The Estates

The open-air museum presents samples of the Ukrainian estates, which are typical for the rural area of the Middle Dnieper region of the second half of the XIX - early XX centuries. Here you can clearly see the traditions of building and landscaping which was recreated according to the social stratification of that period.After the Emancipation reform of 1861, Serfs gained the full rights of free citizens, including the right to marry without having to gain consent, to own property, and to own a business. The Manifesto prescribed that peasants would be able to buy the land from the landlords. Household serfs were the least affected: they gained only their freedom and no land but they could enter into a contract for the use of the landed property for a period of three years with the payment of duties. But eventually, they either bought these lands or extended the contract. However, as a result of the reform, Ukrainian peasants lost more than 15% of the total area of land that was previously in their use. The museum recreates the estates of representatives of all social classes of that time.