Muzeum Budownictwa Ludowego w Olsztynku

About the museum

The museum’s origins go back to 1909, when Königsberg decided to set up a museum of rural architecture. Between 1910 and 1913, around 20 copies of 18th- and 19th-century buildings were erected on the grounds of the local zoo there. Due to lack of space, it was decided in 1937 to move the collection to Olsztynek, and the relocation took place in 1938–1942. Twelve buildings from the original plan have survived.

After the war, the buildings were secured under the supervision of the monument conservator, and expansion began at the end of the 1950s. In 1962 the site was named the Ethnographic Park and run as a branch of the Masurian Museum in Olsztyn; in 1969 it became independent as the Museum of Folk Architecture – Ethnographic Park. In 1985, two sites in the centre of Olsztynek were added: the Exhibition Salon in a former Evangelical church and a tower housing the Mrongovius House.

Today the museum covers 77 hectares and presents 80 objects of large and small rural architecture from Warmia, Masuria, Powiśle and Lithuania Minor – residential houses, sacred, farm and industrial buildings. The furnishings show traditional working methods and village rites in the 19th and 20th centuries, and the collections of material culture and folk art exceed 14,000 objects. On the site are the Karczma (inn) from the village of Skandawa and the Pijalnia Ziół (herbal drinks bar), and visitors can use the Mała Litwa AR app.

Highlights

• 80 buildings of rural architecture from Warmia, Masuria, Powiśle and Lithuania Minor on 77 hectares
• Windmills of the Dutch and paltrak types, a church from Rychnowo and a coaching inn from the village of Małszewo
• Exhibition Salon in a Gothic church and the Mrongovius House in a tower of the town walls
• Karczma inn from Skandawa and the Pijalnia Ziół herbal drinks bar on the museum grounds
• Tactile model of the open-air museum and bronze miniatures for blind visitors
• Mała Litwa AR app

Permanent exhibitions

• Park Etnograficzny – wiejska architektura Prus Wschodnich – Open-air museum on 77 hectares presenting 80 objects of rural architecture from Warmia, Masuria, Powiśle and Lithuania Minor, together with furnishings showing traditional work and rites.
• Dom Mrongowiusza – Museum in a tower of the former town walls devoted to the life and work of Krzysztof Celestyn Mrongovius, defender of the Polish language in Masuria.

Founded

1909

Admission & discounts

Free admission: selected free days in 2026: 3, 6, 14, 22 and 26 October (Ethnographic Park)

Prices refer to the Ethnographic Park in 2026. Free days do not exempt visitors from parking fees. The ticket machine does not issue VAT invoices or receipts with a tax number (NIP).

Accessibility

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

Two spaces for people with disabilities are marked near the car park. The Museum Visitor Service Centre building (ticket offices and shop) has a ramp and an adapted toilet; a second toilet is in the farm building from the village of Królewo. The paths are sandy and uneven, the entrances to the cottages usually have stone steps, the doors are narrow and the porches cramped, which generally makes it impossible to enter with a wheelchair. After a phone call (ext. 36 or 37), ramps to selected buildings can be used. The museum provides a tactile model of the open-air museum and three bronze miniatures of objects, and lends a guide for blind and partially sighted visitors free of charge. The buildings have no induction loops, Braille signage or sign language interpreters. Visitors may enter the buildings with assistance dogs and guide dogs.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

Children under 7 enter free of charge, and a family ticket is available. Livestock is kept on the grounds, and the museum runs museum lessons and educational walks for children as well as the Mała Litwa AR app.

Getting there & parking

The entrance to the Ethnographic Park is from ul. Leśna 23.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant
• Museum shop

The open-air museum has the Karczma from the village of Skandawa with regional cuisine and the Pijalnia Ziół in a cottage from the village of Pawłowo. The museum shop is in the Museum Visitor Service Centre building.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit