Ľutina to get wooden church models

ON A PILGRIMAGE hill in Ľutina, near the Greek Orthodox Basilica Minor, a mini-Skansen of wooden churches is being constructed. Skansen is a name sometimes used for open-air museums and is derived from the Skansen, the first open-air museum and zoo in Sweden. The new museum will consist of about 50 models of actual wooden churches from Slovakia and Poland. Basilica Minor is the only Greek Orthodox basilica in Slovakia.

ON A PILGRIMAGE hill in Ľutina, near the Greek Orthodox Basilica Minor, a mini-Skansen of wooden churches is being constructed. Skansen is a name sometimes used for open-air museums and is derived from the Skansen, the first open-air museum and zoo in Sweden. The new museum will consist of about 50 models of actual wooden churches from Slovakia and Poland. Basilica Minor is the only Greek Orthodox basilica in Slovakia.

The project will be co-financed from the EU’s Regional Development Fund for cross-border cooperation thanks to the efforts of the Greek Orthodox parish. The first phase is expected to cost €61,400, with €50,000 covered by EU funds and the remaining amount coming from the Slovak state as well as 5 percent from the Greek Orthodox parish in Ľutina.

The mini-museum will include 36 models of Greek Orthodox churches as well as wooden churches of other religious denominations in Slovakia. Because it is a cross-border project between Poland and Slovakia it will include miniatures of several wooden churches from south-eastern Poland.

Daniel Dzurovčík of the Greek Orthodox Archbishopric told the SITA newswire that the mini-Skansen will be built on a gentle slope near Basilica Minor. It will be divided into four areas based on the locations of the actual churches – three areas for the Bardejov, Svidník, and Snina regions in Slovakia and one area for churches from Poland. The models will be about 1.5 metres tall and are expected to be exact replicas of the original churches in an agreed-upon scale.

Each replica will have an information board describing the actual church and its history.


The wooden models will remain outdoors year-round and visitors will be able to freely wander between the churches, sit on benches and enjoy the relaxing environment.

Dzurovčík said that the first phase of preparatory work for the project was started at the end of May. Modifying the landscape, building a supporting wall and constructing access paths will consume most of the funds but the first ten model churches will also be built using the first tranche of funds. The Greek Orthodox parish will raise additional funds to finish the project, building 40 more model churches and completing the landscaping and terrain modifications.


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