Cossack entrepreneurs: what does the history of the Hetmanate hide from us? Debunking the main myths

How do you imagine a Ukrainian entrepreneur in the 18th century? If you think of Chumaks carrying salt to unknown destinations or peasants bending their backs in the field, this is a very simplified and generalized image. In fact, Ukrainians had a remarkable elite that had powerful political influence, traded with Europe, and threw lavish banquets.

On LIGA.net a unique project has been launched "Business of forgotten ancestors" – is a series of stories about entrepreneurs of the Cossack era and business in general. In this way, we aim to give a voice and face to those who were erased from our memory by the Russian Empire and to show what the Ukrainian economic elite really looked like.

How did our ancestors live, earn and spend? Watch the historical podcast on LIGA.net. The guests of the studio are Oleksandr Alfiorov, head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory, and Vadym Nazarenko, head of the Carpathian Department at the National Museum of Folk Architecture and Life of Ukraine.