Oscypek Museum in Zakopane

The Oscypek Museum at ul. Jagiellońska 28 in Zakopane has no display cases. Instead of an exhibition there is a 90-minute show in which a baca (a highland head shepherd) makes oscypek, the region's famous smoked sheep's cheese, from milk to finished cheese in front of the audience, and every participant shapes their own little cheese in a wooden mould. Open since 2018, it describes itself as Poland's first "living" museum of the cheese.

What you will see

The show is led by a shepherd with many years of experience, who talks about the pastoral customs of the Podhale region along the way. You will see each stage: milk strained through a linen cloth called a "sata" into a wooden vessel, the "puciera", heated and set with rennet (known as "klag"), the curd broken up with a wooden paddle, the "ferula", and the mass shaped into a ball called a "puca". The cheese is then scalded several times, pressed into a carved wooden mould, soaked for a day in brine ("rosół") and smoked. At the end, participants make their own cheeses, shaped for example like a sheep or a deer, and take them home.

About oscypek

Genuine oscypek is made by hand from the milk of the Polish mountain sheep breed, sometimes with a little milk from Polish Red cows, between May and September. Since 14 February 2008 it has been registered as a Protected Designation of Origin. The museum says the first mentions of a smoked cheese come from 15th-century documents founding the village of Ochotnica in the Gorce mountains, and a detailed recipe was written down in 1748 in instructions for the Ślemień estate in the Żywiec region. The name may come from "scypanie", breaking up the cheese to remove the whey.

Opening times and tickets (as of October 2026)

• Shows: in July and August, Monday to Saturday at 12:00 and 16:00, with extra shows at 10:00, 14:00 and 18:00 when demand is high; closed on Sundays. Outside the summer holidays, check dates in the booking system or by phone (+48 888 920 506).
• Prices according to the price list: standard ticket PLN 50, reduced PLN 45; children under 5 free.
• Important: a show only goes ahead with at least 15 people. The museum posts updates on cancelled or extra shows on Facebook.
• Shows are in Polish; an exclusive show in English can be booked.

Tripto tip

Buy your ticket in advance, as places are limited; the museum opens 30 minutes before each show. The organisers do not recommend the show for children under 5 because of the amount of information. There is no car park, but paid municipal parking is close by; the building stands opposite the Zakopane thermal baths (Termy Zakopiańskie), not far from the railway station. After the show, visit the shop with certified oscypek, bundz and bryndza cheeses.