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Votic Luutsa village museum
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The creation of the Votic museum in the village of Luutsa, Ust-Luga, Kingisepp district of Leningrad area, was a private initiative and started in 1997. Initiators - T. Efimova (chairman of the Votic Cultural Society) and other villagers - collected 70 exhibits and more than 200 photos from the period before the Second World War. The museum was located at the traditional Votic house of the Efimov family, which was built in 1903. On the north side of the house was a large courtyard, where there was room for the cattle, a barn and storage space for household inventory. In the museum you could see the exhibits and also find information on the history and culture of Votic people.
In 2001 the museum with all the exhibits, photos and documents was burned. The native inhabitants of the Luutsa and Krakolje villages began reconstruction of the museum exposition.
On the 3rd of October 2005, Filippov Vladimir Sergeevich and Kuznetsova Nadezhda Sergeevna gave the Votic Cultural Association part of the parental house they inherited to arrange a second Votic museum in the village of Luutsa. In the house they created an exhibit showing what everyday life was like for a Votic peasant family of the early 20th century. They also began to hold master-classes on teaching local children folk crafts: weaving, netting, spinning, and the preparation of Votic cuisine.
On the 6th of September 2006, the Votic museum in Luutsa was burned again. Some of the items from exhibits were saved thanks to the self-sacrificing actions of the villagers. Unfortunately, not all relics could be saved; from among the burnt exhibits was found an old Votic kantele from Krakolje village.
After the fire, officials did not respond to requests for assistance. For a few years, the museum was based in part of the new house of the Efimov family. In 2011, thanks to the management of Ust-Luga, a new museum building was constructed. After the loss of the second museum building, the Votic Сultural Society started work on the creation of the Virtual Votic Museum.
The exhibition of the first Votic museum 1997-2001
The exhibition of the second Votic museum 2005-2006
Performig Votjanness Heritage Production, the Votian Museum and village Feasts. The article by Ergo-Hart Västrik and Ester Võsu.
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