Muzeum Budownictwa Ludowego w Sanoku
One of the largest open-air museums in Poland: wooden cottages, churches and the Galicyjski Rynek (Galician Market Square) show the culture of the Carpathians and Subcarpathia from the 17th to the 20th century.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Muzeum Budownictwa Ludowego w Sanoku was founded in the second half of the 1950s as a “skansen museum under construction”. The first meeting of the Scientific Council took place in September 1958. The initiators were the voivodeship monument conservator Jerzy Tur and the first director, Aleksander Rybicki. The aim was to rescue what remained of the folk culture of south-eastern Poland, including wooden churches and their furnishings, which after the war were at risk of destruction.
The Ethnographic Park lies on a hill above the San river and is divided into sectors corresponding to the ethnographic groups of the region: the Łemko, Bojko, Dolinian and Pogórzanie peoples, and the inhabitants of the small towns. The museum displays more than 180 objects, including cottages, manor houses, farm buildings, wooden sacred buildings, a synagogue and the Galicyjski Rynek, which recreates the typical centre of a wooden small town of the early 20th century. The interiors of the buildings can be visited with a guide.
The exhibition buildings house permanent displays: a collection of more than 200 icons from the 15th century to the early 20th century, an exhibition on the family of painters Bogdański from Jaśliska, an exhibition of folk costume and a toy display, “Czas dzieciństwa” (Time of Childhood). The museum also runs a branch in Ulucz, where a 17th-century church has survived, organises museum lessons, fairs and a monthly flea market.
Highlights
- More than 180 objects of wooden architecture from the Carpathians and Subcarpathia
- Galicyjski Rynek – a faithful picture of a wooden small town of the early 20th century
- Icon exhibition: more than 200 works from the 15th century to the early 20th century
- Wooden churches, a synagogue and a manor house from Święcany
- Toy exhibition “Czas dzieciństwa” and exhibition of folk costume
- Branch in Ulucz with a 17th-century church
Permanent exhibitions
- Ikona karpacka – More than 200 icons from the museum’s collection, arranged chronologically from the 15th century to the early 20th century.
- Bogdańscy – rodzina malarzy z Jaślisk – Exhibition devoted to the 19th-century family of painters who decorated churches in the Carpathians.
- Czas dzieciństwa – Village and town toys from 50 and 100 years ago, made of wood, clay and rags.
- Founded
- 1958
- Operated by
- Muzeum Budownictwa Ludowego w Sanoku (samorządowa instytucja kultury Województwa Podkarpackiego)
- Visitors per year
- approx. 80,000
Admission & discounts
| Adults | 32 zł |
|---|---|
| Reduced | 20 złPersons entitled to a reduced fare under the Museums Act (including school pupils, students, pensioners and disability pensioners, and people with disabilities). The document confirming the entitlement must be shown before buying a ticket. |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 6 · Children under 7 enter free of charge. |
| Groups | –Supervisors of school groups do not pay for admission. One guide may lead a group of up to 25 people. |
| Families | –Holders of the Large Family Card (Karta Dużej Rodziny) receive a 25% discount. |
| Guided tour of the open-air museum in Polish (group of 1–25 people) | 140 złThe guided tour lasts up to 2.5 hours. |
| Guided tour of the open-air museum in a foreign language (group of 1–25 people) | 190 zł |
| Church in Ulucz | 5 zł |
Free admission: On Mondays between 8:00 and 12:00, admission to the open-air museum is free.
From 1 December to 31 March, all tickets are sold at the reduced price of PLN 18. Tickets can also be bought online.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible: no information
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The open-air museum site is hilly, and the buildings have thresholds, stairs and low doorways; visitors can ask for help from a coordinator available at the ticket office. The ticket machine is adapted to the needs of people with disabilities.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 6 |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
The museum runs year-round and seasonal museum lessons for children, including on Christmas customs, bread baking, pottery and calligraphy. Children under 7 enter free of charge, and the exhibition “Czas dzieciństwa” shows old toys.
Getting there & parking
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Amenities & dining
- Coat check
Backpacks, bags and suitcases must be left in the baggage room before entering the open-air museum.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 2.5 hrs |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Photography | Photographing and filming the exhibitions for personal use is free of charge; commercial use requires the director’s permission. |
| Good to know | Visits are possible with a guide or independently. The interiors of the buildings are open only with a guide, except those in which the exhibitions are supervised by attendants. Guides can be booked at +48 13 493 01 77 and +48 13 463 16 72 or at the ticket office. Bicycles and dogs without a leash are not allowed on the site, and animals may not be taken inside the buildings. |
