Olsztynek. A visit to the open-air Museum

a peasant hut and trees around it — School from the village of Pawłowo (original building from the 19th century). Museum of Folk Architecture – Ethnographic Park in Olsztynek. Photo by A. Rybczyńska

I am always charmed by the richness of Polish villages. However, it is not about wealth, but about the richness of colors, sounds, forms and traditions. I can appreciate the old generations, their customs, living in harmony with nature, care for the possessions of life. Now most people are chasing money, often not looking at human harm.

Only 27 km from Olsztyn - the capital of the Warmińsko-Mazurskie Voivodeship - you can feel the old Polish countryside. Just like in Sierpc, there is also a great open-air museum in Olsztynek, where you can forget about the worries of day life and spend the whole day with your family in the bosom of nature. The official name of the open-air museum is the Museum of Folk Architecture - Ethnographic Park.

a former peasant building — A hut from the village of Zielonka Pasłęcka (original building from 1819). Museum of Folk Architecture – Ethnographic Park in Olsztynek. Photo by A. Rybczyńska

Among the museum objects there are cottages from Powiśle, Warmia, Masuria, Sambia and Little Lithuania. The interiors of peasant huts are available for tourists. Inside you will see for example small beds, bouquets of dried flowers and herbs, tables and traditional chairs, former kitchen appliances and even woven tablecloths. On the vast area there are also windmills, a mill driven by a water wheel, domestic animals, charming little churches, inns, a stable, barns, dovecote, hunting pulpit, an oil mill, a smithy and a number of other rural buildings. In total, there are several dozen objects from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.

Almost every year, I spend my holidays in Olsztyn in August. And each year on August 15, I go with my family to the open-air museum in Olsztynek. It is on this day that the Regional Festival of Herbs takes place. The event refers to the folk tradition of blessing herbs, flowers and cereals, promotes the use of herbs in traditional medicine, cosmetics and cooking. It is an extremely colorful and aromatic festival. There are many attractions for kids: performances, games, health paths, oil pressing shows like in the old days and many more. You can buy so many different things there: homemade bread, sausages, bacon, different types of cheeses, jars of honey, marmalades, spices, wooden kitchen tools, flower wreaths, bouquets of dried flowers and herbs, herbal soaps, oils and even pine and raspberry juices or sea buckthorn, clothes and many other unique items. For me it is a real paradise - I always buy a lot of healthy food, juices and spices there. I don't go back home without few jars of delicious and aromatic honey :)

More information on official website https://muzeumolsztynek.pl/en/about-the-museum/

Museum of Folk Architecture – Ethnographic Park in Olsztynek opening hours

The museum is open every day from 09:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Museum of Folk Architecture – Ethnographic Park in Olsztynek ticket prices

Ticket type and its price

Normal ticket - PLN 25.00

Reduced ticket - PLN 15.00

Family ticket (2 adults + 2 children under 16) - PLN 60.00

Children under 7 years - free admission

Guide in Polish (groups of up to 20 people including guardians) - PLN 200.00

The Sympathic Museum pass (for 5 entries) - PLN 50.00

How far is it from Warsaw to the open-air Museum in Olsztynek?

The distance from Warsaw to the open-air Museum in Olsztynek is 188 km.

How far is it from Olsztyn to the open-air Museum in Olsztynek?

The distance from Olsztyn to the open-air Museum in Olsztynek is 26 km.

How far is it from Gdańsk to the open-air Museum in Olsztynek?

The distance from Gdańsk to the open-air Museum in Olsztynek is 158 km.

I invite you to see my photos. Enjoy!

It looks so amazing….. like in a Tolkien's World

a peasant hut with thatched roof — It was a sensation for me. A ground cellar from the village of Jerutki. The open-air Museum in Olsztynek. Photo by A. Rybczyńska

a peasant hut with colourful window frames — You can feel the good vibes in this place. The open-air Museum in Olsztynek. Photo by A. Rybczyńska

a peasant hut with blue window frames — Just like in Sierpc, there is also a hut with blue shutters. A hut from the village of Bartężek. The open-air Museum in Olsztynek. Photo by A. Rybczyńska

a peasant hut with a moss-covered roof — Moss on the roof :) Museum of Folk Architecture – Ethnographic Park in Olsztynek. Photo by A. Rybczyńska

dugout on which two boys are standing — A ground cellar from the village of Małszewo. There was a real darkness :) The open-air Museum in Olsztynek. Photo by A. Rybczyńska

an old horse cart — Old horse carts. Museum of Folk Architecture – Ethnographic Park in Olsztynek. Photo by A. Rybczyńska

an old, wooden sleigh — It's amazing that these wooden sleighs have survived. The open-air Museum in Olsztynek. Photo by A. Rybczyńska

an old wooden watermill — Watermill from the village of Kaborno (original building from the second half of the 18th century). The open-air Museum in Olsztynek. Photo by A. Rybczyńska

Here is a wooden belfry and on the right a fragment of the church from Rychnowo. The church is a replica from 1714.

a wooden tower belonging to the wooden building — The belfry from the village of Mańki (a copy of the object from 1685). The open-air Museum in Olsztynek. Photo by A. Rybczyńska

The church is tiny as you can see :)

interior of and old wooden church — Inside the church. The open-air Museum in Olsztynek. Photo by A. Rybczyńska

a boy in sitting inside the old wooden church — Inside the church. The open-air Museum in Olsztynek. Photo by A. Rybczyńska

a boy is inside the peasant hut — Inside a peasant hut. The open-air Museum in Olsztynek. Photo by A. Rybczyńska

For me it is important to show my children how their ancestors organized the day (without Internet and mobile phones) and in what conditions they lived.

two boys are in a peasant hut, in the foreground there is an old, wooden cupboard — Another typical interior of a peasant hut. The open-air Museum in Olsztynek. Photo by A. Rybczyńska

interior of a peasant hut — Holy pictures, too-short beds, wildflowers and rugs on the floor…. The open-air Museum in Olsztynek. Photo by A. Rybczyńska

an interior of a peasant hut with a white cupboard, dried herbs and blue door — Look at these bouquets of dried herbs and stone floor. The open-air Museum in Olsztynek. Photo by A. Rybczyńska

Squeezing fresh oil from linen or a demonstration of pottery making is a real treat for urban children.

a boy is watching how man is making a clay vase — Piotrek is watching how a clay vase is being created. The open-air Museum in Olsztynek. Photo by A. Rybczyńska

the boy walks on a health path made of pine cones, bark, hay, moss, pebbles — For children living in a city, or even a town, it was a real adventure. The open-air Museum in Olsztynek. Photo by A. Rybczyńska

Behind me, there are windmills. Closer, there is the "paltrak" windmill from the village of Ruska Wieś (original building from the second half of the 19th century) and farther is the "koźlak" windmill from the village of Wodziany (original building from 1773).

a woman is standing in a hay, behind her there are windmills — Windmills. Museum of Folk Architecture – Ethnographic Park in Olsztynek. Photo by A. Rybczyńska

two boys standing by the scarecrow — There was even a scarecrow. The open-air Museum in Olsztynek. Photo by A. Rybczyńska

people watching products like jars of honey standing on a stall — Stalls with honey and honey products. Museum of Folk Architecture – Ethnographic Park in Olsztynek. Photo by A. Rybczyńska

How to get to Ethnographic Park in Olsztynek?

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