Skansen Rzeki Pilicy
Open-air museum devoted to the Pilica River: a water mill, wartime relics recovered from the river and souvenirs from the tsarist residence in Spała.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Skansen Rzeki Pilicy has been developing since 2000 and is the first open-air museum in Poland devoted to a river. The idea arose in the circle of the Stowarzyszenie Przyjaciół Pilicy i Nadpilicza (Association of Friends of the Pilica and Nadpilicze), founded in 1997. Initially the institution operated as a social museum; since 19 April 2005 it has been a municipal cultural institution under the city of Tomaszów Mazowiecki, and today it is part of the Miejskie Centrum Kultury (Municipal Culture Centre).
The largest exhibition is “Młynarstwo wodne w dorzeczu Pilicy” (Water Milling in the Pilica Basin). Part of it is a wooden watermill moved in 1998–2000 from the village of Kuźnica Żerechowska on the Luciąża River, and beside it more than 30 millstones from mills that no longer exist have been gathered, the largest such collection in Poland. The section “Wojenne trofea Pilicy” (War Trophies of the Pilica) shows military equipment recovered from the river, including the unique armoured Luftwaffe artillery tractor nicknamed “Lufcik”, raised from the riverbed in 1999.
The site also contains a reconstructed German trench from 1944 and a reinforced-concrete Tobruk-type bunker. Relics of old Spała, the summer residence of the tsars, include a small house that once served as a forest lavatory for Tsar Nicholas II. The museum also displays a river barge of the “Szczupak” type, a sapper boat, a bridge from Wolbórka and a historic railway station from Czarnocin dating from 1896.
Highlights
- Wooden watermill from Kuźnica Żerechowska
- More than 30 millstones – the largest such collection in Poland
- Armoured Luftwaffe artillery tractor “Lufcik” recovered from the Pilica
- Former toilet of Tsar Nicholas II from Spała
- Historic railway station from Czarnocin (1896)
- River barge “Szczupak” and a T-34-85 tank
Permanent exhibitions
- Młynarstwo wodne w dorzeczu Pilicy – Interior of the wooden watermill with working models of mills, and a gallery with more than 30 millstones from the Pilica basin.
- Wojenne trofea Pilicy – Military equipment recovered from the river, including the armoured Luftwaffe artillery tractor “Lufcik”, and an outdoor display on the fortifications of the Pilica Line.
- Pamiątki po dawnej Spale – Objects from Spała from the time when it was a residence of the Russian tsars, including the former forest toilet of the tsar and the gateposts of the residence.
- Founded
- 2000
- Operated by
- Miejskie Centrum Kultury w Tomaszowie Mazowieckim
Admission & discounts
| Adults | 22 zł |
|---|---|
| Reduced | 16 złpupils, students up to age 25, pensioners, people receiving disability pensions, and people with disabilities together with a carer |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 3 · Children under 4 visit free of charge. |
| Seniors | 16 złReduced ticket for pensioners and people receiving disability pensions; holders of the Łódź Voivodeship Senior Card pay PLN 12. |
| Visitors with disabilities | 16 złReduced ticket for a person with a disability together with a carer. |
| Students & apprentices | 16 złReduced ticket for pupils and students up to age 25. |
| Groups (20+ people) | –10% discount on the standard and reduced tickets for organised groups of at least 20 people; a school group ticket for 20 people costs PLN 100 (for institutions based in Tomaszów Mazowiecki). |
| Families | 64 złFamily ticket 2+2: two adults and two children under 18. |
| Ticket with the Large Family Card, the Łódź Voivodeship Senior Card or the Tomaszowianin Card | 12 zł |
| Guided tour for organised groups (price per group) | 75 zł |
| Guided tour in English (price per group) | 150 zł |
| Ethnographic workshop “Od ziarenka do bochenka” (From Grain to Loaf) | 20 złPrice per person. |
The price list has been valid since 1 March 2026. Discounts are not cumulative; a 10% discount also applies to visiting the underground tourist route Groty Nagórzyckie (Nagórzyce Caves) on the same day. Tickets can be bought online (Biletyna) or at the ticket office, where card payment is also accepted.
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 has a single entrance from the car park side. The website gives no detailed information on the accessibility of the exhibitions.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 3 |
|---|---|
| Family ticket | 64 zł · Family ticket 2+2: two adults and two children under 18. |
- Family tours & workshops
For children and families the open-air museum offers the 2+2 family ticket, the ethnographic workshop “Od ziarenka do bochenka” (From Grain to Loaf), the chance to bake over a campfire, and outdoor events. Children under 4 enter free of charge.
Getting there & parking
By car
Paid parking
Paid car park at the open-air museum with an automatic system (charges apply 8:00–22:00): passenger cars PLN 8 for the first hour and PLN 5 for each further hour; coaches and minibuses PLN 20 for the first hour and PLN 15 for each further hour. The car park ticket machine is on the left as you leave the open-air museum.
The open-air museum is at ul. Modrzewskiego in Tomaszów Mazowiecki, near the Niebieskie Źródła nature reserve (Blue Springs).
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Museum shop
The tourist toilet is in the car park and is paid (cash only, no change given). Souvenirs can be bought at the ticket office.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Visits are on foot, individually or in groups. Groups should book a guided tour or a museum lesson at least seven days in advance (tel. +48 44 723 00 03 or by e-mail). Dogs may enter the grounds of the open-air museum but not the buildings; eating and touching the exhibits inside the buildings is not allowed. |
Museums nearby
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Muzeum w Tomaszowie Mazowieckim im. Antoniego hr. Ostrowskiego
Bunkier w Konewce
Pożarnicze Centrum Historyczno-Edukacyjne Ziemi Łódzkiej w Wolborzu
