I have such a strange honesty that makes me write that in order to consciously choose this place and feel good in the Izerskie Nook, you need to know a few things. Come to Antoniów, if you do not mind that you can see the time on wooden bridges, pergolas, benches, that the Internet connection may not be perfect, that the grass is not cut to 5 centimeters, and the nettles around the pond take part in the competition for the highest the stalk. If you don't mind that in the yard there are trees blown over by the wind or cut by beavers, they will probably lie there until they decay. The only mowed path leads to the largest pond, which will take you to the pier, and here breakfast tastes great. In the company of ducks and squirrels. We simply live in the Lower Silesian countryside, in harmony with nature, which we do not want to cut, weed and lined up with a ruler. Nature is at your fingertips here, you just have to want, have a little mindfulness and sometimes wake up at dawn to meet the deer.
On 2 hectares of land, we have 3 houses, each for holiday residence, but at the moment we are giving you the largest, newly renovated one. A house where the greenery enters through the winter garden and the heat does not escape thanks to the fireplace. For our neighbors, we have herbalists and a farmer with sheep, and a little further a herd of goats, which means there is also a delicious cheese. There are beautiful walking routes around, demanding bicycle routes and the most famous cross-country skiing trails. Come if you are not afraid of silence, wild nature, frogs, beetles and mosquitoes. And when you come, you will probably be lost, just like us.
In the tiny village of Antoniów, on the edge of the Jizera Mountains. People who settled here chose the most beautiful places in the hills surrounding a small valley, and built their houses far away from each other. So there is a lot of space and the neighbors don't look in each other's windows. We also found our place here. On an area of approximately 2 hectares, first one large house was erected, and then two smaller ones. We give you the big one, the two smaller ones are still waiting for renovation, but they are almost never empty, there are also amateurs for them, so you will probably meet other nice guests in the yard. In our opinion, the houses are quite close to each other, but our guests see it completely differently. We get opinions that every guest has intimacy, everyone has their own corner in the large garden.
The stream flowing through the area encouraged us to create 5 ponds. The farm is separated from the nearby forest only by meadows of wild vegetation.
We invite you to the newly renovated house, only the bathroom on the first floor is waiting to be refreshed. The house can accommodate 8 people in 3 bedrooms.
Ground floor:
- a living room with comfortable sofas, a fireplace,
- connected with the dining room,
- kitchenette,
- bathroom with shower,
- winter garden (25 m2) with a table and a comfortable corner.
Floor:
- wide, but relatively steep stairs lead to the first floor,
- TV lounge with a comfortable sofa,
- bedroom 1: with a double bed (140 cm)
- bedroom 2: with a double bed (140 cm) and a single bed
- bedroom 2: with a double bed (140 cm) and a single bed
- bathroom with shower.
Behind the house is a stone terrace where you can make a barbecue.
If you want to come with your dog, you must know that the area is unfenced, so you need to keep an eye on the animals.
At your disposal in the house is a fully equipped kitchen connected to the dining room, although breakfasts taste great also on the pier over the pond, accompanied by ducks and squirrels. You can also take a coffee set on a tray to the platform or, without the risk of spilling half the coffee, drink it calmly on a bench by the house.
It's worth knowing that there is no grocery store in Antoniów, so it's best to go shopping by car.
However, you do not have to travel far to buy goat's cheese, it is enough to walk towards Jaroszyce, because in our village Mr. Tomek breeds goats and sells delicious cheeses of his own production.
If you come to Antoniów without a plan, but with an open heart and head, you will surely find some activity or passivity for yourself. If not, then as soon as I arrive in Zakątek, I will be happy to tell you where to go for bikes, where to ski, and which way for walks.
Let's start with our own backyard. Izerski Zakątek is an area of approx. 2 ha. Unkempt, hairless, natural, a bit wild. Surrounded by forest, meadows and cut by a stream. We have 5 ponds and ponds in our area, some more accessible, the largest even with a pier, others completely overgrown, dedicated to nature and its inhabitants.
Beavers live by the pond, so fallen trees are our everyday life, we do not collect them, we leave them for nature to do its job. We also meet otters, and deer come to our stream for a few sips of water. We are sure that they also spend the night in the grove, because the grass is poured out in this place.
It is great to read books here, e.g. on a bench by the house, on a pier, in a hammock under trees, in a winter garden. You can discover the traces of all animals living in our area. Go to the ponds by the official path through the pergola, or by the secret path between hazelnuts, go for apples straight from the tree. On long winter evenings, you can play chess by the fireplace.
Another adventure begins outside the gate. Across the road, herbalists live in front of us. In the half-timbered house, refugees from civilization, who deal with herbalism and know about minerals, found their place. Just tap the glass, pull the goat's leg (the bell by the door) and you can hear about herbs, the history of the place, the power of minerals and taste the infusions.
Antoniów is a really charming village. I have known it forever and it has become a bit commonplace for me, but you will surely appreciate its spaciousness, spaces that allow you to breathe and old Lower Silesian houses in the neighborhood. You can, for example, look at your neighbor behind the fence who breeds sheep, or walk a kilometer towards Jaroszyce and visit Mr. Tomek, who runs a large goat farm. You can take an afternoon walk and buy cheese on the spot. Be careful back, if you get caught in the twilight, keep your eyes and ears open. A herd of majestic deer often crosses the road, so be careful about that. In general, nature is at your fingertips here, you just have to open up to it. Sometimes get up at dawn, sometimes go out to the clearing by the house at sunset.
If you want to discover the undiscovered, go to Nowa Kamienica by bike or car and go for a walk around this Jizera village.
If you still don't have enough, for a walk, berries or mushrooms, go to the beautiful, high forest to the west of the house, behind the Roman Catholic church. The road leads towards the Izerski crossroads. There you can blaze the trail, inhale the air saturated with the scent of the forest and absorb chlorophyll.
Once you've brought your bikes with you, it could be useful to make use of them. There are a lot of nice bike paths around Antoniów. After all, this is where the history of bike marathons began. However, these are not very easy routes - mountain bikes and fitness will come in handy. The ability to drive 30 km up and down is also handy. You can of course make a small 5 km loop and go home. However, if you are looking for something more pleasant, you can drive a car to Jakuszyce, rent a bicycle there - mountain or electric and face a lot of possibilities.
If movement is something that turns you on and relaxes, you can always sign up for the famous Piast Race and try your hand at cross-country skiing.
Antoniów is also a great base for trips to Szklarska Poręba or Karpacz (approx. 20-30 minutes by car).
What’s there for children?
It is difficult to answer what offer we have for children, because without wrapping it up in the bush, we do not have specific children's attractions. We have frogs to peek at and eavesdrop on, in summer there are butterflies to run behind, we have tall grass to hide in. Our plot is inhabited by beavers, which have made their homes by the wild ponds, and in the grove to sleep, the states are settling down. Apart from that, there are some things you need to watch out for - the ponds are not fenced, and around them there is a wetland overgrown with nettles beyond measure, grasses, shrubs and trees grow as they please, and we cut the grass only in communication routes. The yard is crossed by a stream. For some, these are disadvantages, for others they are advantages and a harbinger of great fun. If your kids can organize a brilliant fun out of a few sticks and stones or create a base in a hammock, they will naturally feel comfortable here.