Kalyna Country
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Location | East Central Alberta, Canada (Sturgeon County, Thorhild County, Smoky Lake County, County of St. Paul No. 19, County of Vermilion River, County of Two Hills No. 21, County of Minburn No. 27, Beaver County, Lamont County, and Strathcona County) |
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Type | ecomuseum |
Website | www |
The Kalyna Country ecomuseum is a heritage and eco-tourism district in East Central Alberta, Canada, named after the highbush cranberry plant, pronounced (Ka-lyn-na) in the Ukrainian language. The Ukrainian folklore states: "Without Kalyna, there is no Ukraina".[1]
Location and promotion
Kalyna Country bills itself as the "World's Largest Ecomuseum" at 20,000 square kilometers, or more than three times the size of
Officially, Kalyna Country comprises
Kalyna berries were a popular source of food amongst the early pioneers, fur traders and natives. Kalyna Country is a year-round playground with culture as diverse as the landscape that offers it. Here the
The main attractions include:
- Elk Island National Park known for its work with Bison conservation.
- North America's Church Capital - Lamont County claims this title, with nearly 40 churches declared historic sites, despite the small and thinly spread population. Tours are available.
- Alberta's oldest remaining Pool Hall, in the Village of Vilna. This attraction still boasts its pool and billiards tables, as well as a barber shop and some food service.
- Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village - a living history open-air museum showcasing East-Central Alberta's unique culture from 1892 to 1930.
- Vegreville Ukrainian Pysanka Festival - a huge Ukrainian cultural festival held every year in pysanka.
- Great White North Pumpkin Fair and Weigh-Off - the first Saturday of October in the town of Smoky Lake. This is part of the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth, and searches for the largest pumpkin in North America each year.
- Fort Victoria - a former fur-trading post, and missionary centre, home to the oldest building in Alberta.
- Metis Crossing - A celebration of Metis culture in Alberta and home to Alberta's first Zip-Line attraction. Located 2 km from Fort Victoria.
Giants of the Prairies
The area is also famous for the Giants of the Prairies, a series of roadside attractions (usually Ukrainian-themed).
- World's Largest Mushrooms, Vilna
- World's Largest 'Pumpkin Patch', Smoky Lake
- World's Largest Perogy (Ukrainian dumpling), Glendon
- World's Largest Kubasa (Ukrainian garlic sausage), Mundare
- World's Largest Pysanka (Ukrainian easter egg), Vegreville
- World's Largest UFO Landing Pad, St. Paul
- World's Largest Duck, Andrew
Affiliations
The museum is affiliated with:
See also
- Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village
- Open-air museum
- List of Canadian place names of Ukrainian origin
References
- ^ (in Ukrainian) The Great Coat of Arms of Our Country
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