Skansen im. Józefa Żaka w Zawoi Markowej, Open-air museum and park in Zawoja, Poland
Skansen im. Józefa Żaka is an open-air museum that preserves several authentic wooden buildings from the mountain region in their original form. The site includes residential houses, a small chapel, a blacksmith shop, and storage structures that together tell the story of how people lived and worked in these highlands.
The museum was founded in 1973 when a branch of a hiking organization acquired land including a house built around 1900. The oldest structure on the site dates back to the early 1800s and reflects the building methods that mountain families used for centuries.
The buildings show how mountain families built their homes using local materials and traditional crafts passed down through generations. Walking through the structures, you notice the careful attention to function and durability that shaped everyday life in these highland communities.
The buildings are open daily and can be explored on foot, with guided tours available through the interiors of the structures. Wear comfortable shoes since you will walk across the grounds and some doorways are low with uneven floors inside.
The museum holds a collection of religious prints from the late 1800s and early 1900s that once hung in the homes of mountain families. These affordable decorations were a common way for people to display their faith and values in everyday living spaces.
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