The Museum of Kysuce Village in Vychylovka is an ethnographic exposition of the Kysuce Museum in Čadca. It is located in the northern part of Slovakia, in the valley of Chmúra. It is one of the biggest ethnographic expositions in this country and it protects buildings connected with the architecture, the culture and the lifestyle of the people living in this area in the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century.

The main reason for the establishment of the Museum of Kysuce Village was to save rare objects of folk architecture from the villages of Riečnica and Harvelka that would have otherwise been inundated due to the construction of Nová Bystrica dam. Gradually, structures used for dwelling, farming, technical or sacral purposes from several villages of the Kysuce region have been relocated to the Museum, which started its pilot operation in 1981. 22 buildings were open for visiting at that time.

When entering the museum everyone notices a unique atmosphere of this place. One has an impression that the village was suddenly abandoned just for a moment, which means that the place seems alive. The centre of the village comprises the Chapel of Virgin Mary – Lady of the Rosary from Zborov nad Bystricou. It has a characteristic white colour and a small bell tower, its roof is made of shingles. It is probably dated from the first quarter of the 19th century, surrounded by a small graveyard with old, cast crosses. Next to it, there is a statue of Saint John of Nepomuk, who protects against the flood. Near the chapel, there is an inn from the village of Korňa, which is still open today. There are other buildings in the museum such as water mill and sawmill from Klubina, workshops (a smithy). In some of the buildings, there is an original interior arrangement. One of the most valuable buildings in the museum is the oldest dwelling house from 1806 brought from Oščadnica.

Every Sunday during the tourist season (May – October) the Open air Museum offers its visitors cultural events with a varied programme and presents the Museum as an authentic village, specifically through breeding livestock, cultivation of crops and authentic cuisine consisting of dishes from the years long past, times of our grandmothers. The museum organises concerts of folk groups on its premises, the groups present music from the Kusyce region. The visitors will also find special plays interesting. These shows are – What did the peasant wedding look like?, How was the food prepared?, How did they use to spend their free time? You can learn all these things if you visit the museum in Vychylovka. You can do it on foot or by back swath railway. It is one of a few preserved back swath railways. It used to run to Lokca in Orava and it served to transport wood and timber.

Múzeum kysuckej dediny
023 05 Nová Bystrica – Vychylovka
tel. (+421) 41 439 73 50, (+421) 41 439 72 19
e-mail: skanzen@kysuckemuzeum.sk
www.kysuckemuzeum.sk