Muzeum-Skansen Kurpiowski im. Adama Chętnika w Nowogrodzie

About the museum

The idea of founding a museum appeared in 1919, when the ethnographer and social activist Adam Chętnik bought a neglected plot after a municipal brickworks on the high bank of the Narew. For several years he levelled the ground and planted trees at his own expense. In 1923 the first building was erected: a relocated wooden building adapted for exhibition purposes. The institution opened on 19 June 1927 as a branch of the Polish Society for Regional Studies and already held more than two thousand exhibits.

The collections were mainly ethnographic and natural history. During the Second World War the museum was completely destroyed, and only a few objects survived, among them two sections of bee-tree trunks. Reconstruction began in the 1950s: in 1958 the exhibition of a Kurpie homestead from Łomża was moved to Nowogród and became the basis of a new open-air museum, a branch of the Łomża museum. Chętnik supported the reconstruction without payment.

Today, on an area of about 3.5 hectares, there are homesteads, cottages, granaries, a windmill, a smithy, an oil mill, an inn and other buildings from Kurpie, and in the oldest part there is a department of forest beekeeping (bartnictwo). The layout of the open-air museum does not recreate a village; it shows characteristic buildings in miniature. Since 1 June 2022 the museum has been run by the Podlaskie Voivodeship.

Highlights

• Bartny Square with cross-sections of centuries-old bee-trees
• Manor house from Brzózka with the exhibition “Adam Chętnik. Życie i dzieło” (“Adam Chętnik: Life and Work”)
• Kurpie homesteads from Myszyniec, Kadzidło, Gawrychy and Baranowo
• Cottage from Witowo Most with a porch, where Czesław Miłosz stayed
• Windmill from Plewki, smithy and oil mill
• Reconstruction of an inn from Dylewo

Permanent exhibitions

• Adam Chętnik. Życie i dzieło – Exhibition in the manor house from Brzózka devoted to the founder of the open-air museum and his ethnographic and museum work.
• Zabudowa kurpiowska na wolnym powietrzu – Route through homesteads, cottages, granaries, a windmill, a smithy, an oil mill and an inn from Kurpie.

Founded

1927

Operated by

Samorząd Województwa Podlaskiego

Admission & discounts

Free admission: The permanent exhibitions are free on a day designated by the director; in October 2026 these were the Mondays 5, 12, 19 and 26 October.

On free days only the permanent exhibitions are available, without a guide. Tickets priced at PLN 1, 3, 5 or 7 are also sold occasionally. Guided tours begin on the full hour.

Accessibility

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

There is no lift or ramp on the grounds. About 120 stone steps lead to the ticket office; wheelchair users can enter from the river side after prior arrangement. Most buildings have thresholds or steps. The toilet is not adapted: it has three steps, a narrow door and a threshold. Entry with an assistance dog or a guide dog is permitted, and people with disabilities may visit accompanied by a carer. The interiors are sometimes poorly lit, and most of the buildings can only be viewed from outside.

Kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

At weekends there are paid workshops with folk artists, for example on ritual bread, paper cut-outs, wickerwork, lacemaking and pottery. The museum also offers an educational programme for groups.

Getting there & parking

The museum lies on a hill above the Narew. Journeys from other places are best arranged with the museum, as its website does not give public transport connections.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

The ticket office and a souvenir shop are in the manor house from Brzózka.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit