Archive
2011 year, issue 1 read »
The Ethnology Notebooks. 2023. № 1 (169). С. 1-270 DOI... read »
2013 year, issue 6 read »
The Ethnology Notebooks. 2025. # 6 (186). P. 1139-1610 DOI DOI... read »

« 2026. # 2 (188)

The Ethnology Notebooks. 2026. № 2 (188), 405—412

UDK 94:[355.01:623.4](=512.1-057.66:37-44)”05/06″

DOI https://doi.org/10.15407/

  • Received: 19.02.2026
  • Accepted: 17.03.2026
  • Published: ??.??.2026

BETWEEN PRAGUE AND GALICIA: UKRAINIAN TRADITIONAL CULTURE IN RESEARCH OF FRANTIŠEK ŘEHOŘ

MOTYL Romana

  • ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6936-0328
  • Candidate of Arts (Ph. D), Associate Professor,
  • Department of Visual Design and Art,
  • Lviv Polytechnic National University,
  • 12, Bandery Str., 79000, Lviv, Ukraine;
  • Senior Researcher Folk Art Department,
  • Ethnology Institute of NAS of Ukraine,
  • 15, Svobody ave., 79000, Lviv, Ukraine,
  • Contacts: e-mail: romana_motyl@ukr.net

MOTYL Andrii-Oleksandr

  • ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-1190-5558
  • Ph. D Student in the Department of Historical Ethnology,
  • Ethnology Institute of NAS of Ukraine,
  • 15, Svobody ave., 79000, Lviv, Ukraine,
  • Contacts: e-mail: andriy.motyl@gmail.com

Abstract. Introduction. František Řehoř was a Czech ethnographer, collector, and documenter of Ukrainian traditional culture in the late 19th century. This article examines his field research in Galicia, his documentation methods, and the significance of František Řehoř’s ethnographic collections, which are stored at the National Museum in Prague. Contemporary research on Řehoř’s collections is analyzed, as well as their contribution to the reconstruction of the material culture of Ukrainians at the end of the 19th century.

The purpose of this article is to examine in detail the life and scientific work of Czech ethnographer František Řehoř, in particular to analyze his field research in Galicia, his methods of documenting Ukrainian culture, and to assess the significance of his collections for contemporary science.

The object of the study consists of the most important milestones in the scientific activity of František Řehoř, which characterize his contribution to the study of Ukrainian traditional culture. The subject of the study covers the scientific heritage of the Czech ethnographer from the late 19th century.

The methodological basis of the paper consists in the comprehensive use of a number of general scientific methods, the principal ones being the historical-biographical method, source study method, the method of scientific search, and the method of historical reconstruction of the phenomena under study. Conclusion. František Řehoř is a renowned foreign researcher of 19th-century Ukrainian traditional culture. He combined amateur dedication with scientific attention to detail. František Řehoř’s collections should be viewed not as random «antique» items, but as systematically collected sources for ethnographic and art studies. The presence of documentary photographs and notes makes his materials valuable for restoration research, costume reconstruction, and the study of regional variations in ornamentation. František Řehoř’s works contributed to the recognition of Ukrainian folk art as a distinctive phenomenon of European culture and laid the foundation for further scientific research in this field.

Keywords: František Řehoř, ethnography, Ukrainian culture, folk art, research, museum collections, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, late 19th century.

REFERENCES

  • Valashkova, N. (2007). Frantisek Rehor and his collection of photographs from Galicia. Ukrainian Journal, 4, 28—29 [in Ukrainian].
  • Shcherbaniuk, L. Czech friend of Ukraine. Retrieved from: https://zbruc.eu/node/74398 (Last accessed: 14.02.2026) [in Ukrainian].
  • Molnar, M. (1959). Frantisek Rehor and Ukraine. Folk Art and Ethnography, 1, 79—89 [in Ukrainian].
  • Drbal, О., Kril, M., & Motornyi, A. (Ed.). (1998). Czechs in Galicia: Biographical Guide Lviv: Center of Europe [in Ukrainian].
  • Pidkova, I., & Shust, R. (Ed.). (2002). Handbook of the History of Ukraine. Kyiv: Geneza [in Ukrainian].
  • Onatsky E. (Ed.). (1963). Frantisek Rehor. Ukrainian Small Encyclopedia: 16 books, 8 vol. Published by the Administration of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Argentina. Buenos Aires, book XII: Letters of Poe — Edition (P. 1585) [in Ukrainian].
  • Fedorchuk, O., Pohunek, J., & Tauberova, M. (2022). Ukrainian Beaded Artwork in the Collection: TheFrantisek Rehor Scientific and Artistic Value Scientific and Artistic Value. Český lid, 3 (Vol. 109, pp. 351—371) [in English].
  • Klyashtorna, N. (2012). Boykivske suzirya. Dictionary of Boykivshchyna personalities: born Boykivs; lived in Boykivshchyna; served Boykivs. Ivano-Frankivsk: Liliya-NV [in Ukrainian].
  • Boljuk, O., Fedorchuk, O., Pohunek, J., & Valaskova, N. (2020). Traditional Folk Culture of Ukrainians in Austria-Hungary as Represented in Ethnographic Collection of Frantisek Rehor.  Cesky lid, 1 (Vol. 107, pp. 71—92) [in Czech].
  • Varvartsev, M. (Ed.). (2016). Frantisek Rehor. Ukraine in International Relations. Encyclopedic Dictionary-Reference. Issue 6. Biographical Part: N—Ya Kyiv: Institute of History of Ukraine, NAS of Ukraine [in Ukrainian].
  • Valashkova, N. (2012) «Remembrance of the specified collection of photographs — a unique testimony of the Eastern Galician realities of that time»: Frantisek Rehor and his collection of photographs from Galicia. Retrieved from: https://bojky.wordpress.com/2012/04/23/згадка-провказану-колекцію-світлин/ (Last accessed: 14.02.2026) [in Czech].
  • Kutsyr, T., & Shvets, A. (Ed.). (2017). Ethnographic Heritage by F. Rehor. Frantisek Rehor as Opillia and Pidhiria Folk Source. In: A. Shvets. (Ed.), The Czech Republic gave us a man with a heart of gold: Frantisek Rehor in the paradigm of Ukrainian-Czech cultural relations: collection of scientific works (Pp. 119). Lviv: HALYCH-PRESS [in Ukrainian].
  • Valashkova, N. (1999). Frantisek Rehor (1857—1899) and his ethnographic activities. (With examples of the article by F. Rehor from Galicia). Prague: Institute of Ethnology, Czech Academy of Sciences [in Czech].
  • Shvets, A. (Ed.). (2017). The Czech Republic gave us a man with a heart of gold: Frantisek Rehor in the paradigm of Ukrainian-Czech cultural relations: collection of scientific works. Lviv: HALYCH-PRESS [in Ukrainian].
  • Kubiyovych, V. (Ed.). (1955—1995). Encyclopedia of Ukrainian Studies: Dictionary Part: in 11 vol. Shevchenko Scientific Society; Paris; New York: Young Life [in Ukrainian].
  • Bolyuk, O., & Shvets, A. (Ed.). (2017). Relevance of the Ukrainian-Czech research project «Collection of Ukrainian folk art works in the storage facilities of the National Museum in Prague: classification and attribution». In: A. Shvets. The Czech Republic gave us a man with a heart of gold: Frantisek Rehor in the paradigm of Ukrainian-Czech cultural relations: collection of scientific works (Pp. 105—111). Lviv: HALYCH-PRESS [in Ukrainian].
  • Fedorchuk, O. (2019). The exhibition «Old Ukraine of Frantisek Rehor» has opened. The Ethnology notebooks, 6 (150), 1738—1740 [in Ukrainian].
  • Medricka, H., Zaveska, D., Blechova, K., Boljuk, O., & Fedorchuk, O. (2019). Old Ukraine of Frantisek Rehor. National Museum [in Czech, English, Ukraine].
Our authors
Oksana Sapeliak. Senior Research Fellow, Ph.D. in... read »
Olena Nykorak. Senior Researcher, Doctor of Arts read »
Stepan Pavluk. Prof., full member of NAS of Ukraine,... read »
Kuzmenko Oksana Senior Researcher, Candidate of... read »
Traditional folk clothes of velikobychkovsky hutsuly of XIX — the first half of XX century
In the study based upon numerous field materials, literature sources as well as ethnographic, historio-cultural and regional museum collections has been performed complex analysis in traditional folk clothes by Hutzul population of Velyky Bychkiv village in Transcarpathian region. Detailed descriptions of femi­nine and masculine clothing complexes of the mentioned area have been presented. In characterizing of those main attention has been paid to the detail of cut in separate components of dress; cut of feminine shirt has been added as an illustration.
Read »

Boikos’ pandemonium: categories of evil deceased
In the article have been presented some research-work on peculiarities of Boikos’ traditional demonological notions as for so-called evil deceased; on the basis of field records and ethnological literary sources quite a number of scum categories have been defined as well as essential habits, modes of behavior and functions of these personages of people’s demonology.
Read »

Wax candle as ukrainian Christmas and epiphany ritualistic text
For the first time in native ethnology the article has brought some results of special study in sign functionality of a wax candle under the context of Ukrainian Christmas and Epiphany ritualistic text (ritualism of Christmas Eve, New Year, Epiphany Eve and Feast of Epiphany). The study has stated extremely high semiotic position of a wax candle as projection of Sun, mediator between the spheres of sacral and prophane elements, symbolic analogue of human existence, apotropy, cultural symbol re-establishing borders of acculturated space.
Read »

On field exploration of russian and belarusian ethnologists and etnolinguists in Ukrainian Polisia 1945—1980s
In the study based on a wide range of literary materials have been comprehensively characterised field research in Polisia of Ukraine, performed by Russian and Belarusian ethnologists during 1945—1980s as well as Moscow ethnolinguists and other researchers from ethnologic centres of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus in the course of realization of Ethnolinguistic Atlas of Polisia program. Particular attention has been paid to geography, methods, themes and research results of scientific projects.
Read »