Muzeum i Ośrodek Kultury Białoruskiej w Hajnówce

About the museum

The idea of a Belarusian museum in Poland emerged in the 1950s among activists of the Belarusian Socio-Cultural Society, who wanted to save a folk culture that was disappearing. From 1966 to 1973 the Regional Belarusian Ethnographic Museum operated in Białowieża, in three rooms with a total area of 145 m². After it was closed, its collections went to the Museum of Agriculture in Ciechanowiec.

Construction of a new institution began in the early 1980s. In 1983 the activists received the former mosaic workshop of the Hajnówka timber works in the town centre. In 1984 the association was entered in the National Court Register (KRS) and the Social Committee for the Construction of the Belarusian Museum was formed. The work went ahead in stages over almost twenty years and was financed by fundraising and brick donations, as well as by help from the Belarusian diaspora and the governments of Poland and Belarus.

The building was fully opened at the beginning of the 21st century, and in 2003 the institution adopted its present name. The collections are divided into an ethnographic department and a historical-artistic department and are supplemented by gifts from institutions and private individuals. The museum runs exhibitions and cultural and educational activities aimed at preserving and promoting the culture, art, language and traditions of Belarusians in Podlasie.

Highlights

• Exhibition “Białoruska zagroda” (Belarusian Farmstead)
• “Białoruski kalendarz” (Belarusian Calendar) – village life through the year
• Crafts in the Belarusian villages of Podlasie
• Paintings from the open-air painting events “Hajnówka. Brama do Puszczy” (Hajnówka. Gateway to the Forest)
• Ethnographic and historical-artistic collections

Permanent exhibitions

• Białoruska zagroda – Ethnographic presentation of a typical Belarusian farmstead in Podlasie.
• Białoruski kalendarz – Ethnographic exhibition on the everyday life and work of a Belarusian village in Podlasie over the course of a year.
• Rzemiosło na białoruskiej wsi Podlasia – Exhibition on several traditional crafts, most of which have largely disappeared.

Founded

1984

Operated by

Białoruskie Towarzystwo Społeczno-Kulturalne

Admission & discounts

Prices valid from 1 June 2026.

Accessibility

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Kids & families

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Getting there & parking

The museum is in the centre of Hajnówka at ul. 3 Maja.

Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

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