Kaszubski Park Etnograficzny we Wdzydzach Kiszewskich

About the museum

The museum’s origins go back to 1906, when Teodora and Izydor Gulgowski founded the first open-air museum on Polish lands here. They set it up in an 18th-century peasant cottage, which they bought from a local farmer, and furnished it with household and farm utensils and a valuable collection of gold-embroidered headdresses, glass paintings and ceramics.

The founders’ scientific and social activity revived local craftsmanship and showed the beauty of Kashubian folk art: root-woven wickerwork and the multicoloured embroidery of Wdzydze. More than a hundred years later the museum occupies 22 hectares on the shore of Lake Gołuń.

The site contains more than 50 objects from Kashubia, Kociewie and the Tuchola Forest, dating from the 17th to the 20th century: cottages, manor houses, a school, a smithy, inns, windmills, churches, outbuildings and craft workshops. The interiors have been faithfully recreated with original furnishings, and some farm machinery is periodically set in operation.

Highlights

• The oldest open-air museum in Poland, founded in 1906 by Teodora and Izydor Gulgowski
• More than 50 objects from Kashubia, Kociewie and the Tuchola Forest on 22 hectares by Lake Gołuń
• Coaching inn from Rumia, dating from the 18th century, serving as the entrance to the museum
• Wooden churches, including the 17th-century church from Swornegacie with a cabinet organ from 1765
• Windmills: a post mill from Jeżewnica and a Dutch-type windmill from Brusy
• Wdzydze embroidery, Kashubian wickerwork, and museum lessons and workshops

Permanent exhibition

• Ekspozycja plenerowa Kaszubskiego Parku Etnograficznego – More than 50 historic rural buildings from Kashubia, Kociewie and the Tuchola Forest, with recreated interiors and furnishings, dating from the 17th to the 20th century.

Founded

1906

Operated by

Samorząd Województwa Pomorskiego

Director

Teodora Gulgowska

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Admission to the permanent exhibition is free on Thursdays (with the exception of some public holidays).

Payment in cash or by card; a VAT invoice can be issued.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: not available
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: not available
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The entrance to the museum leads through the coaching inn from Rumia, which has a ramp, and the paths on the site are partly paved and partly unpaved. Most objects have thresholds or steps in front of them; ramps are provided at the inn from Rumia and the cottage from Osiek, and the church from Swornegacie has folding ramps (these must be requested a few days in advance). The objects are historic: narrow entrances, high thresholds, low ceilings and steep stairs. Paths can be muddy and slippery. The site has 5 toilets adapted for wheelchair users and 2 disabled parking spaces opposite the entrance. The museum does not provide a sign language interpreter. Assistance dogs are allowed in all objects.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations

The museum runs workshops (weaving, paper flowers, painting on glass, a Kashubian language lesson, classes in the historic school); on Children’s Day additional games are offered, along with the exhibition “Muzeum do zabawy?” (A Museum for Fun?). The site is extensive and the paths are uneven.

Getting there & parking

The museum lies in the south-western part of Wdzydze Kiszewskie on the shore of Lake Gołuń, at the junction of the roads to Kościerzyna and Gołuń.

Amenities & dining

• Restaurant
• Museum shop

In the summer season a restaurant serving Pomeranian cuisine operates in the inn from Rumia. The museum shop offers folk art, handicrafts and regional publications. Benches are placed around the grounds, and in summer there are additional places to rest.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Weddings / ceremonies

The museum organises programmes to order, makes its grounds available for photo shoots and film location work, and the historic church from Swornegacie for wedding ceremonies (the date must be agreed with the parish in Wąglikowice).

Plan your visit