Polish Folk Art
Mar 30th, 2005, 09:59 AM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Polish Folk Art
I am interested in visiting villages or towns as day trips from Krakow where I can see and buy Polish folk art of all types. Can anyone suggest possible places in the area?
Mar 30th, 2005, 01:33 PM
#2
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 558
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
zoebert: The closest village featuring folk art that I know of (and my one visit does not make me an expert) is Zalipie, some 30 miles Northeast of Krakow. This is a lovely village where local folk artists have painted the walls of every flat surface (houses, barns, fences, furniture, etc., with colorful paintings. The display is striking. Embroidery, straw dolls and handcut sillouettes are for sale everywhere. The village is very charming. We took a circuitous route from Zakopane to Krakow to spend the day there.
Farther East (and, perhaps, too far) are Lazak Ordynacki, well known for its ceramics and Rudnik, famous for its basket weaving. We stopped at these villages in route from Samosc to Sandomierz. They are about 75 to 85 miles Northeast of Krakow. If you were willing to do an overnight, you could do a circle tour from Krakow to Rudnik, to Lazak Ordynacki to Zalipie and back to Krakow (although it would be difficult to pass up Tarnow) in the two day period.
You will be visiting a very scenic and enjoyable area of Poland. I wish I were going back and I am not even Polish. This Country is a travelers paradise.
Have a great trip.
Farther East (and, perhaps, too far) are Lazak Ordynacki, well known for its ceramics and Rudnik, famous for its basket weaving. We stopped at these villages in route from Samosc to Sandomierz. They are about 75 to 85 miles Northeast of Krakow. If you were willing to do an overnight, you could do a circle tour from Krakow to Rudnik, to Lazak Ordynacki to Zalipie and back to Krakow (although it would be difficult to pass up Tarnow) in the two day period.
You will be visiting a very scenic and enjoyable area of Poland. I wish I were going back and I am not even Polish. This Country is a travelers paradise.
Have a great trip.
May 27th, 2005, 02:03 PM
#4
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 16
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
joegri, where would you stay overnight on the Rudnik-Lazak Ordynacki - Tarnow - Zalipie circuit? And where would you eat? I suppose you rented a car - how were the roads? I hear they're not that great in Poland. Have you been to Gdansk? Same questions. I'm going to Poland in October for about two weeks. Any tips would be welcomed.
May 30th, 2005, 12:11 AM
#5
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,997
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Good advice. Cars available in Krakow. Poland now has motels along most highways as well as restaurants. McDonald's can be a good stopping place. Usually there is a travellers hotel close to the rail station. Every guide book has lists...check the publication date!
May 30th, 2005, 08:03 AM
#6
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 558
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
zoebert: Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I don't get here every day.
As noted in my original post, I visited these villages while in route; Zalipie in route from Zakopane to Krakow and Lazak Ordynacki and Rudnik in route from Samosc to Sandomierz. So, we never stayed in any of these villages. As I recall, we spent a couple hours at each location in order to see the handiwork they are noted for. We did eat lunch, but they were kind of on the run. One was a picnic. There are no McDonalds in these vilages (or at least there weren't in 2003), but you can certainly find something to eat.
The driving is for the most part, easy. We were out in the country to get to these villages. The roads were two lane, in mostly good repair and could be slow if you got behind an old truck, a tractor or a horse drawn wagon. We drove all over Poland for thirty- five days and never really had any problems. One of the Gentlemen, G. Stead or Peter Belinski (my two primary sources for information about Poland when I was preparing my trip) advised me to write the name of my destination on a piece of paper, especially when I was in the more rural areas of Poland. That way, when I lost signage or just got lost, I could show a local the paper and get back on track even when they didn't speak English. This worked every time. We weren't in a hurry and enjoyed the back-country very much.
If you have the time, just go. This is a very enjoyable part of Poland and there are cafes, restaurants and some basic kind of hotel or inn in every area we visited.
As noted in my original post, I visited these villages while in route; Zalipie in route from Zakopane to Krakow and Lazak Ordynacki and Rudnik in route from Samosc to Sandomierz. So, we never stayed in any of these villages. As I recall, we spent a couple hours at each location in order to see the handiwork they are noted for. We did eat lunch, but they were kind of on the run. One was a picnic. There are no McDonalds in these vilages (or at least there weren't in 2003), but you can certainly find something to eat.
The driving is for the most part, easy. We were out in the country to get to these villages. The roads were two lane, in mostly good repair and could be slow if you got behind an old truck, a tractor or a horse drawn wagon. We drove all over Poland for thirty- five days and never really had any problems. One of the Gentlemen, G. Stead or Peter Belinski (my two primary sources for information about Poland when I was preparing my trip) advised me to write the name of my destination on a piece of paper, especially when I was in the more rural areas of Poland. That way, when I lost signage or just got lost, I could show a local the paper and get back on track even when they didn't speak English. This worked every time. We weren't in a hurry and enjoyed the back-country very much.
If you have the time, just go. This is a very enjoyable part of Poland and there are cafes, restaurants and some basic kind of hotel or inn in every area we visited.
