''Na Grapie'' Regional Museum
43 – 476 Jaworzynka 720, Phone: (+48) 33-855-65-20, e-mail: nagrapie@poczta.onet.pl. Opened daily, after a telephone arrangement.
The Museum was established by late Jerzy Rucki, who during the World War II lived and actively participated in the works of the Polish emigration in Switzerland. Out of homesickness and desire to preserve the history of his little homeland, he decided to open this museum. Today, his nephew, Stanisław - together with his family, looks after it. Currently, the whole area forms a small heritage park as some other historic buildings were transferred here. They include a wooden cottage, barn and a smithy workshop.
The wooden cottage (kurlawo chałpa) comes from 1920. Inside there is a special oven with no chimney, propped on the two spruce roots turned upside down. Herbs used for making tinctures and brews for all sorts of aliments were dried over it. The recipes were handed down from generation to generation. In the cottage, there is also a table with a stone top and a cupboard called uolmaryja, with beautiful plates, bowls and mugs. One of the most important places in a highlander’s chamber was a “holy corner”. It was a home altar with a holy picture decorated with crêpe paper flowers and hanged in a room’s eastern corner, over the table. In the hall, which divided the house into two parts, we can see home and farm appliances and indispensible in wintertime – skis, locally called skize or tyniny – used for walking on snow. In the second chamber, there is an exhibition presenting once popular folk craft - the textile weaving - and the exposition of highlanders’ musical instruments.
The interesting exhibits from the 1930s can also be seen in a nearby barn. All sorts of home appliances and agricultural machinery was gathered here: harrows, ploughs, more advanced winnowers, chaff-cutters, linen press as well as the example of a characteristic element of the Polish rural landscape – a horse drawn open wagon with sides looking like horizontally placed ladders.
The museum organizes temporary exhibitions presenting amateur art, folk customs and traditions (celebrated throughout the year), and educational workshops. During the workshops, local artists present traditional handicrafts such as sewing traditional highlanders’ shoes (kierpce), folk costumes and wool spinning. Meetings of the folk culture enthusiasts, literary soirées, as well as lectures are organized here as well. A special point of interest is a collection of folk costumes with an interesting addition of the children’s and elderly clothing.
The interesting exhibits and entertaining stories told by a local guide draw numerous visitors. The Museum is opened every day, however; an earlier telephone arrangement is suggested.
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