Historical periods of formation of the mountain tourist shelters in the Ukrainian Carpathians

The article examines the process of formation of mountain tourist shelters in the Ukrainian Carpathians. Drawing on the comprehensive analysis it is defined historical periodization of development of mountain shelters, which consists of five periods. The first period of the formation of mountain tourist shelter architecture is defined by the timeframe from the late 18th century to the mid-19th century. During this period, there was a significant non tourist interest in the Carpathian region, its nature, traditions and culture, however, there were no mountain shelters. The second period of the formation of mountain shelter architecture lasted from the mid-19th century to the late 1920s. The wave of tourism that swept through the Alpine countries during that period gradually spread further east into Central Europe. In Galicia, various tourist, sports, and local history societies emerged, initiating the construction of tourist shelters. Architecturally, these buildings resembled ordinary rural houses. The third period of the formation of mountain tourist shelter architecture lasted from 1930 to 1939. The number of shelters increased significantly, reaching its peak just before the outbreak of World War II and forming an extensive network. The shelters themselves became larger, and their architecture evolved noticeably, adopting the grand forms of suburban villas and, in some cases, the fashionable functionalist style of that time. The fourth period of the formation of mountain tourist shelter architecture is defined within the years 1960–1991. The tourism infrastructure of Soviet era was focused on the needs of organized tourism, which led to the construction of large tourist bases. For individual tourism, shelters were arranged only occasionally, and in some cases, such tourists used recreational buildings so called "dacha" designated for communist party members. The fifth period of the formation of mountain tourist shelter architecture began in 1991 and continues to the present day. The construction of new tourist shelters has been minimal. Instead, other forms of creating shelters for travelers in the mountains have emerged, including the restoration of old shelters, the use of temporary shelters such as shepherds' huts, and repurposing abandoned military and other non-touristic structures.