Although the house in Clay is not made of clay at all, it is made of the best childhood memories, grandma's hospitality and tenderness for old houses that deserve special treatment. For the first time, he was saved from oblivion by Grandma Helena, who gave me a port to which I always liked to come back. I remember when she was peacefully walking only along the path trodden in the grass, and all the animals always knew that nowhere would be better for them than at Grandma's. Years later, I sat on the porch steps to make another life decision. Keep the wooden house from being forgotten a second time. Step by step, with a jigsaw, grinder and screwdriver for my brother, I have created this place anew. I filled them with flowers, books and objects with a soul - granny's oak table, great-grandmother's wardrobe and an old sideboard. In the kitchen, I kept a tiled stove, and gave a second life to the furniture found in the stone cowshed next to the house.
You will reach the habitat by taking a common country road, and stopping at number 8, you will see a simple, old house that is drowning in greenery. However, when you sit on its doorstep for the first time, there is a good chance that you will not want to leave. You will spend your days reading on the porch, picking apples in the orchard and watching from the sun lounger as the children build sand fortresses in the garden. Guests say that they feel at home here, although they have never been here before. This is how Helenówka works - the habitat of good. Come and see for yourself.
Helenówka is an 80-year-old wooden house. Years ago, my grandmother Helena found it and created a haven here full of warmth and tenderness. I spent wonderful moments here as a child. When grandma passed away, I decided that the habitat must continue to live and after renovation, I am handing it over to you. It is a house with a history that has left its mark on it, which you must be aware of, but it compensates for its shortcomings with its scent, atmosphere and objects with soul.
At your disposal is a 45 m² house. Consists of:
– a spacious, over 20-meter living room with a kitchen,
– a 13-meter bedroom with a double bed, a wardrobe and a chest of drawers with a shelf,
– bathrooms with shower,
– a glazed summer porch with armchairs, a sofa and a bookcase with an area of 11 m².
There is a second fold-out sofa in the living room, which gives a total of three 2-person sleeping spaces in the summer season, and space for 4 people in the winter season.
The house can be a lonely place, a space for couples and families with small children.
Helenówka stands on a plot of 62 ares.
The habitat consists of three parts:
– a house with a yard and an old stone barn that is over 100 years old,
– an orchard with apple trees, pear trees and currant bushes,
– agricultural part.
There are approximately 12 ares of fenced space, safe for children and dogs.
Dogs are welcome here, but please let me know if you plan to bring them.
In the yard there is a space for children, a fireplace, and hammocks among the trees.
Wifi works very well (download speed: 29Mb/s), you can easily work from here (also from the garden). Telephone coverage is poor, but it is possible to send messages, but conversations sometimes vary.
In the house, in the living room with kitchen, there is air conditioning and an electric heater, in each room there is an electric heater, which makes it warm in the autumn and winter season.
From the windows of Helenówka you can see the forest and the gorge. The area is full of greenery, peace and quiet. The house has no permanent neighbors, only seasonal ones. It is located on a main road, but there is very little traffic and the surrounding roads are in good condition.
Remember that you will live in the countryside. Sometimes you can hear tractors working in the fields. Various insects fly here, sometimes mice come in. I try to keep my house safe from them, but please remember to lock the door to prevent them from entering. There are a lot of flowers in the house, if it is not a problem for you, please water them.
I want to improve grandma's home.
I'm planning an additional room.
The house and terrace were insulated in May/June 2023.
There is a time for everything, I do the renovation myself and it has its own pace, but I am happy that they can supervise everything and gradually implement new ideas.
Everything in the house is powered by electricity and we try to save money; electricity and water. We recommend setting the temperature on radiators to a maximum of 21 degrees when it is cold and not heating it when you are away or when you are airing it.
Preparing the house for the reception of guests, I planned and implemented a kitchen in it, in which cooking is comfortable and pleasant. It is bright, spacious and well-equipped. Its decoration is an old tiled stove.
Right next to the annex, there is an old oak table with chairs and a cupboard with cutlery.
The nearest shop is 3 km away, but there is a car shop every day at the gate. The stop near Helenówka is around 8-9:00 am. In my absence, Ania takes care of the house, you can come to her to buy eggs and seasonal vegetables and fruits. You can also use the orchard with apples and pears. And buy honey from one of our neighbors.
In the immediate vicinity (3 km walk through the forest) there is the Skarpa Wiślana vineyard, which belongs to Michał. During the tasting, you can not only drink good wine, but also harvest grapes and eat dinner.
I have the best childhood memories from Glina. Even though I live near Krakow, I go to Helenówka whenever I need a break from the city and some peace and quiet. Birds wake up here in the morning, the nights are pitch black, and your neighbors are deer, squirrels and pheasants.
What can you count on here?
– for the idyllic atmosphere of a real village,
– a country cottage full of comforts and amenities (air conditioning, high-speed Internet),
– a space full of flowers and a lot of well-kept grass on which you can walk barefoot or lie on,
– a glass-enclosed veranda where you can enjoy your morning coffee and afternoon tea, it is also nice to read here on one of the armchairs, which is why I have prepared a small library for you,
– hammocks among the trees and deckchairs,
– an orchard with old apples and pears and currant bushes - you can help yourself to the fruit,
- massages to order at home.
Helenówka is a great base for trips to: Kazimierz Dolny (43 km) and Janowiec (38 km).
When you go outside the gate and cross the road, you will enter a gorge that will take you to Pawłowice (approx. 3-kilometer walk). The forests surrounding the house are perfect for walking and cycling. From Ćmielów (30 km) or Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski (35 km) you can go kayaking on the Kamienna River, which is a left-bank tributary of the Vistula. These are very pleasant routes lasting about 2 hours (there is also a 4-hour route for advanced users).
You may also want to visit:
– Solec nad Wisłą (9 km), where there is a bridge connecting two banks of the river and two voivodeships: Masovia and Lublin,
– reservoir in Leipzig (15 km),
– Krzemionki (26 km), where there is a 1.5-kilometer tourist route, partly underground, presenting a unique post-mining landscape from over 5,000 years ago,
– Ćmielów (30 km) and the Living Porcelain Museum,
– Bałtów with an entertainment complex (17 km).
Guests often tell me that although there are many possibilities, they do not want to leave Helenówka.
What’s there for children?
For the youngest there is a space full of fun in the garden. A pile of sand, which is the best sandbox, to build buildings, open a sand cake shop and try to bury one of your parents in it. The children's zone is located under a spreading walnut tree with a stork's nest hanging on its branch, and a hammock right next to it. Children can eat fruit from the bushes, and pick apples and pears in the orchard. Just behind the fence, a forest adventure awaits them, and 17 km from Helenówka - an entertainment complex in Bałtów.
The area of Helenówka is not suitable for the smallest children. There are stairs, a terrace, a descent to the basement, so while working on changes and improvements, for now we invite children over 3 years old.
