkovce in north-east Slovakia. There are Rusyn wooden churches in nearly every village between the town of Svidník and the Polish border, but Hunkovce's church is the only one which can be easily seen from the main road while driving past. The church was built at the very end of the 18th century, probably in 1799, and was dedicated to the Dormition of the Virgin Mary.
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The church has a perfect Lemko design plan, with the tallest of three towers above the narthex (entrance area), the middle one above the nave and the lowest above the sanctuary. Each of the towers features intricately detailed onion domes with large ornamented metal crosses in Baroque style placed above. The wooden structure of the building sits on a low stone foundation layer to protect it from water seepage from the ground.
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There is a small Greek-Catholic cemetery on the hill surrounding the church, with several cast-iron cross markers that date from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The small shingle-roofed entrance gate beside the road is all that remains of the traditional wooden fence which once surrounded both the church and cemetery.
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The village of Hunkovce saw heavy fighting in the battle for the nearby Dukla Pass in 1944; most of the houses in the settlement were destroyed, and the church suffered extensive damage to the roof and walls. It was later repaired and named a National Heritage Landmark building in 1968. At the southern end of the village there is a large World War Two German military cemetery with the graves of more than 2000 German soldiers who fought in the battle.
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In 2010 the exterior of the church was fully reconstructed with new wooden siding and roof shingles (these photos were taken a few months before the restoration). The church is empty and has no interior fittings because the iconostasis and icons were removed and placed in museums in Bardejov and Svidník. No religious services are held here, since there is a modern Greek-Catholic church across the road which serves this purpose for the local villagers. If you'd still like to see the inside of the wooden church, try to find the local priest who is often in the modern church across the road.
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Hunkovce is one of the easiest churches to visit in Svidník region because it is directly on the main road to the Polish border and many buses travel along this route daily. The bus from Svidník takes about 20 minutes to reach the village, and it is another 25 minutes from there to the border. After crossing the border on foot, Polish buses run from the border to the towns of Dukla and Krosno. Svidník isn't very aesthetically pleasing, but it is the most convenient place to use as a base when visiting the wooden churches in this region, and the town also has a superb outdoor folk museum and the Ukrainian-Rusyn Cultural Museum.
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Goulash Trainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07469376520091036889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120756111191905621.post-29771063830202207902012-11-20T15:09:00.000-08:002014-05-15T20:30:14.592-07:00Sat Șugatag, Romania<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDk62ChL4UQ7yRWobX9HE7X_Is6gLQoOv2TRk-iHc3SDB50cvaN-46nuguKEKPexitMLg0VnkZ2QdaUt5secM54v7GEhGCHNOgOfSzXhOVl8-0uYxqkQhTgBmTE1yhqhEwDgTN0TNCeAiY/s1600/Geoff's+Autumn+2009+283.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDk62ChL4UQ7yRWobX9HE7X_Is6gLQoOv2TRk-iHc3SDB50cvaN-46nuguKEKPexitMLg0VnkZ2QdaUt5secM54v7GEhGCHNOgOfSzXhOVl8-0uYxqkQhTgBmTE1yhqhEwDgTN0TNCeAiY/s640/Geoff's+Autumn+2009+283.jpg" /></a></div>
This beautiful church stands in the centre of the village of Sat Șugatag, located in the Mara river valley in Romania's north-eastern Maramures region. Nearly every village in this part of Maramures has a historic church, but the one in Sat Șugatag is among the most impressive structures to have been built by the skilled Maramures craftsmen. The date of the construction of the church is thought to be 1642, and it is dedicated to Saint Parasceva.
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The interior contains fragments of the original mural paintings from 1753, but most of the painted decorations are more recent. The narthex (entrance area) has a higher ceiling than is typically seen in Maramures churches, and on its western side there is an impressive image of the Last Judgement. The well-proportioned nave is shaped like a barrel vault and is decorated with 19th century paintings. The sanctuary also has biblical scenes which are painted directly onto the wooden walls.
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The frame for the front door is lavishly decorated with braided rope designs and a series of interlocking triangles, which is a common folk design in the Maramures region. Braided ropes start on both sides of the door and continue right around the full length of the church, about one and a half metres above the ground (see the fifth picture from the top).
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The double set of eaves and the huge mass of wooden shingles on the roof surface draw the viewer's eye to the end of the roof lines, where there are two small metal crosses affixed. The height of the tower and the steeple is considerably less than that of some other churches in the region, but the overall proportions of the building create a pleasantly balanced effect. Around the exterior walls under the lower set of eaves there are a series of framed pictures attached which are used as the Stations of the Cross during religious services (see the picture below).
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A cemetery surrounds the church on three sides, with grave markers from many different eras and in a variety of styles. Most are made of carved wood (see below) and some are shaped like crosses while others are closer in appearance to those in the famous Merry Cemetery in Sapanta with a painted picture of the person going about their daily activities and a short poem describing them.
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A typical wooden Maramures entrance gate stands in front of the church, with two side doorways for visitors. The designs carved into the beams of the gate include crosses and other traditional Romanian folk patterns. Such monumental gates are also built in front of people's homes in the region, and the larger and more impressive the gate the greater the status of the family who lives there.
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Visiting Sat Șugatag and other Maramures villages with wooden churches can be difficult without your own transport, so hiring a car in Cluj-Napoca or Sighetu Marmetiei is advisable if you want to visit several of them quickly. Sat Șugatag is on the main road between Baia Mare and Sighetu Marmetiei, so there are a few buses per day which pass through in each direction. Sighetu Marmatiei is connected by train with Cluj-Napoca and the rest of the country and also makes a good base for exploring the region of Maramures. It is also a border crossing point into Ukraine, where many more wooden churches can be seen in the villages of the Zakarpattya region.
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Goulash Trainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07469376520091036889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120756111191905621.post-58004604687626660212012-11-19T14:03:00.000-08:002014-05-15T20:38:44.754-07:00Tročany, Slovakia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIpV59UAj_iARKtZ9E9sGkTkTVcCFeJ0r0tyKIVkHTOHpLLPsJ5VAeZWgU7YnUFYQw1vcBqueLkZrw1y2uF7UiynJreXLm3-4WmyDw2kqH6_rb5PyzHOys2RlhklH4k5n0zBiGLjcNs2_y/s1600/Blansko,+Stratena,+Slovensky+Raj,+etc+154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIpV59UAj_iARKtZ9E9sGkTkTVcCFeJ0r0tyKIVkHTOHpLLPsJ5VAeZWgU7YnUFYQw1vcBqueLkZrw1y2uF7UiynJreXLm3-4WmyDw2kqH6_rb5PyzHOys2RlhklH4k5n0zBiGLjcNs2_y/s640/Blansko,+Stratena,+Slovensky+Raj,+etc+154.JPG" /></a></div>
This newly restored church stands in the centre of the small village of Tročany, located south of Bardejov in eastern Slovakia. Research conducted during the past few years has confirmed that the church is much older than had been previously thought; samples taken from its wooden beams were tested and the date of its construction was found to be the end of the 15th century or the first years of the 16th century. This puts it into the same age bracket as the Roman Catholic church in Hervartov, previously believed to be the oldest surviving wooden church in Slovakia. It is among the oldest Greek-Catholic wooden churches in the entire Carpathian mountain region.
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Dedicated to Luke the Holy Apostle and Evangelist, the church has a standard Greek-Catholic floor plan with a sanctuary, nave and narthex (entrance area). Above the entrance porch there is a bell tower topped with a very unusually shaped cap which looks like a candle extinguisher. A similarly shaped cap sits above the central nave, while the sanctuary has no cap or steeple attached. The bell tower contains two bells which are still in regular use during religious services. At the top of the cap of the bell tower is a simple double-barred cross, while the cap above the nave has a more decorative single-barred cross.
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The interior contains a restored iconostasis from the 17th century, though it is missing some of its original features. Instead of the typical Last Supper scene placed above the middle Czar door there is the Mandilion, a picture of the face of Christ on a cloth without a crown of thorns. In the sanctuary the altar is decorated with an 18th century icon depicting the Descent from the Cross, while the preparatory table in the corner has an icon of Saint Michael the Archangel. There are small windows on the right-hand side of both the nave and the sanctuary which allow some natural light to enter.
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Today the church is used by both Greek Catholics and Roman Catholics, so the interior contains some modern Roman Catholic fittings which thankfully do not detract from the beauty of the older Greek Catholic artifacts. The church has undergone several renovations throughout its history, with major work carried out in 1897, 1933 and 1968. In 2010 and 2011 the church was completely restored both inside and out with funding provided by the European Regional Development Fund as part of a cross-border project to promote economic growth and cooperation between south-eastern Poland and north-eastern Slovakia.
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The key for the church is kept by a family which lives at the opposite end of the village; if you are standing at the church go left along the road, pass the turning point for the road out to the main highway, continue up the slight incline of the hill and the house is on the right, the second house past the village office. You need to open their front gate and walk up and knock on the door on the right side of the house. The family are used to opening the church every day for visitors and are very friendly (they even speak a word or two of English) and they have pamphlets and books for sale about the Greek-Catholic churches in the region.
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Tročany is not serviced by regular bus transport, but it is a two kilometre walk from the village out to the main road running between Bardejov and Prešov, and there is a bus stop at the turnoff to the village where buses pass by every hour or two. Prešov is a major transport hub with train and bus connections throughout the country, while Bardejov is the best place to base yourself for a tour of the wooden churches found in its vicinity.
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Goulash Trainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07469376520091036889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120756111191905621.post-82723274780959674372012-11-18T12:57:00.000-08:002014-05-15T20:41:37.871-07:00Hoszowczyk, Poland<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTuoBi7lr8jvGjhi90MCMjykx5x15l7Gy7qmYcWbEx-M9ZEC9vYzVAd8s0T9xmd864YpGlOF7PXHPuTR_BphGJIRwa-bTCzhFWRhAOD8u01rvlq_Bi9AYuqhxrEzLsH-VxakJ-fE9v-6sG/s1600/Polska+329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTuoBi7lr8jvGjhi90MCMjykx5x15l7Gy7qmYcWbEx-M9ZEC9vYzVAd8s0T9xmd864YpGlOF7PXHPuTR_BphGJIRwa-bTCzhFWRhAOD8u01rvlq_Bi9AYuqhxrEzLsH-VxakJ-fE9v-6sG/s640/Polska+329.JPG" /></a></div>
This formerly Greek-Catholic wooden church dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin Mary lies in the small village of Hoszowczyk in the south-eastern corner of Poland, just a few kilometres from the Ukrainian border. It was built in 1926, making it one of the youngest wooden churches found in this region of the country.
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The church is located in a part of the Carpathian mountains which was historically inhabited by Boykos (Rusyns) and it was constructed as a Boyko Greek-Catholic church, but its design shows direct influence of the Ukrainian Hutsul architectural style in its Greek cross-shaped floor plan and large central dome placed above the nave. The church in the neighbouring village of Hoszów also shows traces of the same Hutsul influence.
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Following World War Two the Boyko population of the region was forcibly expelled, and Roman Catholic Poles were encouraged to settle in their place. The Communist authorities closed the church in 1951 and it was then used as a storage building. In 1970 the church was given to the local Roman Catholic parish, which refurbished the church and began using it to hold Roman Catholic services. During renovations made in 2002 a large cache of ammunition from World War Two was discovered hidden in the sanctuary.
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Like many wooden churches in this region of Poland, the roofs and central dome are covered in a layer of sheet metal in place of the original wooden tiles. During the Communist period it was considered costly and unnecessary to maintain the wooden roofs, so sheet metal was used as a longer-lasting replacement. At present, several churches with metal roofs in Poland are being restored to their original all-wood appearance, but it will take many more years before this process is completed.
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Directly beside the church there is a small former Greek-Catholic cemetery with a handful of tombstones, as well as several graves of World War Two soldiers. The church is not usually open to visitors without prior arrangement, though when I visited the caretaker was cleaning the carpets and she permitted me to go in. The interior contains modern Roman Catholic fittings and is of minimal historical interest.
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The village of Hoszowczyk is not serviced by buses, but it is a two-kilometre walk west of Hoszów which is on the main road running south from Ustrzyki Dolne along which buses run quite frequently. Ustrzyki Dolne is connected by bus with Sanok, Krosno and the regional city of Rzeszów, which has onward train and bus connections with the rest of the country. Sanok makes a convenient base for a tour of the wooden churches in the region, as well as having the best outdoor architecture museum in Poland with four impressive wooden churches.
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Goulash Trainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07469376520091036889noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120756111191905621.post-45859582331160231162012-11-18T12:54:00.000-08:002014-05-15T20:46:11.570-07:00Brežany, Slovakia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguVDs3C23nUx7Y3_pon4fv_dZV6gPygtlwN-jhkbe6xtRxtusIRcahz2e3K5FiD15u9kabomm2D6sDiPXPFN6JU3r5SGGhGIDGhStWc40DsVtF3QPTGSuvjdZlLWw2csMdOkViqxCT6QlU/s1600/Blansko,+Stratena,+Slovensky+Raj,+etc+248.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguVDs3C23nUx7Y3_pon4fv_dZV6gPygtlwN-jhkbe6xtRxtusIRcahz2e3K5FiD15u9kabomm2D6sDiPXPFN6JU3r5SGGhGIDGhStWc40DsVtF3QPTGSuvjdZlLWw2csMdOkViqxCT6QlU/s640/Blansko,+Stratena,+Slovensky+Raj,+etc+248.JPG" /></a></div>
This distinctive church sits on a grassy hillside above the small village of Brežany, fifteen kilometres south-west of the city of Prešov. Although it is a Greek-Catholic church, it is located far to the south and west of the region where the majority of these churches can be found in Slovakia along the Polish and Ukrainian borders.
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The church was built in 1727 and is dedicated to Saint Lucas the Evangelist. The structure of the building has little in common with other Greek-Catholic churches in north-east Slovakia, since it appears to have features usually associated with Gothic Roman Catholic architectural design (such as the church in Hervartov, Slovakia). It can be assumed that because the Brežany church was built relatively far away from other Rusyn Greek-Catholic churches the construction techniques of the Roman Catholics in the neighbouring villages formed a more significant source of inspiration for the builders.
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The floor plan for the church follows the basic three-part system of Greek-Catholic design, with a small sanctuary, the nave as the central room and the narthex (entrance room) represented by a stand-alone bell tower with space for seating beneath it. The bell tower bears a strong resemblance to one exhibited in the outdoor museum in the town of Martin in central Slovakia, while the overall building design is similar to a wooden church in Trnové, a village just outside of Žilina.
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The interior contains an iconostasis from 1733, as well as a number of impressive baroque icons. The most important of these icons depicts the coronation of the Mother of God. On the western side of the nave above the door several decorative paintings of biblical scenes can be seen. The front door of the church is also original and dates from the middle of the 18th century. The bell tower contains two large bells which are still in regular use during services.
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The jointing system used to connect the ends of the log beams together is very simple (see the photo above), with a small groove cut into the underside of each beam and the ends extended slightly beyond the corners of the building. The gaps between the logs are filled with clay and then whitewashed, creating a striped black and white appearance which is very uncommon among churches in Slovakia, being more commonly seen in northern parts of Moravia and Bohemia.
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Beneath the bell tower is a traditional folk object which is very rare now in this part of the Carpathian mountains (see the photo below). This device is used to make a loud repeated sound which would call the villagers to church services. When the handle on the right-hand side is turned it raises a series of wooden slats with wooden hammers attached to the ends of them, causing the hammers to strike the hollow wooden shaft below which then emits a high-pitched sound. These noise makers are similar to the wooden "clappers" traditionally used in the mining towns of central Slovakia (such as Banská Štiavnica) to wake the miners for the morning shift. Similar objects can also be seen in the wooden churches in the Maramures region of north-eastern Romania, further to the east along the Carpathian range.
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The key for the church is kept by a family who live down below in the village, near the turning point for the laneway that leads up the hill to the church. Far fewer visitors come to see this church than some of the more well-known Greek-Catholic churches to the north-east, so the family are not used to opening the church for visitors unless an appointment is arranged in advance. Offering them a donation for the church could help in convincing them to come and open it for you.
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Brežany village is serviced by a couple of buses per day (fewer on Saturdays and Sundays) which connect it with the central bus station in Prešov. Buses more frequently pass through the village of Rokycany which is a two kilometre walk to the south-east of Brežany. Prešov has frequent train and bus connections with Košice, Bratislava and other major cities throughout Slovakia.
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Goulash Trainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07469376520091036889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120756111191905621.post-20992216179713698432012-11-16T10:34:00.000-08:002014-05-15T20:49:12.988-07:00Maršíkov, Czech Republic<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz_ucryiU2tJSztQhVN2QQmXlORZ4JAqx46myB50t4BmyU6mCweUkF2xXRYeTYHlAUzQX7yjleeE5tjBncKQNwNyFAh5_3mfJ3Cgu7wGb2xJmCHD2d5s3E-RP3UJkAWUV7gnhZz5h3g8R_/s1600/Velke+Losiny+Mar%C5%A1ikov+and+%C5%A0umperk+017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz_ucryiU2tJSztQhVN2QQmXlORZ4JAqx46myB50t4BmyU6mCweUkF2xXRYeTYHlAUzQX7yjleeE5tjBncKQNwNyFAh5_3mfJ3Cgu7wGb2xJmCHD2d5s3E-RP3UJkAWUV7gnhZz5h3g8R_/s640/Velke+Losiny+Mar%C5%A1ikov+and+%C5%A0umperk+017.JPG" /></a></div>
This large timber church stands in the small village of Maršíkov in the Jeseníky region of North Moravia in the Czech Republic. It was built in 1609 using wooden beams taken from an older wooden church which had been dismantled in the nearby town of Velké Losiny. The wooden church in the village of Žárová, a few kilometres north of Velké Losiny, was constructed in 1610 with wood taken from the same dismantled church.
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The church in Maršíkov was originally Lutheran, and was dedicated to the Archangel Michael. It is considered to be one of the finest examples of late-period Renaissance folk architecture in the Czech Republic. Up until the early 1900's a low stone wall surrounded the church and the village cemetery which was located directly behind it. The cemetery was moved to a location on higher ground further away from the road.
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The interior contains unique Rococo-style decorations from the late 18th century. The main altar includes a painting of the Archangel Michael, while the side altars depict the Virgin Mary and Saint John of Nepomuk. The walls of the nave are covered with timber boards with overlapping joints and are painted in dark red and grey. In the choir above the entrance area there is an organ from the 18th century.
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The wooden steeple at the centre of the roof line is topped with a large onion dome which is grander in scale than those usually seen on the 17th and 18th century wooden churches found in this region. The dovetail joint interlocking system used to connect the ends of the wooden beams is typical for wooden churches in Silesia and northern parts of Moravia and East Bohemia.
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The key for the church is kept by the family which lives in the house directly in front of the church entrance. They are used to opening it a few times per week for Czech and German bus tour groups, but they may be a little hesitant to do so for individual tourists who come unannounced, especially if they are busy with other activities. Offering them a donation for the church (50 to 100 crowns) might provide the right encouragement.
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The village of Maršíkov isn't serviced by buses very frequently, but it is an easy two-kilometre walk from the town of Velké Losiny, which has frequent train and bus connections with Šumperk and Zábřeh, both of which have regular connections with Olomouc, Prague and other parts of the country. There are several restaurants and accommodation options available in Velké Losiny because tourists come to visit the spa, chateau and hand-made paper museum in the town and use it as a base for hiking in the Jeseníky mountains.
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Goulash Trainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07469376520091036889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120756111191905621.post-31573160411817976092012-11-03T17:59:00.000-07:002014-05-15T20:51:55.382-07:00Nová Polianka, Slovakia (now in Svidník outdoor museum) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTd8eapEOZYq61wPyJIoqc_0a3DJ5pLcl0KSZQBjxoEo-6mc26RFwqX5cB8cfgg4ma9wdXGL2u-b9LVxLosWZpMaTxiqTA1w7EZg3TlbTyV5hMWr1-SR6-KgKegDzBNM10MYfjxLwbziZc/s1600/Spring+2009+Geoff+815.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTd8eapEOZYq61wPyJIoqc_0a3DJ5pLcl0KSZQBjxoEo-6mc26RFwqX5cB8cfgg4ma9wdXGL2u-b9LVxLosWZpMaTxiqTA1w7EZg3TlbTyV5hMWr1-SR6-KgKegDzBNM10MYfjxLwbziZc/s640/Spring+2009+Geoff+815.jpg" /></a></div>
On a hill above the town of Svidník in north-eastern Slovakia lies the Ukrainian and Rusyn Village Museum, a collection of farm buildings, windmills and other historical wooden structures gathered from the surrounding region. The highlight of the museum is the Greek-Catholic wooden church originally from the small village of Nová Polianka, a few kilometres south of Svidník.
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The church was built in Nová Polianka by local craftsmen around 1766 (some sources suggest as early as 1763) and was dedicated to Saint Paraskeva. During World War II the church and the village were badly damaged, and a newer brick church built in the 1930's became the main place of worship for the villagers.
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The wooden church continued to be used for services until 1960, but in 1961 its condition had deteriorated enough that it was torn down. In the 1980's plans were made to found the Ukrainian and Rusyn Village Museum in Svidník, and it was decided that the church from Nová Polianka should be fully reconstructed for the museum based on the original architectural plans.
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Eighteenth-century icons and interior fittings were collected from several different Greek-Catholic churches in the region and used to decorate the interior of the rebuilt structure. The church was opened as a part of the Village Museum in 1986, and since 1993 occasional Greek-Catholic masses and other religious services have been held there.
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Built from pine wood, the church has a three-section floor plan in the typical Lemko style, with three accompanying steeples and beautifully decorative wrought-iron crosses above. The steeples and crosses are arranged in height with the highest above the entrance room, the middle one above the nave, and the lowest one above the sanctuary.
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The wooden walls of the interior of the original church in Nová Polianka were covered in paintings of scenes from the Bible, but these were not recreated for the church in the museum. The iconostasis dates from the early 18th century and came from a church in a nearby village. There is a royal door at the centre of the iconostasis but the deacon doors for the two side entrances into the sanctuary are missing.
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Standing next to the church is a wooden bell tower with a pyramidal shingled roof and an onion-shaped steeple topped with a cross. Two bells have been installed in the tower and are rung on special occasions. surrounding the church and bell tower is a low wooden fence with a shingled top in the Rusyn style which is typical of this region of the Carpathians.
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The Village Museum in Svidník is open daily except Mondays from the beginning of May until the end of October. A Rusyn-Ukrainian folk festival is held in the village museum every year in June, attracting thousands of visitors to the event. Svidník is not connected to the railway network, so the most convenient way to get there by public transport is by bus from Prešov, Košice or Bardejov. Regular buses also run north from Svidník to the border with Poland at the Dukla Pass, where it is possible to catch a bus on the Polish side to the town of Krosno.
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Goulash Trainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07469376520091036889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120756111191905621.post-81150066676481120232012-10-30T13:20:00.002-07:002014-05-15T20:55:19.111-07:00Kožany, Slovakia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlczt2GxT4FkVAKmo8hz-RdAlmeu4XBmtkRsA4JOXUtLAUq3eJMFgtf51vvInXTKnlQvZDR8fjjbuvhfu1jxY-jnu4flEwka7dov4XuIBZNAz6NmGv_BVpM42GY6nL0Wo8AP8pJs0KdjaI/s1600/Blansko,+Stratena,+Slovensky+Raj,+etc+165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlczt2GxT4FkVAKmo8hz-RdAlmeu4XBmtkRsA4JOXUtLAUq3eJMFgtf51vvInXTKnlQvZDR8fjjbuvhfu1jxY-jnu4flEwka7dov4XuIBZNAz6NmGv_BVpM42GY6nL0Wo8AP8pJs0KdjaI/s640/Blansko,+Stratena,+Slovensky+Raj,+etc+165.JPG" /></a></div>
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The small village of Kožany lies in rolling countryside surrounded by fields and forests in a remote region of north-eastern Slovakia, between the towns of Bardejov and Svidník. This small Greek-Catholic church sits on a low hill at the western end of the village, with views across the surrounding farmland.
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Dedicated to the Lord's Meeting with Simeon, the church was constructed in the second half of the 18th century by local builders. The three-roomed structure sits on a low stone foundation and features a bell tower above the entrance area. Three bells are kept in the tower and the oldest was cast in 1406, making it one of the oldest church bells to be found in Slovakia.
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The inerior of the nave contains colourful paintings on the wooden walls, a unique feature among the timber churches in this region. The paintings were created between 1793 and 1797 and depict many scenes from both the Old and New Testaments. A Last Judgement icon on canvas, painted in the the late 18th century, is one of the most precious works found in the church.
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The iconostasis dates from the beginning of the 18th century, and here again is a unique feature, since instead of a Czar door and two Deacon doors at the sides, there is a main Czar door and only one side Deacon door, likely because of the narrow width of the nave. The bars placed over the windows on the exterior of the church are another unique feature, since they are made of hand-crafted wrought iron and are as old as the church itself.
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The key for the church is kept by a family which lives in a house several doors down from the church on the same side of the road. They charge a small entrance fee and have some books and pamphlets about the wooden churches in the region available for sale.
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Getting to Kožany by public transport is possible, since there are several buses per day on weekdays which go to the village from Bardejov's main bus station (fewer on Saturdays and Sundays). Getting to Bardejov is easiest by bus from Prešov, Poprad or Košice, all of which have transport connections throughout the country.
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Goulash Trainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07469376520091036889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120756111191905621.post-58878198172648387762012-07-06T15:59:00.000-07:002014-05-15T20:57:01.260-07:00Kunčice pod Ondřejníkem, Czech Republic<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlnnyWqYbJGCnrWORNZP6MHKgbYqaKJiTyfy2UP-VY4crd8xVdhlmGfpk3MDH8F5ziyAcJO2__WISPUnf3YDfL-04LYnzeYt6jlIo3KwskRV7nYRdkraVqXFRQ2BuMgl-0UjM0SW9jS3AD/s1600/Pustevny+Radhost+and+Kuncince+pod+Ondrejnikem+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlnnyWqYbJGCnrWORNZP6MHKgbYqaKJiTyfy2UP-VY4crd8xVdhlmGfpk3MDH8F5ziyAcJO2__WISPUnf3YDfL-04LYnzeYt6jlIo3KwskRV7nYRdkraVqXFRQ2BuMgl-0UjM0SW9jS3AD/s640/Pustevny+Radhost+and+Kuncince+pod+Ondrejnikem+008.JPG" /></a></div>
This beautiful church now stands on a small hill in the village of Kunčice pod Ondřejníkem in the Beskydy region of northern Moravia. The story of its history begins far to the east in present-day Ukraine in the region of Subcarpathian Ruthenia, a territory which was part of Czechoslovakia between the two world wars in the early 20th century. It was constructed in the small Rusyn village of Hlinance at the end of the 17th century or the first years of the 18th century, and was consecrated as a Greek Catholic church dedicated to the Archangel Michael. By the early 20th century the church was in very poor condition and was replaced by a modern church in the village. <br />
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At this time the wealthy owner of a mining company in Ostrava, Eduard Šebela, approached the villagers of Hlinance and offered to buy the church and have it moved to Kunčice pod Ondřejníkem where he had his summer retreat near the Beskydy mountains. Records show that Šebela paid 24000 Czech crowns for the church, but this was likely the cost of having it dismantled and transported by rail to the site in Kunčice rather than a payment to the villagers. <br />
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Following its reconstruction in the new location in northern Moravia, the church was reconsecrated and dedicated to St. Prokop and St. Barbara, the patron saints of miners, reflecting the business interests of the new owner. The church was then used as the location for the wedding of Šebela's daughter. <br />
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By the 1980's the church was again in poor condition, but it underwent extensive renovation in the early 1990's. The interior of the church contains the original iconostasis, which was carefully restored by specialists in 1992. The church was broken into by thieves in 1994 and again in 1995, with the loss of several icons, paintings and a tabernacle. <br />
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The interior of the church can only be seen during services and other special events, but a visit to the church and its surrounding cemetery is still very worthwhile at other times. The village of Kunčice pod Ondřejníkem is reachable by train directly from Ostrava or the nearby town of Frenštát pod Radhoštěm, which has onward train connections to many parts of the Czech Republic. <br />
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This beautiful church is located in the village of Hronsek, halfway between the cities of Zvolen and Banská Bystrica in the central region of Slovakia. The most unique feature in the building's design is the clear influence of Scandinavian architectural styles, making it the only church in the country to exhibit such characteristics.<br />
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As a protestant church built in the pro-Catholic Austro-Hungarian empire in the early 18th century, it had to be built according to very specific guidelines. In 1681 the Assembly of Sopron had declared that protestant churches had to be constructed according to these strict criteria: <br />
1. The church had to be built in less than one year's time <br />
2. The entire church had to be constructed only of wood, without a single iron nail<br />
3. The church could not have a bell tower (to ensure Catholic churches were more prominent) <br />
4. Entrances to the church could not be made directly from a street <br />
5. The church must be built outside of town and village boundaries. <br />
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At this time the Habsburg authorities were doing everything they could to reduce the durability and permanence of Protestant churches, and local officials often tightened the Sopron regulations even further. Hronsek was chosen as the site of a church for the protestant congregations in the northern part of the city of Zvolen and in the surrounding villages. Since just two protestant churches could be built in each region, the churches had to be very large to accommodate many worshippers who would travel long distances to attend services. <br />
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Construction of the Hronsek church began in October 1725 on an island in the middle of the river Hron, and the project was completed the following autumn. The architect who created the design is unknown, hence there is much speculation about how the Norwegian and Swedish design elements came to be incorporated into the structure. The connection technique for joining the wooden beams and the arrangement of the interior columns are regarded as examples of this northern style influence. <br />
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The church was built to seat 1100 worshippers, both on ground floor pews and on four upper balconies. The seats are angled so that every person in attendance can see the altar clearly. Five different doors allow the building to be filled and emptied more quickly. The interior contains six altar pieces from 1771 which are changed according to the feasts of the ecclesiastical year. The ornate organ was built in 1764 by a local master tradesman from Banská Bystrica. <br />
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A 19th-century wooden chandelier hangs from the ceiling in the centre, and the main altar uses wood to recreate the look of marble stone. The interior is illuminated by 30 blown-glass windows in the shape of hexagons which provide plenty of natural light. The central dome of the ceiling has the appearance of the keel of an old sailing ship. The walls were built of red spruce and oak wood with beeswax coating added for durability, and the same wood has survived without replacement until modern times. <br />
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The church is also surrounded by huge Linden trees which were planted at the same as its construction. The separate bell tower which stands in front of the church was also constructed at the same time as the church in 1725-1726. The church was inscribed on UNSESCO's World Heritage List in 2008 along with seven other Slovak wooden churches.<br />
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The church is used for occasional services, concerts and weddings, but if you arrive and find that it is locked the key is available from the family who live in the house next door. The village of Hronsek is on the local train line between Zvolen and Banská Bystrica, and is also connected by bus with both cities.Goulash Trainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07469376520091036889noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120756111191905621.post-69847580139364866812012-02-10T12:55:00.000-08:002014-05-15T21:00:38.061-07:00Hradec Králové, Czech Republic<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Ki4A_YFRCUWl_afD54TTm-0BhMspinxM2e0iiX6cS3M_ztAiUqZS-ToYI-E5CS0bxv-v5aTut_VnS5aPkdJeXtBRR1kyfRARYSj28Ob5HzBXahwoPbULjXjHzCXFbdCoFRFCly_iMmib/s1600/Polska+472.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Ki4A_YFRCUWl_afD54TTm-0BhMspinxM2e0iiX6cS3M_ztAiUqZS-ToYI-E5CS0bxv-v5aTut_VnS5aPkdJeXtBRR1kyfRARYSj28Ob5HzBXahwoPbULjXjHzCXFbdCoFRFCly_iMmib/s640/Polska+472.JPG" /></a></div>
This church is found among the trees in Jirásek park in the centre of the city of Hradec Králové, though it has only been located there for a short part of its eventful history. Originally constructed around 1510 in the small village of Habura in north-eastern Slovakia, the structure was first dedicated to Saint Michael the Archanagel as an Orthodox church. In the year 1740 it was dismantled and moved to the neighbouring village of Malá Poľana where it was rebuilt and dedicated to Saint Nicholas the Miracle-worker. <br />
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The village was predominantly Greek-Catholic, and the church served the local parish until the early 20th century. During the First World War the region surrounding Malá Poľana was heavily fought over and the church was severely damaged in the fighting. It was fully reconstructed by 1920, but by 1930 the church had been abandoned and was again in poor condition since it had been replaced by a new church in the village which was built of stone.<br />
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In 1934 the villagers were preparing to knock the church down and use its timber for other purposes, but an unexpected offer was made to save the structure. The Czech city of Hradec Králové offered to buy the church for 12000 Czechoslovak crowns, an enormous sum for the villagers at that time. During the summer of 1935 the church was again dismantled and packed onto railway cars for its journey to Hradec Králové. Following reconstruction and extensive renovations in its new location in Jirásek park, the church was inaugurated in the autumn of 1935 as a memorial to Czechoslovak soldiers who had died fighting in World War One. The temple has remained in the park ever since, and today it serves the local Orthodox parish with occasional masses still being held there. <br />
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The design of the church is in the typical Greek-Catholic Lemko style, with the tallest of the three onion-dome towers rising above the entrance area. The interior decorations have been carefully preserved, and the original iconostasis can still be seen. The church is also surrounded by a small wooden fence as it was in its former location in Malá Poľana.<br />
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Jirásek park is just a few hundred metres from the old town square in Hradec Králové, and the city is well-connected by fast train and bus links to Prague and all other cities of the Czech Republic.Goulash Trainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07469376520091036889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120756111191905621.post-2833400395342203642012-02-05T14:37:00.000-08:002014-05-15T21:02:15.279-07:00Nižný Komárnik, Slovakia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgreRcyMLLh-xvGmFmYQF_foan8_mKCg_UKWchU_qnQggg2RjfQm87W5dqD75wjgcQPZYD8eDX0kytPSNOhx4xyD5tjHH3guS6oPW0v8dp6sF5MqaPu7bbxwwm-h0qmRYRaeh_sGnF-RTiY/s1600/Spring+2009+Geoff+912.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgreRcyMLLh-xvGmFmYQF_foan8_mKCg_UKWchU_qnQggg2RjfQm87W5dqD75wjgcQPZYD8eDX0kytPSNOhx4xyD5tjHH3guS6oPW0v8dp6sF5MqaPu7bbxwwm-h0qmRYRaeh_sGnF-RTiY/s640/Spring+2009+Geoff+912.jpg" /></a></div>
This beautiful church stands at the top of a tall hill overlooking the village of Nižný Komárnik, just a few kilometres from the Polish border in north-east Slovakia. Dedicated to the Protection of the Mother of God, the structure has a unique design among churches in Slovakia, since it is the only one in the country which is of the 'Boyko' style of design, more commonly seen further east in Ukrainian Galicia. The Boyko style typically has three domed towers with the highest tower placed in the centre above the nave, distinguishing it from the 'Lemko' style commonly seen in this region where the highest tower is placed above the entrance area. <br />
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Another unique aspect to this church is that its designer is well-known, the Ukrainian architect and explorer Vladimír Sičynský. All other wooden churches in Slovakia were constructed by local builders whose names have been lost to history due to the lack of official records. Sičynský oversaw the construction of the church in 1938, meaning the temple is much younger than most others in the surrounding region. The new church replaced an older baroque wooden church which was pulled down after the modern one was completed. <br />
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Another interesting feature of this temple is that it has two entrances, one on the south side leading into the sanctuary and one of the western side. The interior of the church is lit by high windows in both the sanctuary and the nave.<br />
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The iconostasis dates from the early 19th century, and it is thought that some of the icons come from the original iconostasis of the first wooden church in the village from the start of the 18th century. The iconostasis has an unusual three-row style since it was not designed for this church and had to be modified by placing the apostles and prophets higher up in the dome. To the north of the church is a large wooden bell tower with a domed roof. The bell tower was partially restored in 2003.<br />
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This is one of the most atmospheric churches in the region due to its magnificent hilltop setting above the village. Looking across the valley from the hill you can see a Russian Red Army World War Two aircraft, preserved as a monument to the intense battle for the Dukla pass which took place just north of here. The village is on the main road from Svidník to the Polish border, so buses run to the village quite frequently from Svidník. The key for the church is kept by the family who live in the house directly below the church at the beginning of the path that climbs the hill.Goulash Trainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07469376520091036889noreply@blogger.com0