SCANS OF UKRAINE – AN INNOVATIVE DIRECTION OF MUSEUM TOURISM

Abstract

The article examines Ukrainian skansens as open-air museums of architecture and ethnography that reflect the centuries-old experience of the historical development of the Ukrainian people and represent their spiritual culture. It is determined that skansen museums are an innovative type of museums aimed at reproducing traditional forms of folk life in various fields. The nature of the exposition and the size of the skansen's territory make it possible to have a spectacular element – folk gatherings, celebrations, festivals. That is why such museums are the keepers of national traditions, active participants in tourist and entertainment activities aimed at popularising folk culture and a centre of spiritual revival of the deep traditions of the Ukrainian people. The article reveals the uniqueness of Ukrainian skansen museums as a tourist and recreational resource base that enhances the attractiveness of national cultural, historical and architectural sites, contributes to aesthetic pleasure, informational and emotional saturation of visitors and, of course, comfortable recreational conditions. Ukraine's open-air museums have unique opportunities to introduce visitors to local culture and provide them with comfortable recreational conditions. Open-air museums have the potential to become a means of mobilising tourism and recreational activities in the country, in particular by increasing the flow of excursions and tourists. Ukrainian skansens are presented as cultural centres and are the starting point for tourists to get to know our country. The promotion of these museums as tourist attractions is an important strategic task. The article outlines the characteristics of storybook museums as an important tourist and entertainment resource: innovation, complexity, inextricable connection with nature, the presence of spectacular elements and animation of programmes. Unique socio-cultural complexes, such as skansen, are focused on collecting and studying monuments of architecture, folk life and culture, which makes them an important factor in the preservation of historical and national cultural heritage. The author substantiates the specifics of open-air museums' activities, which consist in a comprehensive display of national folk culture, architecture, household items, tools and applied arts. In other words, a certain model of the environment, landscape, etc. is created. This is certainly an incentive to visit this type of museum.