Muzeum Kurpiowskie w Wachu

About the museum

The Muzeum Kurpiowskie w Wachu is a private institution run by Zdzisław and Laura Bziukiewicz as part of the “U Bursztyna” agri-tourism farm. It is located in the heart of the Kurpie Forest, on the route from Warsaw to Masuria, about 10 km from Kadzidło and Myszyniec. According to the museum’s website, its owners have assembled the largest collection of Kurpie material culture, numbering more than 25,000 exhibits.

The collections show the past life of the people of the Puszcza Zielona and Biała forests: the interior of a Kurpie cottage, a stable and a coach house, shoemakers’ and saddlers’ workshops, costumes, and tools and products of local craftspeople. Amber occupies a special place: it has been mined and worked in Kurpie for centuries, and an open-cast amber mine operates at the museum, where participants in classes can search for specimens themselves.

The museum also runs a Kurpie library with regional publications from the 19th and first half of the 20th century, as well as museum lessons and demonstrations of vanishing trades, such as amber working, flax weaving, making Easter palms and paper flowers, and frivolité lace. Visits usually take place with a guide, by prior booking.

Highlights

• More than 25,000 exhibits of Kurpie material culture
• Open-cast amber mine at the museum and an amber-digging lesson
• Kurpie costumes, cottage, stable and coach house, shoemaker’s workshop
• Demonstrations of vanishing trades and crafts, including frivolité lace
• Kurpie library with unique regional publications

Permanent exhibitions

• Chata kurpiowska i wnętrza mieszkalne – The exhibition shows the old interiors of cottages in the Kurpie Forest and the living conditions of their residents.
• Strój kurpiowski – A collection of women’s and men’s Kurpie costumes in various variants.
• Rzemiosło i bursztyn – An exhibition on the old trades of the Kurpie people, such as beekeeping, milling, shoemaking and saddlery, and on the extraction and working of amber.

Operated by

Gospodarstwo Agroturystyczne „U Bursztyna” (Zdzisław i Laura Bziukiewicz)

Admission & discounts

The prices given apply to visits with a guide in groups of up to 15 people (adults PLN 20, children PLN 15). Museum lessons and demonstrations usually cost PLN 200 per group plus PLN 2 to 25 per person, e.g. amber digging PLN 200 per group and PLN 10 per person (60 minutes, 15 April to 15 October). The website notes that workshop prices may change.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Playground / play area

The farm has a playground; the museum offers lessons and workshops for kindergartens, schools and families.

Getting there & parking

Wach lies by road no. 53, between Kadzidło (10 km) and Myszyniec (10 km). From Kadzidło: after entering the village, drive on for about another 2 km, pass the turn-off to Olszyny on your left, and after about 200 m (post 94/9) turn right onto a gravel road and drive 1,800 m. The coordinates given on the website: 53.30424 N, 21.40189 E.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit