Inside one of Ukraine's rare Grazhda fortress houses

(29 Oct 2016) FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4062958

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In the Carpathian mountains of Ukraine, several old fashioned "Grazhda" houses remain.
Preserved down the generations, these fortress-like constructions are now attracting a steady stream of tourists.

STORY-LINE:
These unusual wooden structures, many of them secluded high up in the Carpathian mountains, are some of the few remaining authentic Grazhdas in western Ukraine.
The Marusyak family is living in one large Grazhda built in 1925, as attested by a marking on one of the house's beams.
"This house was made in 1925 and there is a marking by the builders. They carved this ceiling beam and carved the year of construction of the house there," says Lubov Marusyak.
Several generations of the family have lived in this house, which lies five kilometres from from the nearest village, high in the mountains.
Besides some modern appliances such as the fridge, television set and their mobile phones, in many ways Marusyak and her family are living in very much the same fashion as their ancestors.
Embroidered dresses and carpets dating back almost a century have been preserved by the proprietors.
All decorations, icons, even the oven in the kitchen are all originals.
Marusyak makes bread and cheese at home herself. Several times a year they walk down to the village, mainly to sell their products and to buy oil, spare parts and medicines.
With an influx of tourists coming to taste organic food and look around the houses, there is a drive to keep these old structures preserved and intact.
"We wanted to keep this house original. We had people who don't believe that this is the original condition of the house, the wood and even people living here. We are very impressed that this house in such good condition," says Marusyak.
Lubov has a husband and two young children. A small family in these parts could have up to 50 sheep, 10 cows, and dozens of chickens.
In the village of Kryvorivnia is another Grazhda, situated in a private reservation open for tourists.
Vaselyna Zelenchuk, caretaker for the Grazhda knows the story of this house, as it belonged to her grandmother.
According to her, the Carpathian mountains were known for warriors, which is why so many of these small castles were built here with only one entrance, protected from the outside by wooden fences and buildings.
"It wasn't so peaceful in the mountains as there are Grazhda's that are like castles. "Grazhda" means "fence" in the ancient Slavic language."
She boasts proudly that in 1963, Soviet film director Sergei Parajanov shot scenes from his classic film "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors" here, attracted by the colour of the houses.

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