Cossack settlement

Cossack history buffs can see Mamaieva Sloboda, an 18th-century settlement, in the very heart of Kyiv (seven kilometers away from the capital’s main street Khreshchatyk). This museum has unique history — Mamaieva Sloboda was restored in the course of 19 years by enthusiasts.

The settlement is located on nearly 10 hectares. A total of 98 objects, exact copies of buildings dating back to the 17th and the 18th centuries, have been built on its territory. Like in the old times, the old Holy Virgin’s Intercession Church is in the center of the settlement, surrounded by 38 stone crosses — the only Ukrainian pantheon established to honor kurins of the Zaporozhian Sich.

In Mamaieva Sloboda one can see the estate of a village headman, dzhuras (Cossack trainees), and the farmsteads of the Cossacks and Cossack officers. Moreover, a forge, pottery, windmill, and traditional Cossack tavern are operating in the settlement. These pieces of history (museum exhibits would be a misnomer here) are designed to be used according to their purpose.

The church deserves a separate mention. It is considered a stauropegion church, i.e., directly responsible to the Patriarch of Ukraine, according to the canon. Here one can baptize a child or conduct a wedding ceremony according to in the ancient Cossack style.

The admission fee at Mamaieva Sloboda is 20 hryvnias for adults, and seven hryvnias — for children, students, and the retired. If you have an embroidered shirt on your trip to this open-air museum, admission will be 10 hryvnias for adults and free for students and pensioners.

A 90-minute excursion around the Cossack settlement will cost you 300 hryvnias (in Ukrainian) or 500 hryvnias (in a foreign language). Mamaieva Sloboda is open every day, except for Monday, from 11 a.m. until 7 p,m. on weekdays and 8 p.m. on weekends. The settlement is located on Mykhaila Dontsia Street, 2 in Vidradne district. For more information see the website mamajeva-sloboda.ua.