Kiepur was said to have liked Żegiestów, but as he could not afford it, he had to settle for Patria in Krynica. In the interwar period, life was bustling below our settlement. It was just fitting to be here! The spa, situated on the hills above the Poprad River, was one of the most famous and elegant at that time. In the sub-alpine climate, in the area where the longest railway tunnel in Poland was built in the 19th century, one could admire the picturesque Beskid Sądecki, drank the spa waters and spent time in the company during the breaks between exquisite treatments. However, the golden era of Żegiestów ended with the advent of capitalism, and the modernist buildings of sanatoriums deteriorated for over two decades. The health resort was even called a ghost town. Until ... the local lands were bought by the great-grandson of one of the builders from Sicily, who came here to build the tunnel in the last century. And it was he who recommended us a charming plot with a view of the Radziejowa Range, where we created the Modrzevita Settlement.
You drive up here in a yellow jeep, in which you will be welcomed by us or Józek: our man-institution. You can also use your own car if you have a 4x4 drive. And it is worth entering, because here "where crows turn back", there is a mountain refuge in which you love nature and peace - but love in such really comfortable conditions. We have two cozy lunar wood houses for you, each with two private terraces and its own hot tub. There are those who say that they have never slept like in them before. We have a vegetable garden based on the principles of permaculture so that you can cook for yourself healthy and ecologically. We can also cook something together - joint culinary meetings in our outdoor, all-year-round kitchen are an opportunity for us to exchange good energy. Even though we are almost at the end of the world, we create a living place: just like the old Żegiestów. We fill them with local handicrafts, we constantly pamper them and have new ideas. Sometimes we even organize a small concert in the greenhouse. Come to us and have a rest no worse than the interwar cream.
Our settlement stands where the crows turn back, which means: at the end of the world. At least that's what 3 guests who recently visited us said. The end of the world is not that complete, because we are 800 meters from the village, across the stream, but as you can see in the pictures - nothing around. Simply put: it will be wonderful for those who love mountains and peace.
We have 3 comfortable and cozy houses, 2 of which are for rent to you, and the third is where we spend time when we are there.
Our cottages have:
- 35 m²,
- living room with a kitchenette,
- sleeping for 2 people on the mezzanine,
- optional accommodation for 2 people on a fold-out sofa in the living room,
- bathroom with shower,
- 2 terraces: front and rear,
- own Finnish tub and gazebo each,
- access to a shared outdoor kitchen, graduation tower and a winter garden.
Although you can sleep here in 4, it will be most comfortable for 2 people, with a cozy accommodation on the mezzanine. Do not expect to work from this place: the internet is barely working with us and you come here to not work.
Have you ever heard of lunar wood? It was from there that the buildings in Modrzevit were created. More specifically, it is from larch, from where, as you can guess, we get our name. Lunar wood is harvested during the waning phase of the moon. This gives it greater resistance to mold and pests, and therefore does not require chemicals to protect it. It is also non-flammable and shock-resistant. Magic? No, science. Thanks to it, allergy sufferers and people particularly sensitive to external conditions sleep with us like children and breathe fully breastfeeding. And the smell in the cabins is amazing.
A few words about interiors and furnishings: we are close to the idea of sharing arts and crafts. Kasia has created or finished many items in the houses (e.g. bedding or towels) on her own. We focus on natural materials: linen, cotton, wood. And we are happy to support local artists who also made interior elements for us, such as lamps made of old wooden boards. On the other hand, on the outside you will find the works of Mr. Wacław Janczura, a local sculptor who created for us, for example, a figural street, which is a sculpture of St. Ambrose.
The location of the settlement is also not accidental and has its own magic. We are located near Żegiestów, one of the most elegant and most visited spas before the war. Żegiestów has a fascinating history.
When we are there, feel free to talk to us. We want this place to live, our ideas for its development do not end and we will be happy to organize some activity together. It can be workshops, a joint jeep ride or even a small concert in a greenhouse! We are open and human-like.
Well-equipped kitchenettes await you in the cabins, so that you can cook what you like best, and then eat it with taste on the terrace with a view. However, to make it easier and more pleasant for you, we have created a vegetable garden in the settlement based on the principles of permaculture, which you can use at will. Feel free to use carrots, tomatoes, zucchini or green beans. You can also eat apples from our ecological plant, and in June and July: strawberries and raspberries.
With us, it is like this: the stay is supposed to be without food, but if we happen to be there, we can cook something for you. We can also cook something together! We are happy to organize culinary workshops for you. We have an outside kitchen here, the wonderful property of which is that it can be used all year round. Even in November and December, we cook warming dishes here under the shelter. Sławek specializes in cooking. We laugh that we will publish a recipe book for dishes based only on vegetables and fruit from our vegetable garden. Our guests love our mangold leaf soup. A finger under the booth, who knew it was another name for chard.
If you want to come to us to get bored, the conditions for it are perfect. In the settlement, you can hide in nature and forget about all the things that were important before you came here. From the entertainment that makes you bored (or not) on the spot, we offer you:
- splashing in the tub on the terrace in front of the house - you can use it without restrictions, it is included in the price of your stay (only you will have to service the wood stove yourself); you will also have privacy, because the tubs are located so that they are not seen from neighboring houses - we laugh that you can jump there at night naked, no one will see,
– use of the brine graduation tower,
– spending time on the terrace in the trees – on a hammock or sipping coffee at a table,
– massages (on request, for a fee) – let us know that you are interested and our masseur friend will come to give you a massage – it can take place in a house with a graduation tower, then the pleasure and health properties are doubled!,
– picking strawberries in June, raspberries in July (you don't even have to move anywhere, because we left a wild raspberry in the middle of the settlement) and mushrooms in autumn,
– cooking in an outdoor, year-round kitchen,
– watching the stars through a telescope – there is one telescope in the settlement, but everyone can use it; the sky above us is unpolluted by artificial light and full, full of stars,
– shinrin-yoku forest walks with Forest Power Cards at your disposal – “Forest Meditations” were developed by Joanna and Przemek, professional shinrin-yoku guides, popularizing this practice that reduces stress levels, improves health and well-being,
– various types of creative workshops that we can organize for you – Kasia is an artistic soul and will gladly conduct art therapy for you,
– admiring (or maybe even buying) unusual items that we used to finish this place: the works of local artists, Kasia's handicrafts or wooden, inlaid skis, which were created especially for us by Aleksander Partyka, the founder of the Forszty carpentry workshop (you can skate on his wooden skis!).
And although the time spent here is priceless, we suggest that you also set out to explore our closer and further surroundings. There has not yet been one here that our part of Beskid Sądecki would not be delighted with.
– First of all: we recommend discovering Żegiestów – both Zdrój and the neighboring village. It is worth going to the reviving spa town to drink healing water from the spa pump room, see the Spa House designed by Adolf Szyszko-Bohusz, which is under revitalization, or use the SPA in the Wiktor Cechini sanatorium (located in a renovated modernist building from 1936 year). In the village, a bit further from the health resort, you can visit the church of St. Michael the Archangel from the years 1917-1925, where there is now a Roman Catholic parish church.
– Speaking of the church: you must know that Żegiestów is a former Lemko village founded at the end of the 16th century. Before the war, it was the largest Lemko village in this region. After WWII The Lemkos were displaced from here, but you can still explore the area along the trail of the cultural heritage left by them. We recommend a trip along the Trail of Lemko Orthodox Churches - a loop around Krynica-Zdrój, Muszyna and Żegiestów. Choose a car or possibly a bicycle, because that's the kind of distance. On the route you will meet wooden and brick Orthodox churches from the 18th - 19th centuries and Lemko cemeteries.
– Close to beautiful trails that (really!) are not crowded even in high season:
near the settlement there is an entrance via an unmarked road to Trzy Kopce, and at the top there is a huge hall where, with good visibility, you can lie down and admire the Tatra Mountains from sunrise to sunset,
· to Magierówka (they call it that because Mr. Magiera lived there) - there is a clearing here, from which there is also a beautiful view of the Tatra Mountains and the other way to Palenica, it is 1.5 km from us,
· from Żegiestów-Zdrój to Pusta Wielka (blue trail) and the Jaworzyna Krynicka range (blue and red trails).
– If you want to go on a trip around the area with a professional Beskidy guide, let us know. We will arrange it!
- Enthusiasts of active adventures are encouraged to raft down the Poprad River - by pontoon or canoe. The trip starts in Muszyna and ends in Żegiestów. If you want, we will take you to the start and pick you up at the end. The Poprad is the warmest Polish mountain river and forms a partial Polish-Slovak border.
– In winter, we recommend skiing on Wierchomla. The station is located 15 km from our settlement and has several blue and red ski runs with a length of 4 km.
What’s there for children?
We invite you with kids, but those from the age of 13, that is, in fact, young people. We have the safety of the little ones in mind - due to the terrain and the construction of the houses, you would have to keep an eye on the youngest. Your older offspring, if they are curious about the world and like contact with nature, will definitely not be bored here. You can climb the mountains, watch wild animals and explore the interesting history of Żegiestów, located in the bottom. At your request, we can also organize workshops: artistic (e.g. wreath of wreaths, art therapy), silvotherapy or cooking together.