Zalipie, the Polish painted village
Things nobody tells you about this place.
Last year, just after I returned home from my very first trip to Poland, I saw some pictures of houses decorated with colorful flower motifs. I immediately clicked on the link to find out more.
That’s how I discovered Zalipie, the Polish painted village. I felt frustrated and somehow ignorant, because this place turned to be only 60 km away from Kraków, where I’d just spent a few days. I couldn’t believe I missed such a spectacular place.
One year after that moment, there I was, planning another trip through Poland. Obviously, the first stop had to be in Zalipie, no matter what. In all that time waiting to see Poland again, I had daydreamed about walking through this village.
I had some big expectations. I imagined Zalipie like a fairy tale place; a tiny countryside spot with colorfully decorated traditional houses lined up on the side of the road where grandmothers dressed in traditional costumes welcome you. At least this is what all those photos online promised me I’ll find there.
But, of course, once I got to Zalipie, I realized the reality was a little bit different. Before telling you what I learned while in Zalipie, I think it’s important to say that I have no intention in arguing against the charm of this beautiful, incredible village. I just want to tell you some facts about it. Some of them you may already be aware of, but there are a few details which no one has mentioned before.
What you may already know (thank you, internet!):
The ornamentation tradition appeared in Zalipie in the late 19th century, as a necessity. In that time, the houses had no chimneys and the smoke from the cottage hearths floated around the main rooms, blackening the interior walls. Thus, the women and girls began to paint white lime spots on the soot-covered walls.
Their brushes were only some birch sticks shredded at the end. Over time, the women learned to make finer brushes and to use a variety of colors. The primitive spots rapidly evolved into simple flower motifs. The floral folk art was passed down from one generation to another and by the 20th century the custom had evolved into an ornamentation tradition of painting the detailed colorful flower compositions on each house.
The most famous local artist was Felicja Curylowa (1904–1974). Since her death, her three-room farmhouse has been turned into Felicja Curyłowa Farmstead Museum. This is the spot you can’t miss when you visit Zalipie. Everything from the museum’s interior and exterior walls, furniture, doors and Felicia’s personal objects, to the dog’s house outside in the garden, is covered with painted flower motifs. The entrance fee was about 1. 5 euro (6 PLN). Beautiful souvenirs can be bought from the museum.
But I found a larger offer of souvenirs at the House of Painters. Locally known as Dom Malarek, this is the cultural center of Zalipie. I was there on a Sunday, but If I had the chance to visit the House of Painters during week, I may have seen talented women at work painting and crafting wonderful objects.
Everything I saw inside the building of the House of Painters was quite impressive, but the most spectacular thing was this painted oven.
The ‘Painted Cottage’ competition was created specially to prevent the disappearance of this folk art in Zalipie. The first one took place in 1948 and has occurred every few years until 1965, when it became an annual event. Every spring, many women from Zalipie and surrounding villages create new art and enter their houses and farms in the contest. I was lucky enough to visit the house of one of the winners from 2013.
Zalipie is not the only painted village in the area. Wonderfully colorful houses can also be found in Kuzie, Niwka, or Kłyż, which are located nearby. I didn’t know this when I visited the village. I found out later. But even if I knew at the right moment, I still wouldn’t have been able to go see them, because I had to continue with my road trip. But now you know, so you can see them all.
What nobody tells you about this famous Polish village:
Not all the houses in Zalipie are painted. Ok, this is not actually new. Most of the reviews online say that you’ll find around 20 painted houses. Furthermore, there are newly constructed homes and even villas. While most of the old houses are painted, most of the new ones aren’t.
Not all the painted houses are open to the public. People in Zalipie sometimes leave the doors open, which means that you can go inside their gardens and admire the beautiful floral art. If you are lucky, they invite you inside their houses. But, on the other hand, there are also beautiful painted houses with signs which say ‘Private area. Do no enter’ etc. This didn’t surprise me. In the last few years, Zalipie has gotten some serious international attention. It seems that some of the locals aren’t so happy about this.
There are old, abandoned painted houses in Zalipie. Despite this fact, most of them are well-maintained, clean, and neat. Only one house didn’t fit this description (maybe there are others, but this was the only one I have found).
Zalipie is a scattered village. Contrary to my expectations, all the houses and farms were dispersed throughout the area. This actually made it difficult to find the painted houses worth seeing. It was also the reason why I didn’t get to see the church in Zalipie. When I finally found its location, I was already too tired and gave up. I’m a little embarrassed to admit this, but I even got lost in the village. Twice. In conclusion, grab a map when you go to Zalipie or pay attention to the signs on the side of the roads.
Overall, even if I went there with some unrealistic expectations, my experience in Zalipie was simply amazing. It’s the kind of place that you must see at least once in a lifetime. Additionally, the flower motifs seen in Zalipie can be found on different objects sold in souvenir shops throughout Poland. I saw them in Kraków, Łódź, Wrocław, Poznań and even in Gdańsk. If you visit Poland and you see those colorful flowered souvenirs, think about how there are several Polish villages where most of the houses look like that.
Photo credit: Cristian Sitov
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