A private ethnographic museum run by the Korneliuk family in the Hutsul capital of Rakhiv in Ivano-Frankivsk oblast is enjoying increasing popularity among tourists. The Korneliuks are a famous Hutsul clan of folk craftsmen.
Mykola, the current owner of the museum, is a well-known master: his collection includes more than 5,000 exhibits created with his own hands.
The master is proud of the national Hutsul costume, such as gaiters (hamashi), vests, embroidered shirts, zapasky (woolen aprons — Ed.), and crown-shaped headgear. When he conducts tours of the two-story improvised museum, Mykola is always wearing a national Hutsul costume. The host also invites visitors to have their picture taken in a de rigueur Hutsul outfit-for a donation.