Rysiek Riedel sang that he would give a lot to experience it again, and a time machine would be a miracle. We didn't finish singing, we went a step further and created our own time machine that takes you straight to the 19th century. In fact, we went a few steps further, because we have a small open-air museum here that remembers the last two centuries. It is enough to close your eyes, lean on a door frame that is over a hundred years old, sit by a tiled stove or look out over the yard with an antique barn and old farm tools. And we could not have dreamed of a better background for our "antiquities" than Ziemia Łowicka.
You will find a piece of us in every Cepelia - by taking the cutouts from Lowicz or any gadgets painted in Lowicz patterns. Fortunately, we, the Księżacy, can boast of something more - fabulously colorful costumes, dialect, our music, which a trained ear can catch in Chopin's mazurkas and waltzes. As if there are only villages and farmland around, and there is something to visit and admire here. After breakfast, we jump on the bike and go to the Button Museum or watch the work (of how!) Of a 19th-century cooper. Not far from us, in Lipce Reymontowskie, "Chłopi" would be happening and literally a bit further you can visit the mansion where Fryderyk Chopin was born. After lunch, we visit palaces, romantic parks or workshops at one of the folk museums - all this makes it worth visiting us for at least a few days.
In a 19th-century cottage we have one bedroom with four single beds. At each of them there is a table with a lamp with adjustable light. The bedroom also has a large wooden wardrobe (to hang and put things down), a wooden table with 4 chairs and a reading corner (two armchairs with a high stool that can be treated as a tiny table). The four-person bedroom from the kitchen (let's face it - the heart of every home) is separated by a hall with a small sofa, a Lowicz chest, a dressing table and a mirror. In the kitchen you will find the most necessary appliances, a table for four people and a tiled stove (only for decoration). We have prepared a reading corner and chats with two rattan armchairs and a large lamp under the window. We have a shower in the bathroom and an electrically heated sauna for those who are cold. The house has a heat pump (heating / air conditioning).
If you are counting on festivities, fireworks and waffles with fluff, this is not the way. Złaków Kościelny is not a holiday resort, which should be taken into account when deciding to visit. The cottage is located in the center of the village (the real one, where farmers have tractors and tractors), on a side road. And as it happens in the countryside - a dog barking, a cat will climb onto its lap, and a neighbor greets them, lifting their hats.
Note, note: we do not have a washing machine and TV in the cottage. Wi-Fi has been available recently! ;)
In our kitchen you will find all the necessary equipment for preparing meals (induction hob, hood, sink, fridge, dishwasher, pots, frying pan, cutlery, plates, glasses and other small accessories needed in the kitchen). Please remember that there is a tiled stove in the room, which is only a decoration and you must not light it!
There is a basic grocery store in the village. Petrol stations, larger grocery stores and restaurants are in Łowicz (approx. 15 km). The nearest ATM is in Zduny (approx. 5 km). If you want to go to a restaurant, we will recommend the ones we have checked:
- Restaurant "Powroty" (great atmosphere, great owners) in Łowicz, 15 km away,
- "Oberża pod Złotym Prosiakiem" (regional Polish cuisine, decor- Łowicz folk) in Nieborów, 24 km away.
It is worth coming to us during the September food fair "Książęce Jadło" held in Łowicz - take our word for it - it's worth it!
We invite you to rest in the rhythm of words and completely offline. We cannot help you here with WiFi, we also do not have a TV. It is worth taking your favorite books, albums, a loudspeaker with chill music and taking a break from the rush. To catch a deep breath, we recommend a walk in the romantic-sentimental park in Arkadia and in the park at the Palace and the Horse Stud in Walewice. Sportsmen hop on a bike and discover the charms of the Łowicz region on one of the three routes (green - 123 km, red "Sabers and Bagnets" - 119 km and the blue "Prince's Trail" modestly 14 km long). It is also worth visiting Boczek, Kiernozi, Borów and Nieborów. We will send you to kayaks to Bzura or Rawka - even beginner canoeists can handle both rivers.
We will send you on trips to nearby towns. In Łowicz it is worth visiting the Museum and seeing the permanent exhibition "Ethnography of the Principality of Łowicz", the Button Museum (it is located in one chest, but still worth it;)) and go to Sromowo, where the family Folk Museum is located. In Skierniewice, for example, you can visit the Narrow-Gauge Railway Museum, take a photo in one of the locomotives or with Wokulski sitting on a bench at platform I. Also visit Lipiec Reymontowskie, where Reymont has located "Chłopów", and where there is a Gallery of Antiques and Regional Souvenirs . It is worth seeing the beautiful Radziwiłł Palace in Nieborów and the Sobański Palace in Guzów. A place that should not be missed is the Chopin Museum in Żelazowa Wola, which is located in a beautiful park. There you can take a walk, sit on a bench and eat ice cream, and most beautifully, listen to a live piano concert that takes place every Sunday in the summer season.
If you want to take part in local attractions, we have a list of our favorite events here:
- September "Księżackie Jadło - Good Food Fair" in Łowicz,
- "Majówka in the Open-Air Museum in Maurzyce" in the Łowicz Ethnographic Park in Maurzyce, 10 km away,
- May Night of Museums at the Museum in Łowicz,
- "Sobótki" in the open-air museum in Maurzyce in the second half of June. (Sobótki is one of the oldest Slavic holidays. They are associated with the solstice of the Sun during the shortest night of the year. In Łowicz they traditionally started the cycle of summer customs. In folk beliefs, the proximity of the Sun increased the power of the Earth on that day, which in turn penetrated the plants. The healing effect of the herbs collected at that time. In the villages near the rivers, "sobótki", also known as the festival of wreaths, took place. The boys lit fires symbolizing cleansing, which was accompanied by singing and dancing games.),
- July folk art workshops and culinary workshops in the Open-Air Museum in Maurzyce,
- Feast of Our Lady of Herbs - August 15 in the Open-Air Museum in Maurzyce,
- Corpus Christi in Złaków Kościelny - it is a spiritual, beautiful and colorful celebration in the All Saints Parish Church (Holy Mass and a procession passing through the village). Local residents taking part in the procession are dressed in traditional Łowicz costumes, and the air is filled with a beautiful and unique scent of calamus, which is laid earlier on the route of the passage. After the celebration, children will find stalls with bagels, ice cream and gifts.
- the June Village Pograjka in our Mini Open-Air Museum, i.e. an intimate event gathering exceptional people. There are performances of folk music bands, a dance party, recently even a mini exhibition of old cars and agricultural machines. You can try regional liqueurs, snacks and dairy products from the Łowicz dairy.
We do not have any facilities for toddlers or toys for slightly older children - you have to pack your favorite toys and books.
More attractions for children can be found in Łowicz, Kołacinek (Dinopark, St. Nicholas' Village), or a little further in Ujazd, where there is a themed educational and entertainment garden. It is worth taking advantage of the attractions organized by Leśna Łąka (Maków) - cooking workshops, traditional herbalism and wild preserves. Little athletes can walk along the Walk along the Bzura Trail or go canoeing on this river. The nearest playgrounds are in the Łowicz City Park.
Importantly: in the yard there is a collection of original agricultural tools and machines and an old well (covered with a lid) - the little ones must be looked after.
