Discover Tokarnia
Accommodation in Tokarnia
The Ethnographic Park gives Tokarnia a distinctive cultural focus for your trip to Poland. The museum describes itself as Poland’s largest open-air museum and presents the cultural diversity of the Świętokrzyskie region. Its history dates back to its founding in 1976; it began operating in 1977. The focus is on historic buildings, reconstructed interiors and exhibitions illustrating life in different regions.
File:642849 Tokarnia Muzeum Wsi Kieleckiej 07.JPG
Photo: Dawid Galus via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 pl
Historic Buildings and Regional Ways of Life
The collection includes more than 80 historic structures, including farmhouses, barns, windmills, churches and manor houses. The variety of building types gives an impression of the breadth of the open-air museum. Carefully reconstructed interiors and historic exhibits also add to the picture of the buildings: they illustrate life in different regions rather than showing only individual architectural styles.
Notable buildings include the Baroque Church of Matki Bożej Pocieszenia, dating from 1763. The site also features a historic barn that was relocated here from the Bernardine convent in Chęciny. It stands at the park entrance and houses the ticket office, tourist information and a publications shop. Check the current availability of these services before your visit.
Blacksmithing, Wedding Customs and Art
The blacksmith’s workshop from Radoska displays original sets of tools: tongs, hammers, punches and thread cutters are among the items on show. During the tourist season, demonstrations and museum lessons introduce visitors to the work of a rural blacksmith. As these activities are seasonal, it is advisable to check the latest information before your visit.
Individual exhibitions also offer their own perspectives. In a cottage in the loess section, an exhibition presents part of a wedding ceremony centered on oczepiny, the ceremonial removal of the bride’s crown. Another exhibition, established in 1991, is titled “Ocalić od zapomnienia. Jan Bernasiewicz, twórca Ogrodu Rzeźb” (“Save from Oblivion. Jan Bernasiewicz, Creator of the Sculpture Garden”). It comprises more than 600 sculptures, as well as numerous photographs of Jan Bernasiewicz and personal mementos. There is also an exhibition of horse-drawn vehicles.
The park’s collection also includes a tall oak cross from the area around Włoszczowa. According to oral tradition, it was donated by the Maupa couple in 1918; the donors’ intention is unknown. This account, explicitly passed down orally, stands alongside the exhibitions and buildings as another distinct aspect of the site.
Getting There
The Ethnographic Park lies on the Kielce–Kraków route, eight kilometers beyond Chęciny in the direction of Kraków. This helps place Tokarnia along the connection between the two cities. Bus connections from Kielce and Jędrzejów are listed for travel to Tokarnia; however, the PKS bus stop is a considerable distance from the Ethnographic Park. Before setting out, check the operator’s latest information and take this distance into account when planning your journey.
Tokarnia is especially suited to travelers who want to make historic architecture, regional ways of life and specific exhibition content the focus of their stay in Poland. Its combination of historic buildings, church architecture, traditional crafts and exhibitions on wedding customs and sculpture offers several distinct ways to explore the area.
Discover More Destinations
Discover more destinations: Krajno Pierwsze, Kołomań, Bieliny, Zaborowice, Stara Słupia, Sitkówka, Chrusty, Płucki.
For the main travel guide: Kielce.
