The Journalists’ Solidarity Center in Ivano-Frankivsk organized a tour for internally displaced media workers to the regional local history museum, which turns 83 years old in May.
Museum expositions are located in one of the city’s oldest, grandest and highest buildings – the Town Hall, a monument of architectural heritage. Ivano-Frankivsk Town Hall is the only secular building in Ukraine with a gilded dome. It was gilded during the large-scale reconstruction of the city center in 2000, spending 200 g of gold leaf.
Thanks to the exciting story of the guide, the journalists got acquainted with the rich exposition of the museum, an important scientific and cultural, and educational institution of the Carpathian region. In the nature section, in particular, the excursionists saw the biotic diversity of the Carpathians; in the history section, they viewed a collection of archaeological monuments from the time of Kyivan Rus and the Galicia-Volyn state, a rich collection of weapons and old prints, and in the folk art section – items of folk life, clothing, decorative items – applied art.
During the excursion, fellow journalists also visited the exhibition of violets opened in the museum. And then, we went up to the observation deck, which is located on the tower of the Town Hall under the dome at the height of more than 33 meters. To climb it, you need to climb 166 steep steps. However, journalists do not lack energy and endurance, so everyone quickly overcame them. In the end, according to them, the steep climb was worth it because, from the observation deck, they could admire the wonderful panorama of Ivano-Frankivsk and its surroundings.
Displaced journalists have repeatedly participated in various cultural events organized by the Journalists’ Solidarity Center to know better the region where circumstances have led them. Vira Iliyina, a media journalist from Kramatorsk, says that the tour to the local history museum distracted her a lot and immersed her in the ancient history of Prykarpattia.
“To say that I liked it is a minimal word. Today’s excursion made my day: the town hall, the observation deck, and the professional tour guide. I read about the history of the Ivano-Frankivsk Region, but I did not delve into ancient history. As it turned out, I am very interested in this, so in addition to pleasure, this day is also enlightening,” Vira said.
Yana Yaryhina from the Donetsk Region ended up in Ivano-Frankivsk because of the full-scale war. Now she is a Department of Journalism, Advertising, and PR student at King Danylo University. Before this, the girl did not know the city’s history, but this tour interested her quite a bit.
“I liked the visit to the local history museum. I appreciate things like that. As a displaced person, I need to get acquainted with the region’s culture where the war threw me. It is still close to me, even if it is the West and not the native East,” said the future journalist.
The Journalists’ Solidarity Center and displaced journalists sincerely thank the museum director, Halyna Bednarchyk, and the museum staff for an exciting and informative tour.
As earlier reported, Journalists’ Solidarity Centers are an initiative of the NUJU implemented with the support of the International and European Federations of Journalists and UNESCO. The initiative is aimed at helping media representatives working in Ukraine during the war. The centers operate in Kyiv, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipro and provide journalists with organizational, technical, legal, psychological, and other types of assistance.
About UNESCO. UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. It contributes to peace and security by promoting international cooperation in education, sciences, culture, communication, and information. UNESCO promotes knowledge sharing and the free flow of ideas to accelerate mutual understanding. It is the coordinator of the UN Action Plan on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, which aims to create a free and safe environment for journalists and media workers, thus strengthening peace, democracy, and sustainable development worldwide. UNESCO is working closely with its partner organizations in Ukraine to provide support to journalists on the ground.
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Journalists’ Solidarity Center in Ivano-Frankivsk
