Museums

Żywiec Ethnographic Park

In Ślemień, in the heart of the Żywiec region, the Żywiec Ethnographic Park was opened in August 2012 — an open-air museum recreating the layout and buildings of a village of the Żywiec Beskids. On more than 6 hectares by the road to Kocoń stand 17 historic structures, mostly timber, moved from nearby localities.

Cottages with soul

All the buildings are original — they come from, among others, Korbielów, Rychwałd and Międzybrodzie Bialskie. The most interesting is the wooden school from Rychwałd, built in 1900, with an open porch and a classic layout of two rooms divided by an entrance hall. Besides cottages you can see a granary and a smithy, and the interiors have been reconstructed to show the work and daily life of the former highlanders. Plans call for moving a sawmill, a Jewish prayer house, a church and a forester's lodge, and building an inn.

From an idea to a museum

The park was created with European Union funds under the project "Ethnographic Park of the Żywiec Land", and in January 2013 a open-air museum institution was established to manage the site. Several times a year open-air events take place here, where blacksmiths, carpenters and beekeepers demonstrate their crafts.

Practical information

Address: Łączna 2a, Ślemień. Tuesday–Friday 9:00–16:00, Saturday–Sunday 10:00–18:00, Monday 11:00–15:00 — then entry is free and the exhibitions are closed. Tickets: PLN 8 regular, PLN 6 reduced. A guided tour reveals the most interesting details of everyday life in the Żywiec region of the past.