It was founded in 1936 by the institute’s first director, Oleksii Hryhorovych Solomchenko — an ethnographer, artist, and educator who dedicated his life to researching Hutsul culture.
The museum’s collection features over 3,000 items, including artistic works made of ceramics, wood, metal, and textiles, as well as examples of traditional Hutsul weaving, embroidery, and carpet-making. A significant portion of the collection consists of student graduation projects, created over more than a century of the institution’s history, which began as a Weaving School in 1882. Even back then, departments of wood carving, weaving, embroidery, tailoring, and design were active in Kosiv.
The museum also preserves sacred heritage, such as the iconostasis from the Church of St. Basil the Great in Kosiv, which was saved during Soviet times by Solomchenko and artist Halyna Kyva.
Materials from the museum’s archives have been used in over 40 films by both Ukrainian and international studios. The museum attracts visitors from all over the world — including the USA, Canada, Japan, China, Germany, Poland, and many other countries.
Today, the museum remains an essential scientific and educational center — a source of knowledge for students and researchers, and a hub of authentic Hutsul culture for guests eager to experience the region’s true artistic spirit.
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