Cooperage.
It presents the artisanal and home-made wooden containers made of staves, connected by wooden or metal hoops. The resulting products were used in the preparation, storage, and transportation of liquids, food, and other goods. Cooperage in the Snina region depended on agriculture, viticulture (Snina was grapevined from the 16th to the 19th century), brewing (Snina, Zvala), and distilling (Stakčín, Ubľa).

The oldest data about coopers in the Snina region are preserved in the land and mortgage register of the farm in the town of Humenné from 1612. It also contains data from the 19th century about coopers working in Snina, Stakčín and Kolonice. In 1959, Peter Huda was engaged in the production of pucie in the village of Krivé.
 

Tinkery.
This handicraft dealt with the repair of home kitchen utensils with wire or the production or sale of sheet metal and wire products. Traveling tinkers originally repaired pottery vessels by "embroidering" (passing wire through holes drilled in the vessel) or by wiring (braiding the vessels with wire mesh). After 1875, they also began to repair tin vessels, namely by patching with metal plates, soldering or tinning. The oldest data on tinkers in the Snina region come from 1869 and concern the villages of Nová Sedlica and Ruské.
 

Tanning.
It is a craft and home production focused on processing raw animal skins into utility skins. Until the 18th century, shoemakers also processed leather, who needed it to produce cheaper footwear. In tanning, tannins were used to stiffen, or tan, hides, made of tannin made of bark and various parts of oak, spruce, willow, larch, birch, maple, poplar, lilac, rowan or hazel. From the 1880s, the natural tanning agent was replaced by chromium salts. The process consisted in the fact that first the remains of meat and tendons were cut from the skin, and then it was rinsed in water with a tannin, which also colored the skin. To make the skin soft and radiant, it was painted with sebum, ointment or polished with wax. The processed leather was then sold to other specialist craftsmen (shoemakers, saddlers, saddlers, leatherworkers and bookbinders) as material for further processing.

Production of gub.
It is about home and handicraft weaving, possibly sewing. The guba was rectangular in shape and served as a blanket (blanket for people and animals), made of two pieces of fabric with hair and sleeves, and also served as an outer garment, reaching up to the waist or below the knee. For this garment, however, the name gubaňa or gubaňka is used more often. The hair on the surface of the fabric was formed during weaving, by placing strands of wool in the warp, or by combing the surface of a finished coarse woolen carpet. The thread in the guby - gubaňe fabric was formed by the second thread. This is the only type of textile production that reached the territory of Slovakia during the Wallachian colonization, and also took the form of artisanal production.

Gub manufacturing is one of the typical crafts in Zemplín and is mainly related to the Wallachian colonization. As a craft in this region, however, it developed mainly in large cities. The main craft center of gub production was Humenné, where the "gubars" used black sheep wool to produce "gub".
 

Pottery.
It is a craft that produces pottery from fired clay that was originally modeled by hand, later on a potter's wheel or molded. In the process, clay containers for households were created - various pots, cups, milk jugs, decanters, colanders and cheese drippers, plates, jugs, gander, double canteens - the so-called dvojnice, bee odorizers, containers for making candles or flower pots. The potters built their workshops in places with deposits of good quality clay and with good access to wood.

Pottery was one of the characteristic crafts of Zemplín. Its most famous center was Pozdišovce in the Michałów region. Further pottery centers were located in the Humenné and Sobrance regions - from there the pottery production spread to the Snina region. In the 1950s and 1960s, pottery in Snina became the second most famous center (after Pozdišovce) in the whole of Zemplín. The collection of the Museum of National History in Humenné mainly includes ceramics from Snina (228 pieces) by master Ján Halamka.
 

Masonry.
The development of stonework took place at a time when the population of the northeastern part of Upper Zemplín began to shift from shacking and pastoralism to the cultivation of agricultural crops and their processing. It focused mainly on the production of millstones, grinding stones - mortars, sharpeners and whetstones. Mills also began to be built - their construction required, inter alia, the production of millstones, which could only be produced from a suitable type of sandstone, especially from a conglomerate.

Stonemasons also made crosses and tombstones, especially Jewish ones. Unique stone tombstones with three-armed crosses in the villages of Topoľa and Ruské come from the 18th century - works of local stonemasons. In the neighboring village of Kolbasov at the beginning of the 20th century, Jewish tombstones and probably roadside crosses made of sandstone - božie muky (roadside crosses of the Passion) were made.
 

Wheelwrighting.
It is about the handicraft and home production of wheels, carts, sleds, carriages, tools and wooden devices. The basis of wheelwrighting was the production of wooden wheels. Wheelwrighting
it was one of the most widespread crafts in all regions of Zemplín.

The equipment of a wheeler workshop from the village of Ruský Potok is currently on display in the open-air museum of the Local History Museum in Humenné. Directly in the Snina region, there is one wheelchair workshop (together with a blacksmith's workshop) from the village of Kolbasov from 1898, which was moved to the village of Stakčín in 2018.

Korytnictwo.
It represents artisanal and home-made wooden troughs using the chiseling method. Korytnicy also dealt with the production of trays, bowls, bathtubs, spoons, brews, shovels, fairies and other wooden utensils. Until the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, this craft did not exist as a specialized production.

The development of channeling in Zemplín was noted especially after the arrival of Romanian Roma - korytniks from Western Ukraine, who settled in various localities, mainly in the Sobranki (Budkovce, Podhoroď), Michałów (Tušice) and Wranowski (Podčičva) regions, and then in the Humenny (Udavské , Kamenica nad Cirochou, Papín) and Snin (Snina). In the collections of the Zemplin museums and in various other collections, the channeling has been documented in ten villages of the Snina region. At present, Milan Karľa in Snina is devoted to the work of the Snipe region.
 

Boilermaking - canoeing.
It deals with the production of containers, bowls, boilers, dishes for the needs of household, crafts and industry, roofing made of copper sheet or other utility or artistic products. Items were made of copper sheet by cold forging (chiselling).

Until the mid-18th century, boiler production was concentrated mainly in eastern Slovakia and copper forges. It spread only in larger cities - Humenné, Michałowce and Wranow nad Topla.

Blacksmithing.
It is about the artisanal production of iron objects with the use of hand tools and heat treatment by forging. These crafts are among the oldest and most important. Blacksmithing was carried out in forges (these were separate buildings). All production operations were carried out there, which, similarly to the cold processing of iron, had common features with locksmithing. Blacksmiths' forges usually had two spaces - one closed, internal - and the other external, open with a roof (it was formed by the protruding roof of the internal space). This external space was used to shoe the horses. The interior was dominated by a hearth and blacksmith moss, through which air was blown into the furnace in order to obtain the required flame temperature.

In the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century, blacksmithing in the rural environment focused on shoeing draft animals, the production and repair of agricultural tools (hoe, semi-iron plows, forks or shovels), tools for lumberjacks (axes, chains, poles) and craftsmen, means of transport (forging carriages, horse-drawn carriages, carriages or sledges), forged elements of buildings (grates, shutters, door and window fittings or door hinges), as well as for the repair of various other iron objects, fittings and mechanisms.

Basketry.
It includes home plaiting, or the sale of items made of wicker, tree roots, shanks, corn husks or straw. The production of wicker baskets was the most widespread. Wicker with bark (not split or green) was used for making it, or it was peeled, split or boiled before plaiting. The most commonly made baskets for potatoes - košariki, and for carrying cattle feed. Large baskets for carts were also made of willow wicker.

This craft is one of the most widespread in Upper Zemplín. The branched production of basketry products was forced by their versatility and the need in agriculture and households. In 1912, an experimental basketry workshop and a school were established in the town of Humenné, in which courses for basketball workshops were organized.

Furriery.
Furriers made of sheep, lamb, fox, wolf and bear fur sewed linings for winter coats, sleeveless vests, sheepskin coats reaching the waist, knee and ankle length, jackets, less often gloves and blankets. Sheepskins, initially natural in color, were intended mainly for the rural consumer. Furriers also made sheepskin coats according to consumers' requirements, creating decors corresponding to regional types or variants of folk costume. In 1640, a furriers' guild was established in the town of Humenné.

Broomstick.
Broom-making was a common craft in all regions of Zemplín. The inhabitants of the upper part of the region were mainly engaged in the production of birch wicker brooms for their own use. However, in the 1950s, this production in the area of Laborca and Horna Cirocha grew into mass production. In this way, brooming became not only a secondary activity, but also the main one, as the sale of products was ensured through the factories of various companies and organizations.

Leathercraft.
Purse-making was a widespread craft in Zemplín. Apart from the folk production of belts - čerezov and bags - their artisanal production has spread in towns. In 1717, the guild of purse makers was established in the town of Humenné. Another craft workshops were established in the cities of Michałowce, Snina and Wranow nad Topla, focusing on the production of harnesses, and marginally also on the production of belts and bags.

A wide range of leathercraft products made it possible to implement this craft into practice, especially in places where carriage driving was more and more widespread, i.e. near mines, steel mills, in areas of intensive logging and prospering trade. In this way, purse makers manufactured equipment for carriages and for the needs of carters (štverne - harness, bridles, girths, halters, bridles, reins, reins, stirrups, whips or whips), or belts for various other purposes (straps for flails, various bags and straps that protected the body and also was a safe hiding place for money).

Sculpture.
This craft in the form of folk carvings was widespread in all regions of Zemplín. These are mainly spinners (distaffs), pistons (for washing, mangle, weaving), spoon racks, salt shakers, pincers for stretching the linen, wooden boxes for combs, shepherd's sticks, chests and carved crosses.

Sacred carving in the Snina region has reached its artistic peak in wooden carved iconostases from the 17th to the 20th century. Many are located in several wooden and brick churches in Ulič, Kalná Roztoka, Klenová, Pčoliné, Parihuzovce and Pichne. Rarely, carved wooden sculptures of Jesus have been preserved in the villages of Kolbasov and Zboj. A carved wooden wreath with roses in the war cemetery in the village of Príslop comes from the World War I period. As part of sacred carving, the masters also carved richly decorated roadside crosses.

Szałaśnictwo.
In the past, shacking represented the characteristic activity of the overwhelming majority of the population of the Northeast region, which the Ruthenians spread through the Wallachian settlement from the 14th century onwards. They settled mainly in the mountainous parts of northern Zemplín, with the applicable Wallachian law regulating over 130 settlements in Zemplín. Shacking was widespread mainly in the areas of the Snina and Interlaborecki regions and slightly extended to the Wranowski region. The first mention of Wallachia in the village of Koromľa from 1337 also comes from the region.

The traditional hut consisted of a wooden hut and a pen where sheep stayed overnight. The shack was managed by a shepherd who divided the work into shepherds and juhas (new arrivals). Valasi (Wałachy) (that was the name of the people working in the hut) from spring to autumn, lived in shacks away from human habitats, only for the winter they drove sheep down to the villages. Since they were dependent on each other for a large part of the year, this was reflected in their manufacturing skills as well, and especially in the aesthetic decoration of the dishes they worked with. These motifs have been preserved to this day on decorated cyrpes (containers for drinking rye), which were made of a single piece of wood, bowls, bowls (containers for storing and transporting bryndza, but were also used for milking), decorated ciupags (they were used to lean on difficult terrain, as well as for chopping wood or for protection against bears and wolves) and forms for cheese and oscypek cheese. The best known products of shacking are bryndza (ripening unsalted sheep's cheese) and rye (a drink produced by heating the whey that is produced as a by-product when renneting milk).

The gelding was also recognizable thanks to the multi-buckle leather belt - čerez, decorated bags and other everyday objects, including musical instruments - incl. various squeaks and bagpipes.
 

Rogery.
It is a home production in which waste from cattle and sheep horns was used as a material. Small, mostly cow horns were used to make whetstones, cones for stuffing sausages and tools for painting dishes. The production of salt shakers and signal horns, often with rich ornamental decorations, was also developed. The horns were also used by combs to make various types of combs.
 

Goning.
In the Upper Zemplín region, it was widespread in villages with sufficient coniferous trees. The shingles are mainly made of fir wood, exceptionally beech wood. A tree with a straight trunk was sawed into shingle lengths. Then these were radially split from the inside to a shingle thickness with an ax. The shingles were further planed with a two-handed knife on the planing chair. Then, in the thicker edge of the shingle, a groove was cut (grooving, grouting) in order to connect the shingles - the narrow edge of the next shingle was inserted into the groove of the next shingle.

The area of occurrence was concentrated in the Snina and Medzilaborek regions, and marginally also in the Humenné and Wranowski regions. Some farms secured their own chasers. The gradual replacement of the shingles with other, more durable covers lowered their production. Currently, it has been reduced to production for personal use, or possibly to reconstruction works on monuments.

Carpentry.
Carpentry was a common craft. It is a craft that specializes in the processing of logs and the production of wooden structures, rafters, technological devices (mills, fulling sheets, walkways), bridges and footbridges. The top of carpentry is represented by wooden temples in the Snina region, which have always been built by local masters. The oldest data on carpenters in the Snina region confirm that they lived and worked in the villages of Pčoliné, Uličské Krivé, Osadné, Stakčín, Kalná Roztoka, Veľká Poľana, Zboj, Udavské, Turany nad Ondavou, Habura, Ruské, Vydraň and elsewhere. At the beginning of the 20th century in the villages of Belá nad Cirochou, Dara, Ladomirov and Ubľa.

Particularly noteworthy are wooden churches in the villages of Hrabová Roztoka, Jalová, Kalná Roztoka, Nová Sedlica (transferred to the open-air museum of the Vihorlat Museum in Humenny), Ruský Potok, Šmigovec, Topoľa, Uličské Krivé, Zboj (transferred to the Museum of Šariš in Bardiv), possibly part of the tower from the village of Kalná Roztoka (moved to the village of Topoľa).

Weaving.
Weaving was one of the most popular crafts in Zemplín. There were favorable conditions for the cultivation of hemp and flax, or sheep breeding and wool processing (in the higher parts of Zemplín). Hemp and flax were grown in almost every area of the Upper Zemplín region. Linen and cloth weaving was common in almost every village. The north-eastern areas of Upper Zemplín, inhabited by Wallachians and Ruthenians, were characterized by woolen products. They were used to make male and female outerwear (chološňe, huňe - cloth trousers, woolen jackets, woolen scarves - a special type of woolen fabric made on the basis of loops). Men also weave gloves and armbands from waste wool on a log or board. The cloth was also used for sewing hearts.

Fulling.
The handicraft is related to the production of cloth. A mechanical device - a fulling machine was used to felting woolen cloth for cloth. Foraging was widespread, mainly in the north-eastern area of Zemplín, where it also achieved its greatest development.

The production of wax.
Wax production was widespread in all regions of Zemplín. This activity was not treated as a separate craft. It was most often associated with making candles or the production of honey gingerbread (due to the processing of the same raw materials). Wax makers bought bee combs, then melted the wax in cauldrons - they added Venetian balm, turpentine, powder pigments or white paint to strengthen and beautify it. Wax was used to make torches, fires for fireplaces, bas-reliefs were cast in wooden and plaster molds, and reliefs were made with iron and bone stamps. Wax products (votive objects, gifts, artifacts and images) were folk art. Producers sold them at pilgrimages and fairs.

Embroidery.
Represents home production of embroidery for personal use or for sale. It is actually about decorating the base material (textiles, leather) with yarn, by hand or with a sewing machine. The first traces of embroidery in Slovakia come from the 3rd century BC. In the Middle Ages, embroidery was used on liturgical costumes, later it penetrated into the area of court attire, respectively to royal courts or to the urban environment. In the rural environment, embroidery became widespread in the 19th century.

Embroidery as a special artistic expression of folk textiles manifested itself in all regions of Zemplín. The aesthetic sense of women was strongly expressed in clothing and home textiles. Folk costume was a natural element and decoration of many festive occasions and holidays. Almost all garments, as well as other home fabrics, were decorated with embroidery in the past. The most frequently used were plant ornaments embroidered with a flat stitch, or geometric ornaments made with the cross-stitch method.
Decorating Easter eggs
Decorating Easter eggs as an important artistic expression of Easter customs was widespread in all regions of Zemplín. Upper Zemplín was known for the technique of decorating eggs with wax and wax batik. The greatest development of this craft was achieved mainly in the Medzilaborek region (Čertižné, Zbudská Belá, Borov), which is known for the multi-colored variety of Easter eggs made with the above-mentioned techniques. Further centers using the above technique are located in the Humenné poviat (Oľka, Repejov). Eggs from the Wranowski region were colorfully less expressive, and techniques of straw sticking or staining in the onion shell broth were also used. The multicolored decoration is characteristic (red, blue, green, yellow - up to seven colors). The ornaments were created by applying melted beeswax to the shell and then immersing it in a solution with natural dyes. Wax was applied in this region mainly with different sized pin heads. The basic shapes used to create the ornament were a dot and a drop (this was made by stretching the dot with a movement of the hand). Finally, the wax on the egg was heated and grated, revealing individual colored ornaments. In the Upper Zemplín region, Easter eggs - dwarfs - Easter eggs were a reward that bachelors received from girls for pouring (helmus dyngus) on Easter Monday.
 

Ironwork.
Crafts are engaged in the production of locks, keys, building and furniture hardware, iron boxes and various utility items made of iron. It evolved from blacksmithing. Due to the nationality of the masters and the type of locksmith's products, they were divided into Hungarian (they produced spurs, locks or keys) and German (they made locks, keys and other iron utensils).
The oldest information about the locksmith - the key maker - comes from 1657 and is included in the land register of the farm in the town of Humenné. Locksmithing in Upper Zemplín was concentrated mainly in larger cities - Humenné, Snina, Medzilaborce and Stropków. From there, it spread to individual villages in the region.

The text comes from the study "Projekt Etnocarpathia Inventory of the sources of 3 ethnographic areas on the Slovak side / Šariš, Zemplin, Zamagur" / "realized collective work for Mestský dom Kultúry, prísp. org.

Author: Mr. Štefan Kocák .

Currently you can meet

• wheelwright (from the village of Kolbasov from 1898, which was moved to the village of Stakčín in 2018),
• korytnictwo (currently the production of wooden troughs is done by Milan Karľa in Snina),