Skansen Wsi Pogórzańskiej im. prof. Romana Reinfussa w Szymbarku
Open-air museum with historic cottages, a smithy, windmills and an oil mill from the Gorlice Foothills, a branch of the museum in Gorlice.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The idea of an open-air museum in Szymbark was put forward in 1962 by the voivodeship monument conservator in Rzeszów, who wanted to renovate the local kasztel (small castle) and set up an ethnographic park beside it. The first building moved to the open-air site, in the 1970s, was a cottage from Siary. In 1975 the emerging centre was taken over by the Muzeum Okręgowe w Nowym Sączu (District Museum in Nowy Sącz), and on 19 September 1987 a branch was opened under the name Ośrodek Budownictwa Ludowego (Folk Architecture Centre).
The objects come from the Gorlice Foothills: cottages, barns, cowsheds, windmills, an oil mill, a smithy and beehives. Only the roadside cross and the pottery kiln were built as reconstructions. The open-air museum does not recreate the layout of a single village; it has a park-like character, in which individual buildings show the life of wealthy and poor peasant families and old crafts. Since 2007 it has belonged to the newly established Muzeum Dwory Karwacjanów i Gładyszów w Gorlicach (Karwacjan and Gładysz Manor Houses Museum in Gorlice), and in 2010 it was given the name of Prof. Roman Reinfuss, an ethnographer who advised on the creation of the exhibition.
In the following years the main entrance was added, a granary from Rożnowice was brought in with an exhibition on Józef Śliwa, and new exhibitions were opened on Pogórze costume, herbs, old carts and the headquarters of the Gorlice Operation of 1915. Within the Skansenova programme the thatched roofs and floors were replaced and the paths improved. Folklore events, museum lessons and workshops take place in the open-air museum.
Highlights
- Smoke cottage from Siary with a weaver’s workshop
- Windmills from Kryg and Ropa
- Smithy from Turza and oil mill from Gródek
- Reconstruction of a pottery kiln
- Exhibition “Na co dzień i od święta” (“Everyday and Festive”) on Pogórze costume
- Exhibition on the headquarters of the Gorlice Operation of 1915
Permanent exhibitions
- Chałupa z Moszczenicy – Interior of a cottage of a middling peasant family from the Pogórze in the interwar period.
- Pogórzański tkacz – Weaver’s workshop and furnishings of a poor smoke cottage from Siary, from the early 20th century.
- Sztab operacji gorlickiej 1915 – Historical exhibition in the presbytery barn, set up for the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Gorlice.
- Founded
- 1987
- Operated by
- Muzeum Dwory Karwacjanów i Gładyszów w Gorlicach (samorządowa instytucja kultury Województwa Małopolskiego)
Admission & discounts
| Adults | 16 zł |
|---|---|
| Reduced | 10 zł |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 6 · Children under 7 enter free of charge. |
| Groups (10+ people) | 10 zł per personOrganised groups of 10–25 people. School groups from Gorlice County pay PLN 2 per person (with supervisors), and those from outside the county PLN 7. |
| Families | –Large Family Card ticket: PLN 5 per person. |
| Large Family Card ticket | 5 złPrice per person. |
| Guide fee (group of 10–25 people) | 60 złPlus admission tickets. |
| Photo or film shoot on the grounds of the open-air museum | 100 złPrice per shoot. |
| Barbecue pavilion for organised groups (up to 3 hours) | 80 zł |
Free admission: On Tuesdays admission is free to all branches of the museum.
The standard ticket is also called the walking ticket. Free admission also applies to, among others, museum staff, members of ICOM and ICOMOS, veterans and combatants.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 6 |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
The open-air museum organises museum lessons, workshops and folklore events; children under 7 enter free of charge.
Getting there & parking
The main entrance to the open-air museum is on the side of the national road from Nowy Sącz to Gorlice.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
A barbecue pavilion can be rented for organised groups.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Photography | Commercial photo and film shoots are charged (PLN 100 per shoot). |
| Good to know | Guided tours for organised groups after prior phone contact. The museum runs lessons and workshops at the open-air museum. |
