Kolocava is a Ukrainian mountain village popular mainly among Czech tourists but increasingly also among others. People come there mainly because of the legends about a local highwayman but also because of beautiful countryside and local museums.
A Ukrainian village Kolocava is an attractive tourism destination. Many tourists from different countries such the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland or Germany visit it. The villagers could thank Ivan Olbracht for the popularity. He was a Czech writer who lived in the first half of 20th century. He wrote about the region and his books made Nikola Suhaj, a local highwayman, popular.
It is, however, not only the memory of the highwayman that brings tourists there. Czech news magazine Ceskenoviny.cz reported that the village has an amazing ten museums, which is really unusual for a Ukrainian village. There is the Nikola Suhaj museum, which was established in the 1980s, but also a popular open-air museum. There, visitors can see sheep grazing around the old cottages that are equipped with period furniture and there is also an old police station from the first half of the 20th century. In the village, tourists can also visit a Czech prewar school classroom as well as church or soviet classrooms. A pub called Gendarmerie station where they serve local specialties is very popular among tourists.
The region used to be popular mainly among Czech tourists because of the books about the highwayman but Kolocava is getting more and more known also among Ukrainian tourists. Approximately 10,000 people visit this part of Ukraine every year. Tourism is important for villagers. However, agriculture still remains the main source of income for the village. New bars as well as other tourism facilities are under construction there but jobs are still scarce. Many of the local people have to travel abroad to find work. The Czech Republic is one of the most popular destinations for such people.
