Skanzen Humenné
Skanzen Humenné, also known as Expozícia ľudovej architektúry a bývania belonging under Vihorlatské múzeum, is located almost directly in the town center of Humenné. The open-air museum is situated near the magnificent Renaissance manor house Humenský zámok, which houses the aforementioned Vihorlatské múzeum.
On an area of 4 hectares, visitors will find a total of 16 buildings that together form a complete picture of the distinctive architecture of the East Carpathian region. These are log houses furnished with period furniture, agricultural buildings, but also various rarities, including a wheelwright's, potter's, and blacksmith's workshop, a watermill, and a well. All these objects, together with period craft and agricultural tools, create a perfect picture of life and housing in Zemplín in times long past, which our generation knows only from stories.
The tour begins in a log house without an agricultural section, which represented a typical homestead of a poor farmer with a modest interior. This served only to cover basic living needs. It was built in Klenová before World War I and relocated to the open-air museum in 1977. The building has three spaces, consisting of a pantry, an entry hall, and a room. Its walls were made of hewn beams. Their corners are joined by log construction and coated with clay. An interesting feature is the residential house combined with a mill house, which originates from Vyšná Jablonka. The mill house immediately catches visitors' attention with the large wooden mechanism of the mill with a hopper and two stones, one rotating and one stationary.
The centerpiece of the exposition is the authentic Greek Catholic wooden Chrám sv. Michala Archanjela from Nová Sedlica. It dates back to 1764 and is unique partly because it was originally built without a single metal nail. The breathtaking Baroque tiered iconostasis dates from the mid-18th century, with some icons even originating from the 16th century. The small church stands on an elevated spot, as traditions once recommended. Even back then, it was meant to express the fact that it was the abode of God, to whom all residents turned with humility, from youth to the elderly, from farmers to woodcutters. Everyone sought both love, happiness, and understanding within it.
Village architecture and the local color of that time could not leave out the blacksmith's workshop. For demonstration, the open-air museum in Humenné features a workshop relocated from Nechvaľová Polianka, whose inventory exactly corresponds to its purpose. The basic equipment of the workshop consisted of a hearth with a blacksmith's bellows. Various types of pliers, hammers, punches, and an anvil could not be missing. It also includes a shelter for shoeing horses with horseshoes made right in that workshop. Near the workshop, there is a shadoof well, a log granary with a cellar, and a hayrick "oboroh".
As is a good tradition in most open-air museums, various cultural events and demonstrations of folk crafts take place here as well. These mostly happen in the center of the open-air museum, where a small ampitheater is located. Take part in them as well and experience that special atmosphere. Book your accommodation on our page accommodation Humenné and you will be just a stone's throw away from the open-air museum.
