Due to ongoing fire recovery efforts, Alberta’s Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village will remain closed for the 2025 summer season.
Fire broke out near the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village, located east of Edmonton, on April 18. Officials reported that a nearby grass fire, fuelled by dry conditions and high winds, caused the blaze.
First responders acted quickly to save the site’s historical buildings but the fire destroyed the visitor centre buildings and many irreplaceable artifacts.
Work is currently underway to clean up the site and re-establish services to resume cultural and learning experiences for visitors.
The fire destroyed the visitor centre buildings, including the visitor reception, gift shop, exhibition galleries, offices, conservation lab, collections and curatorial storage and public washrooms.
The fire destroyed furnishings for the historical buildings stored in the visitor centre’s collection areas, artifacts in its collection storage, and original research files associated with the historic buildings.
Artifacts and furnishings stored in historical buildings or stored at off-site collection warehouses managed by the Royal Alberta Museum remain intact.
Fire crews saved the buildings adjacent to the visitor centre, including the one housing the restoration workshop, interpretation offices, and costume storage.
Crews also saved the infrastructure workshop, band shell, and the silska domiwka (red barn) where food services are offered during the visitor season. They also saved the structures supporting the farm program operations at the rear of the property (“Back 40”).
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