From Paraguay to China – this is now the geography of countries from which visitors come to the Museum of Volyn Icons. This museum is the third most popular tourist site in Lutsk. However, in the city (and generally in the Volyn region) there are many interesting sites that are, unfortunately, still not so well known in Ukraine. “Museums Work for Tourism Development in the City in 2012” was the name of the working meeting of the Mayor, City Council staff responsible for tourism, and directors of city museums. Mayor Mykola Romaniuk believes that Lutsk museums are not only the pride of the city, but also one of the whole Ukraine. This year, according to him, will be an unofficial year of museums in Lutsk.
Tetiana YELISEIEVA, head of Museum of Volyn Icons says that it is a good idea but also notes that lots of questions arise there. It is no secret that the travel agencies in the city and region do not bother to attract tourists to Lutsk or Volyn region. They have several business destinations such as Egypt and Turkey, as well as the Carpathians and Pochaiv. Instead, Kyiv travel agencies actively cooperate with Volyn museums, sometimes during summer groups of people who came to the Shatsk lakes for vocation are organized for tours to regional museums. Besides, during the working meeting unacceptable suggestions, in the opinion of such an experienced museum worker as Yeliseieva, were expressed. One of such suggestions was to increase the price for the tickets. The reason behind this was that where there are cheap tickets visitors do not want to go, thinking that there is nothing to see in there. However, even in Lutsk there are not so many people who simply know that there is Museum of Volyn Icons in their city. People from all over the world come here, and after visiting it one of former British ambassadors to Ukraine wrote a note in the book of reviews that every Englishman should come and see this museum. And what about Ukrainians? Maybe the tickets could be more expensive for the foreigners (as was done in Russia), but Ukrainian Ministry of Culture is against this idea. Yeliseieva says that, of course, the idea of arranging night illumination of museums is attractive and up-to-date. But who will fund it? If in the regional museum the old windows nearly fall out of their frames and in the Art Museum, which has in its collection masterpieces of international importance, plaster falls on people’s heads, what can we discuss then. There are simply no signs that would inform about how to get to the Old City, where the Lutsk Castle is, there are no coffee shops, small shops with Ukrainian and Volynian souvenirs on the territory of historical and cultural reserve. Head of the Art Museum art expert Zoia Navrotska, as well as Yeliseieva, would like to sell tickets with Lutsk symbols. Currently, participants of the working meeting supported the idea of printing museums brochures in several languages, creating a tourist website of the city, and placing a banner with the names of tourist sites in the city center. Virtual tours of museums in 3D format remain a big dream: for small museum funds it is extremely expensive. That is why the workers of Volyn museums highly appreciate the fact that Den/The Day presents museums online on its historical website.
By the way, a new museum has been recently opened, enriching the general collection of Lutsk museums, it is the Museum of Lutsk Brotherhood of the Elevation of the Cross. This is the only museum of such kind in Ukriane. But there is already no money to keep it, it operates practically on amateur basis. Mayor Romaniuk promised “to take the issue under his personal control,” because he thinks that “something might work out.”
