Open Air Museum Markowa

Traditional Upper Lusatian houses

A small but interesting open air museum in the village of Markowa presents fine examples of the Upper Lusatian house (German: Umgebindehaus) with thatched roofs. The Upper Lusatian house is defined by the constructional separation of its living area from the roof. Most of the exhibits come from the 19th century.

Old German settlement with umgebinde houses

Markowa (German: Markshau) is a typical Waldhufendorf (“forest village”), a village where German colonists settled down. That’s why you will find historical Upper Lusatian houses in this region. The main object of the open air museum is a cottage of a rich peasant built in 1874. This big Upper Lusatian house has several rooms, a big hall and a thatched roof. The second cottage is a cottage of a poor peasant. This small cottage has only one room with a kitchen and a bed behind the stove (second half of the 19th century).

Open air museum with interesting exhibitions

The small detached granary (from 1898) with a thatched roof is a very unique building. The post mill is a windmill typical for the village of Markowa dating from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. In Markowa dozens of such windmills of different sizes were built, of which only two has kept. In the barn from the end of the 19th century, you can see machinery and tools for threshing cereals as well as horse drawn vehicles. The richly equipped smithy is a reconstruction of an old forge from Markowa. Also the oil mill is a new built building, with an exhibition of equipment for crushing oil-bearing seeds.

Fire department museum

Here you can see equipment of the interwar period. All exhibits come from the collections of the volunteer fire department in Markowa. The largest exhibits are two horse drawn vehicles: a car for transporting firefighting equipment and a suction hand pump with double piston. The other presented equipment are diesel pumps, clothes, helmets, sandals and hatchets.

Go back in time during the open day

The annual open day is held on the first Sunday of July. Its main goal is to show a wide audience the tradition of a Polish village on the basis of collections and artifacts. During the event traditional crafts and trades are presented. There is a brick maker, blacksmith and a shoemaker. See how ropes are twirled and how thatched roofs are constructed. Taste traditional cuisine made by woman from Markowa.

Follow the Route of Wooden Architecture

The village of Markowa is located on the Sub-Carpathian Route of Wooden Architecture. On the route, you will find the open air museum in Markowa, the wooden hunting lodge in Julin and beautiful Carpathian wooden churches.

Ulma Family Museum

Being in Markowa you should definitely visit the nearby Ulma Family Museum of Poles Saving Jews in World War II. The prize winning museum building was designed by Mirosław Nizio, known for his modern design of architectural objects and interiors.

Location and contact information

Open Air Museum of the Village of Markowa
Markowa 1500
37-120 Markowa
Poland
Phone Curator: +48 603 386 102
Municipality of Markowa: +48 17 226 53 46
E-mail: skansenmarkowa@gmail.com

www.skansen-markowa.pl

The open air museum is open to visitors from April 1 to November 30.

Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday: 9:00 to 16:00, Saturday: 10:00 to 16:00, Sunday: 11:00 to 18:00