In the Drohobych community on 27–28 August, an extensive programme has been planned to celebrate the 170th anniversary of Ivan Franko’s birth. The festivities will take place in Drohobych and in the writer’s native village of Nahuievychi, home to the State Historical and Cultural Reserve “Nahuievychi”. The anniversary year’s motto is “Franko Unites”.
On Thursday, 27 August, the day in Drohobych will begin with a solemn gathering by the monument to Ivan Franko at 20 Ivana Franka Street. After that, the main events will move to Nahuievychi, and in the evening participants will once again be welcomed back in Drohobych for museum and cultural events.
In Nahuievychi on 27 August, from 12:00 to 12:40, a memorial service commemorating the writer will be held by the monument on the grounds of the Ivan Franko Literary and Memorial Museum, before an 18th-century icon of Saint Nicholas associated with his baptism. Bishop Yaroslav of the Sambir-Drohobych Eparchy of the UGCC and Archbishop Yakiv of the Drohobych-Sambir Eparchy of the OCU will take part in the service. This will be followed by greetings from the Franko family, guests and organisers (12:40–13:00) and the laying of flowers at the Ivan Franko monument (13:00–13:15).
Among the key events of the day is the unveiling, from 13:15 to 13:45, of a tactile bronze mini-sculpture of the Franko family homestead with Braille and audio description at the entrance to the museum-homestead (15 Ivana Franka Street, Nahuievychi). The sculptor is Vasyl Odrekhivskyi, and the event is organised by the Department of Culture, Nationalities and Religions of the Lviv Regional State Administration. Afterwards there will be a presentation and special cancellation of a commemorative stamp and envelope for the 170th anniversary of Franko by Andriy Pyliukh’s philatelic project “Kozatska Poshta” (13:45–14:00, at the Franko homestead well).
From 14:00 to 14:30, in the courtyard of the Franko homestead in Nahuievychi, a museum guidebook will be presented (Drohobych: FOP Sheremeta T.M., 2026) by Nazar Yurchyshyn, Candidate of Historical Sciences and curator of the collections at the Nahuievychi SHCR. After the official part, an informal meeting titled “Franko Coffee” has been announced.
At 15:00 in Drohobych, in the history department of the “Drohobychchyna” museum (32 Ivana Franka Street), the exhibition “Ivan Franko and Drohobych” will be opened. At 18:00, on Ivan Franko Square by the monument and the Ivan Franko People’s House (20 Ivana Franka Street), the jubilee, tenth solemn award ceremony for the laureate of the International Ivan Franko Prize is scheduled. At 19:00, the premiere of the original production “The Unknown Franko” will take place at the Ivan Franko People’s House. The initiator of the idea is Serhiy Dmytriiev, and the chief director and producer is People’s Artist of Ukraine Oleh Musiychuk.
On Friday, 28 August, Nahuievychi will host the 10th EthnoFest at the Franko Homestead in support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The organisers present it as part of the cultural front under the slogan “We’re organising a jubilee Frankotherapy – together!” and are launching a fundraising campaign for the museum and art programme “Frankotherapy” for wounded servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, their families and the families of fallen Heroes.
The main centre of the celebrations will be the “Homestead of Geniuses” location on the grounds of the Ivan Franko museum-homestead and the literary and memorial museum (10 and 15 Ivana Franka Street, Nahuievychi). From 12:00 to 21:00, more than 50 charitable ethno-locations will be operating here: themed homestead zones of the Nahuievychi SHCR, workshops on Boiko-style knitting, pottery, straw weaving and decorative painting, displays and sales of folk crafts, ethnic products and new books, artistic photo zones, horse riding, activities for children and adults, mediaeval re-enactments, a field kitchen, tastings of craft produce, and exhibitions from museums and charitable foundations.
Particular emphasis will be placed on the “Petro Franko and the Inventiveness of Ukrainians” location in the museum space opposite the monuments to Ivan and Petro Franko. From 14:00 there will be a charity exhibition of drones, 3D modelling, 3D printers and robotics by teachers and pupils of the “Robotics and Computer Modelling” club at the Drohobych House of Scientific and Technical Creativity for Young People, led by Ihor Khomyn.
Another themed area will be the volunteer field. Here, initiatives will be presented including “Boryslav Dragons” with their handmade items, honey products from veteran Oleksandr Fedorov’s family, stands from Volodymyr Shershen-Baraniak’s “Vulyk”, Mariia Holovkevych, the Kolo Charitable Foundation and other partners raising funds to support the front.
Next to the “Yellow Franko Sculpture” the charitable “Franko Theatre” – a mobile stage of the Nahuievychi SHCR – will be in operation. From 13:30 to 14:30, the Lviv Puppet Theatre will perform the production “The Pranks of Mykyta the Fox” based on Ivan Franko’s fairy tale (play by Yaroslav Yarosh, director Volodymyr Pidtserkovnyi, designers Oksana Rossol and Oleksandr Serhiienko, composer Mykola Salo, choreographer Kateryna Pohorielova, artistic director Ulyana Moroz). From 14:30 to 14:50, the Boryslav People’s Drama Theatre named after Petro Teliuk will present excerpts from the drama “Stolen Happiness” in a production directed by Nataliia Kravtsova.
From 15:00 to 19:00, a patriotic concert of the 10th EthnoFest in support of the “Frankotherapy” programme will take place at the same location. The host will be Volodymyr Dumych, with Volodymyr Pryriz providing technical support for sound and lighting. In parallel, charitable auction-sales will be held in aid of the Armed Forces of Ukraine – including decorated artillery shell casings, books by Drohobych authors, paintings and folk art pieces, family season tickets to the Franko homestead with a “Night at the Museum” option, craft honey sets, models of military equipment made from air-drying clay and other art lots.
The concert programme includes a series of performances by ensembles and soloists from various regions. Greetings are planned from the Franko family, guests and organisers of the “Nahuievychi – Franko’s” EthnoFest, the choreographic suite “Greetings from Ukraine” by the “Veselka” folk dance ensemble from Nahuievychi (artistic director Mariia Kurpiak), concert programmes by groups from the Staryi Sambir area, vocal premieres from the Faculty of Primary Education and Arts of the Ivan Franko Drohobych State Pedagogical University, as well as performances by choral and vocal ensembles from Lviv region and other communities.
The stage will feature both works set to Ivan Franko’s texts and contemporary patriotic songs performed by students, school pupils and professional musicians. Among those announced are programmes from the “Vyshyvanka” Zolochiv Music School, the “Zorepad-Dance” group and other participants.
On the evening of 28 August in Nahuievychi, the final of the nationwide song festival-competition “Franko Unites”, dedicated to the writer’s anniversary, will take place. From 19:00 to 20:10, the finalists’ performances and the announcement of the competition winners will be held, featuring songs set to Ivan Franko’s texts. The festival’s media partner is the M1 music television channel, and the host will be Mykhailo Melnykovych (Miska Batiara), co-author of the museum expedition project “Family Villages of Ivan Franko”.
After the results are announced, from 20:10 to 21:30, a gala concert featuring well-known Ukrainian artists is planned – Oles Zhuravchak, Oleh Serbin, Tonya Matvienko, Pavlo Tabakov, Zlata Ognevich and Arsen Mirzoyan.
“We invite everyone who cares about the fate of Ukraine and the legacy of our National Genius, and especially those committed to supporting our Military, displaced people and volunteers, as well as those who have never yet visited the Franko Homestead!” the organisers say in their appeal, stressing that the “Frankobus” will be running to the homestead throughout the day.
For visitors’ convenience, special transport will be arranged on 28 August. The Frankobus will run from 12:00 to 22:00 from Drohobych bus station to the Franko museum-homestead in Nahuievychi. Buses from Drohobych will depart every 30 minutes from 13:45 to 20:45, and in the opposite direction from 14:15 to 22:00. The fare will be 20 UAH.
The departure points will be: the car park at Bus Station No. 2 on Pylypa Orlyka Street in Drohobych and the car park by the Franko homestead museum complex at 15 Ivana Franka Street in Nahuievychi. The bus route will run from Bus Station No. 2 via Chornovola Street, the Alla Bulba Centre, Lesi Ukrainky Street, Sambirska Street, the villages of Lishnia and Uniatychi to the Nahuievychi SHCR, with all intermediate stops.
Entry to the 10th EthnoFest at the Franko homestead will be by charitable donation. So-called “Franko Tickets” have been introduced: for pre-school children – free, children’s tickets will cost 100 UAH, and adult tickets 300 UAH and above, depending on visitors’ means. All funds raised from tickets and charitable locations will go into the collection box for the jubilee “Frankotherapy” in support of wounded soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, their families and the families of fallen defenders.