Willa Wanda w Szczawnicy, Heritage villa in Szczawnica, Poland.
Willa Wanda is a three-story villa in Szczawnica located between Główna Street and the Grajcarek stream. The building contains 42 rooms with balconies and terraces, constructed with traditional timber framing techniques.
The villa was built in 1933 by the Zachwieja-Gawlak family and served as a resistance point during World War II. Maria Zachwieja and her daughter worked as couriers for the resistance movement at that time.
The house displays early 20th-century architectural features with timber framing common to the region at that time. Its rooms reflect how such properties served as gathering places and hosted visitors seeking mountain retreat experiences.
The house is centrally located between Szczawnica's main streets with views toward the Pieniny mountains. Visitors should be prepared for multiple floors and many rooms to explore, and the surrounding area is best experienced on foot.
During the 1940s the house served as a shelter for refugees fleeing dangerous situations. The arrest of its owners by the Gestapo in November 1941 reveals the serious risks the family took by helping others.
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