Olenderski Park Etnograficzny w Wielkiej Nieszawce

About the museum

The Olenderski Ethnographic Park (Olenderski Park Etnograficzny) in Wielka Nieszawka is a branch of the Museum of Ethnography named after Maria Znamierowska-Prüfferowa in Toruń. In 2011 a letter of intent on its establishment was signed by the self-government of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, the commune of Wielka Nieszawka and the Toruń museum, and the new branch opened in 2018. The park is the first museum in Poland devoted entirely to Dutch settlement.

On more than five hectares a Dutch village from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries has been reconstructed in the marsh row-village layout (rzędówka bagienna) typical of flood-prone areas. The buildings were moved from the Lower Vistula Valley and surrounded by fields, orchards and gardens. The richly furnished homesteads combine the living quarters and the farm buildings under one roof, and tell the story of the Mennonites and Evangelical German settlers, who from the mid-16th century founded large, modern farms.

The homestead from Gutowo houses the ticket office, a shop and the permanent exhibition “Dutch Contexts… History, Religion, Culture” (Olenderskie konteksty… Historia, religia, kultura). The homestead from Niedźwiedź, built on an artificial terp (mound), shows the life of a two-generation Mennonite family, and the homestead from Kaniczki from 1757 presents the interior of a wealthy Evangelical family in the interwar period. Next to the park there is a lapidarium with Mennonite and Evangelical gravestones and a historic cemetery with more than 150 marked burial places.

Highlights

• Reconstructed Dutch village in the marsh row-village layout
• Homestead from Gutowo with the exhibition “Dutch Contexts…”
• Homestead from Niedźwiedź, 18th century, on an artificial terp
• Homestead from Kaniczki from 1757, with interwar furnishings
• Lapidarium with Mennonite and Evangelical gravestones, and the cemetery
• Audio guides with audio description and tactile maps

Permanent exhibitions

• Olenderskie konteksty… Historia, religia, kultura – Permanent exhibition in the homestead from Gutowo on Dutch settlement, with original room furnishings and doors from a Mennonite prayer house.
• Zagroda z Niedźwiedzia – Wooden homestead interiors from the 1790s, showing the living conditions of a two-generation Mennonite family at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.
• Zagroda z Kaniczek – The homestead from 1757 shows the life of a wealthy three-generation Evangelical family in the interwar period, with gardens and old apple varieties.

Founded

2018

Operated by

Muzeum Etnograficzne im. Marii Znamierowskiej-Prüfferowej w Toruniu

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Wednesday: free admission to the permanent exhibitions. Guides cannot be booked on Wednesdays.

Free admission is also granted to, among others, staff of museums entered in the State Register of Museums, members of ICOM and ICOMOS, holders of the Karta Polaka (Polish Card) and veterans. Organised groups may pay by bank transfer.

Accessibility

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

Unpaved, sandy and partly paved paths lead through the park. The buildings are entered by wooden steps, without permanent ramps, but ramps to the homesteads can be prepared on request. Thermoformed tactile maps of the park are available at the ticket office, and a plan in the form of a tactile map hangs in front of it. Audio guides with audio description and the YourWay Plus app are available, and the shop has an induction loop. There is an accessible toilet at the ticket office. There is no sign language interpreter. Benches are placed along the exhibition, and staff help older visitors.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities
• Playground / play area: not available

For kindergarten and school groups the park runs seasonal workshops combining visits to the homesteads with creative activities and farm work, for example threshing, washing on washboards and weaving wicker fences. The buildings can be entered with pushchairs, and the toilet has a baby-changing table. There is no play area.

Getting there & parking

The park lies about 11 km from the centre of Toruń; the route is signposted.

Amenities & dining

• Café: not available
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop

There is no catering in the park. There is a roofed shelter with tables and benches, and several food outlets operate in the vicinity. The ticket office sells folk crafts, publications and souvenirs.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit