Kashubian Ethnographic Park in Wdzydze

On the shore of Lake Gołuń in Wdzydze Kiszewskie stands the oldest open-air museum on Polish soil. It began in 1906 with a single cottage bought by a village teacher and a painter. Today it covers 22 hectares and holds more than 50 buildings from Kashubia, Kociewie and the Tuchola Forest, most of them with furnished interiors.

History: from one cottage to a whole village

Izydor Gulgowski taught at the village school, and his wife Teodora had studied painting in Berlin. In 1906 they bought an 18th-century arcaded cottage from a local farmer, Michał Hinc, and filled it with gold-embroidered bonnets, paintings on glass, pottery and furniture. The couple also supported local crafts, which is why Wdzydze embroidery and root basketry are still linked with this place.

In 1932 a fire destroyed the museum cottage. Teodora had it rebuilt and after the war handed the collection to the state. In 1954 a fisherman's house from Wdzydze Tucholskie was moved next to it, in 1969 the independent Kashubian Ethnographic Park was founded, and in 1980 the site was enlarged to its present size and divided into sectors matching the regions.

What to see

• farmsteads from the 17th–19th centuries with house, barn, bread oven and a sweep well,
• two wooden churches – from Swornegacie and Bożepole,
• a village school from Więckowy, a forge from Linia and a sawmill from Staniszewo with its steam engine,
• two windmills: a post mill from Jeżewnica and a Dutch-type mill from Brusy,
• small gentry manors, farm workers' houses and an inn.

Look at the building methods: log houses stand next to half-timbered ones, and roofs are covered with straw, reed or shingles. In front of many doors lies a large flat stone – part of the old farmstead layout, not decoration.

Interesting facts

• According to family tradition, the Gulgowskis met when young Izydor rowed up to a woman painting Lake Wdzydze. She was 14 years older, and her family opposed the marriage.
• The grave of Teodora and Izydor Gulgowski lies within the museum grounds.
• In October 2026 the museum received the Živa Award for the best Slavic heritage site. The jury praised, among other things, its texts in three languages: Polish, English and Kashubian.

Tripto tip

Allow about 3 hours for a self-guided visit – the museum's own estimate. From May to autumn you walk with a free map following the numbered buildings; off-season, selected interiors are shown by a guide (about 1.5 hours, included in the ticket). A standard ticket costs PLN 22, reduced PLN 16, and entry to the permanent exhibition is free on Thursdays. There is a large free car park. Dogs on a lead may walk the grounds but not enter the buildings. The busiest day is the third Sunday of July, during the Wdzydze Fair. Opening hours change with the seasons, so check them before you go.