On August 27, 2026, representatives of the university took part in large-scale ceremonial events dedicated to the 170th anniversary of the birth of the great Ukrainian writer, thinker and public figure Ivan Franko. Memorable academic and cultural events took place in places that were significant for Kamenyar – Drohobych and his native Nahuievychi.
In Drohobych, the university delegation joined the official laying of flowers at the monument to Kamenyar, and also took part in the ceremony of presenting the 10th International Ivan Franko Prize. This year’s laureates of the Prize were Ukrainian linguist Viktor Moysienko and Polish philologist Joanna Getka. An international jury of 12 scientists from Ukraine, Poland, and Slovakia, including Drohobych University professor Petro Matskiv, recognized their monograph “In the beginning was the word… From linguistic usage to literary norm. An essay on the genesis of the Ukrainian literary language.”
The celebrations also took place in the poet’s homeland – in the State Historical and Cultural Reserve “Nahuievychi”. University representatives joined the memorial service in front of the 18th-century icon of St. Nicholas from the Nahuievychi Church, where Ivan Franko was baptized, and also took part in the ceremony of laying flowers at the monument to the Great Kamenyar (Stone cutter).
Participation in the events is evidence of deep respect for national prophets and a continuation of the traditions of research and popularization of Ukrainian classical heritage among young people, the leading place in which belongs to our compatriot Ivan Franko. Franko’s word remains a powerful weapon and guide for us in the struggle for the national idea, identity, and independence.
