Opishnia

Opishnia has made pottery since at least the seventeenth century on local clays, and at its height had hundreds of potters working the village. The National Museum of Ukrainian Pottery is here, with a large collection and an open-air park of monumental ceramic sculpture, along with workshops where the work continues and an annual symposium that brings potters in from across the country. The forms are distinctive: green and brown glazes, animal-shaped vessels, painted plates.

What you actually see

• The ceramics museum - the national collection of Ukrainian pottery.
• The sculpture park - monumental ceramic works in the open air.
• The working potters - workshops in the village continuing the tradition.
• The local forms - green and brown glazed ware and animal-shaped vessels.

When to go

April to October is the comfortable season. The museum closes on Mondays. The summer symposium is when most potters are working publicly.

Honest expectations

The museum is spread across several buildings and some are closed outside summer. Workshop visits should be arranged rather than assumed. Labelling is in Ukrainian.

Nearby

Poltava is southeast, and Dykanka is south.