In Grabina, life is simple but abundant. However, it is not full of surprises, adventures and twists of fate. It is full of peace, nature and closeness. This is our refugium - a refuge and a place where you can escape with a group of friends or family. Here you take deep breaths, run barefoot on the grass, organize collective marches to the lake and have endless feasts. We bought a house that already costs a hundred on OLX. The set includes a large barn, several farm buildings and a large garden. He charmed us with his old windows, doors and floors. It was loved and well-kept by the previous owner, which was perfect for us as we don't have a knack for renovations. We have carefully renovated the floors and used ecological paints and materials to create a healthy microclimate. The heart of the house is the living room and dining room, accompanied by two large bedrooms and a living room with a fireplace and a sofa. The interior is in an eclectic style, we filled it with a collection of items left by the former owner, found at exhibitions, bought at antique shops. We invite you to a place where families and groups of friends with children will feel good. The area is great, full of lakes, forests and rivers. People who, although they live dispersed, appreciate the advantages of privacy, like to integrate and have the initiative are also great. You can get eggs from one of your neighbors, home-made bread from your neighbor, and you can go to the forest for dinner. It's friendly and homely, just like in Bullerbyn. This is confirmed by adults, children and pets. Do you want to find out?
Fortunately, our house in Grabin, dating back to the 1920s, was not thoroughly modernized, but lovingly preserved with original windows, doors, floors and some of the stoves. We found a refugium here for ourselves and our guests. We carried out a renovation that included carefully restoring the floors, preserving the spirit of this house. We wanted the space to be friendly, safe and functional for families with children. Since the previous owner used a wheelchair, all rooms are accessible without barriers. The attic is currently not available to guests.
The heart and center of our house is a spacious kitchen-dining room with a sofa and a working wood-burning tiled kitchen.
Room 1 (23 m²) has a large double bed, a comfortable fold-out sofa bed for children and its own bathroom with a shower.
Room 2 (23 m²) has a 140 cm wide double bed and a bunk bed. The bathroom with a bathtub and bidet is located across the hall.
Room with 3 fireplaces (29 m²) can be a living room or an additional bedroom for two people thanks to a new, very comfortable fold-out sofa. The bathroom with shower is across the hall.
During the renovation, we placed emphasis on ecological solutions and minimizing the carbon footprint. We wanted comfort to result from a well-thought-out interior layout and carefully selected, high-quality equipment. Most of the furniture and accessories are second-hand and therefore completely allergy-friendly. You won't find scented candles, air fresheners, aggressive household chemicals, polyester or disposable Chinese food here.
Our plot is 2,800 m², most of it is occupied by farm buildings, including a huge barn.
The large and comfortably equipped kitchen invites you to cook together (high-quality tableware, a set of pots and pans, an iron cauldron, a grater, a mixer, a blender, a large selection of baking trays and baking trays, and cookie cutters). You can also try to cook a stew or roast chestnuts on the tray of our old tiled kitchen. The equipment includes basic products such as coffee, a selection of teas, oils, salt, sugar and spices.
The nearest restaurants and a quite good milk bar are in Krosno Odrzańskie, and for those looking for more refined tastes, we recommend those in Łagów and Zielona Góra. In the recreation center in Gryżyno, from May to September you can eat lunch in the canteen by the lake.
A shop on wheels comes to Grabin three times a week, a neighbor sells eggs, and another neighbor bakes delicious sourdough bread to order. For gourmets, we highly recommend the mobile Forest Dinner Club run by our friends - Magda and Kuba (https://www.facebook.com/lesnyklubkolacyjny). This is a brilliant idea for a vegan special event for up to 20 people, combined with an overnight stay with us.
Bytnica is one of the most forested communes in Poland, and Grabin is the epicenter of this forest cover. According to one of the officials I met, this is a place where birds turn back. To get to us, you have to drive for a long time through the forest, for a very long time. No one ends up here by accident. Silence and protection from prying eyes are the main advantages of our location, we can also boast of an undoubtedly representative location on a hill.
Let's start with the forests. They are beautiful, mixed, with a large admixture of oak trees. The area is famous for its ancient oak avenues, our house is located next to one of them. Undoubtedly, the greatest advantage of Grabin is the preserved architectural layout in a horseshoe shape, cobbled streets and mostly original brick houses. In the center there is a small half-timbered church and a restored manor house (privately owned) located in a huge and very well-kept park filling the village's horseshoe. The former name of the village of Crämersborn commemorates 9 springs flowing into the Gryżynki river flowing through the village. Specific differences in elevation create beautiful, atmospheric panoramas on the outskirts of the village. Due to its architectural and landscape values, Crämersborn was a resort for Berliners in the 1920s and 1930s, as evidenced by two former inns and preserved postcards.
There are no farmers left in today's Grabina, almost only retirees live here. Nevertheless, the neighborhood community is very nice and supportive. The houses in our immediate vicinity are empty due to unregulated ownership relations, so no one will disturb your peace. We hope that thanks to our presence, our friends and guests, the village will slowly wake up from its sleep and will be filled with children's laughter and joyful events again.
There are several clean swimming lakes nearby, including the local Lake Grabińskie. Above it you will find a small grassy beach where you will probably be alone. Larger swimming areas are located in Szklarka Kolonia, Łochowice and Gryżyna.
The Gryżynka River in its upper reaches (above the fish ponds located behind the village) is incredibly wild and worth seeing, with its meanders and waterfalls, surrounded by swamps, gorges with surprising differences in elevation and beautiful vegetation. You can reach Gryżyna, which is more lively than Grabin, from our house following the black trail. The center on the crystal-clear Gryżyńskie Lake has a sandy beach with a jumping pier, a restaurant, a pedal boat rental, and a sauna and a Russian banya (with its own access to the lake) worth recommending.
There is a lot to discover on bikes, especially mountain bikes due to the sandy roads in Lubusz. Two 26", one 20" bikes, a balance bike and helmets are waiting on site. We recommend arriving by train with your own bicycles, as well as trailers or a cargo bike.
A handful of further attractions:
– 25 km from us is the uniquely beautiful Pliszka River, on which great kayaking trips are organized,
– 20 km from us there are the Dobrosułowskie Meadows, where the largest deer rut in Europe takes place (in our house, in September and October, you can hear deer bellowing in the surrounding meadows and you can watch them from the pulpit),
– about 40 km away from us is Łagów – Perła Lubuska – with the castle of the Knights of St. John, located at the junction of two turquoise lakes,
– 50 km separates us from Zielona Góra, which is worth a day trip (for children, getting there by car ferry across the Odra River will be an adventure).
What’s there for children?
For children, our house and its surroundings are like Bullerbyn spring. The biggest advantage is the safe, enclosed space of the yard, which offers smaller children attractions such as an inflatable pool, a sandbox, a mud kitchen, and when it is very hot, there are watering cans and water sprinklers in use. Parents can watch the fun from the terrace and enjoy a cup of coffee. For larger children, there is a trampoline in the barn, and the rest of the farm buildings can be used for searching and playing hide and seek. We also have a playground and goals for playing football or field hockey, as well as badminton, boules and other outdoor games. In fact, the entire village and its surroundings are open because it is very safe. Even 3-year-olds can travel here on their own bikes, because there is very little traffic on the surrounding roads and good visibility.
Two children's bikes and helmets will be at your disposal. As well as quality wooden toys, books and board games, and a chest of disguises. All of them provide hours of offline fun during rainy weather. For babies we have: 2 cots, 2 chairs, footrests, a changing table, a diaper basket, a bathtub, a blender, a well-stocked first aid kit and basic hygiene products. If necessary, you can also do your laundry here.
The beaches on the surrounding lakes, starting with our Grabiński lake, are very child- and dog-friendly.
What’s there for employees?
The internet works great and there is also a desk or two, so if you want or need to work, you shouldn't have any problems!