The Cherkasy oblast became the 15th update to the RE:Ukraine Villages online constructor. During expeditions in December 2025, despite challenging weather conditions and rough terrain, the project team visited around 40 villages.
Cherkasy oblast’s central geographical location in the heart of the Dnieper Ukraine region helped to preserve Ukrainian identity — unlike the border regions, the local area was subject to less external influence. Historically, Cherkasy oblast was a centre of Ukrainian national and cultural revival, which also influenced the development of decorative arts: ceramics, wall paintings and embroidery.
Works by Yaryna and Sofia Homeniuk. Source: uartlib.org
Villages and small towns were usually situated on riverbanks — houses were built from wood, clay and other materials, featuring unique decorative elements characteristic of the region. Over time, new types of houses with iron roofs began to appear in rural areas, yet they retained the folk traditions of exterior design: cladding with polished brick, multi-coloured ornamentation, patterned brick cornices, window frames and friezes. Over time, the art of painting houses became a profession — notably, the Gomeniuk sisters were among the most famous masters. Floral and geometric patterns, symbolising purification by fire, were particularly popular.
The Cherkasy oblast is rich in decorative elements. The traditional mud-brick hut, with its characteristic murals, has over time evolved into a village house adorned with ceramic tiles featuring plant and floral motifs. The Cherkasy oblast is also distinguished by a distinctive approach to combining decorative multicoloured tiles in different parts of the façade. The colour schemes of local houses are dominated by white, blue and green, with splashes of brown and dark red. A glazed veranda has also become a typical feature of local village houses.
Based on our research, we have added dormer windows to the online constructor. When selecting brick window surrounds, you can now choose the upper and lower finishes separately — this allows you to replicate as closely as possible the variety of combinations seen in real houses in the Cherkasy oblast. In the designer, you can also select a gambrel (mansard) roof, which the team first documented in the Kyiv oblast.
