Before the war, Mendel Glinstein, aka Jaśnie Tatko, lived in the manor in Niechmirów, and he won this land in a card game. He would come by carriage with his family to the ponds to rest during the Sabbath. Then, at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, there was a farm here belonging to the Niechmirów manor. The manor workers lived in quads, there was a sheepfold and a shepherd's house with 200 sheep. The buildings are gone today, but you may encounter a herd of fluffy animals during your walks. But first you have to look for the treasure. You can't get to a house in the middle of nowhere using navigation. You have to look for a hiding place, because the name of our house is not accidental. It is difficult to be visible in the forest, on 17 hectares that are part of the Międzyrzecze Warta and Widawka Landscape Park, in an area filled with meadows and covered with old beeches and oaks. There will be even more trees, because we will give you one and ask you to plant it here. There are also ponds buried in the 1960s, which my father Jerzy recreated based on maps, and a river flowing in front of the house, the course of which he renewed. Now we have taken over the old orchard as a family.
Because Schowanko is our family project, a place full of nooks and crannies that we call hiding places. It was there that my mother, Magda, and I found furniture that, together with those found at antique fairs, filled the interior of the house with 4 bedrooms, a spacious dining room with a fireplace and a terrace. You will also be able to relax in the huge garden, inviting you to yoga sessions and outdoor parties, and in the seasonal barn, where there is a workshop room and a place to sit together. I will tell you that Schowanko has another meaning. It allows you to realize the vision of going to a place where you can disappear for a while, read, wander, relax and regenerate.
You will have to look for the hiding place first. After all, this is a place in the middle of the forest. Navigation will not make this task easier for you, but we will share precise instructions.
In the house hidden in the Międzyrzecz Warty and Widawki Landscape Park, we have four rooms for you - each with its own bathroom with a shower, as well as: a kitchen and a dining room with a living room function and a fireplace, and a toilet. The layout of the sleeping places: a room with a double bed (with an intimate entrance only from the outside), a room with a double bed and a mezzanine with a single bed, a room with a single bed and a room with a very large double bed.
All rooms are located on the partner, with varied entrance levels, and two of them have separate entrances from the outside of the house. From some of them you will also enter the terrace with a vast view of the ponds. You will hear the stream, sometimes see a kingfisher, swans, and on cloudless nights you will see the starry sky.
Right next to the house there is a renovated barn available for guests in spring, summer and autumn. There is a 45-meter workshop room and a smaller, 20-meter room that is a relaxation zone with a fireplace. The kids have plenty of space to play there. There is also a cloakroom with cabinets for clothes or mats in the barn.
My parents' house is also near the house, and they sometimes drop by, sometimes with guests - so it may happen that you will not be alone on site. Due to the animals living with us - friendly dogs and a large flock of sheep, we invite you to Schowanek without your pets.
We say yes to intimate celebrations at our place. However, stag parties are too much.
PS We want you to become a part of this place, so if your reservation falls in spring or autumn during the tree planting season, we will give you a seedling that you can plant on our premises.
In season, enjoy the grapes that grow right next to the entrance, as well as apples, pears, currants, gooseberries, raspberries and a whole host of other delicacies. You can encounter fruit trees and bushes while walking around our area. We also encourage you to use the gifts of the forest at any time of the year. Living in harmony with nature is particularly important to us. For beginner herbalists, we have dried goodies to encourage you, from which you can prepare infusions yourself. There is a market in Burzenina, a few kilometers away, where you can buy fruit, vegetables, honey, plum jam, pickles and other local specialties. And dad Jerzy, whenever he is there, will be happy to treat you to homemade liqueurs.
Hide in the Międzyrzecze Warta and Widawka Landscape Park, in the 17 hectares of meadows and mixed forests with centuries-old oaks and beeches surrounding us, just watch out for the swamps! We have some of them here too. Our habitat is immersed in nature, which you can admire here. We observed 58 different species of birds here, and sometimes you can also see a roe deer or a deer. Here you will listen to the call of cranes that nest in the swamps all year round and see beaver lodges. In spring, bird concerts begin, and from April to June you can also hear frog concerts. They carry through all 6 joints.
Schowanko is a place created for:
– having picnics in the garden, feasting by the bonfire,
– jogging on the grass or in the barn room (note: not available in winter),
– running, cycling in nearby forests,
– an intimate celebration, celebrating on some occasion or without, staying together and hiding away, working,
– children's games in nature and in an enchanted house covered with ivy,
– walking by our ponds visible from the terrace – you can fish there, cool off in the summer and go swimming in the winter,
– drinking coffee on the terrace, which can be accessed directly from two rooms,
– expeditions in search of herbs and rhizomes (we managed to identify many species, including mullein, clinging bedstraw, common chickweed, and gout),
– reading books on a swing in the garden,
- relieve stress, shout out as much as you want,
– planting a tree – during the planting period, after your arrival, a seedling will be waiting for you to plant in the Schowanek area.
What about the area? You can:
– go on a kayaking trip on the Warta River – we will give you contact details of a friendly kayak company – we recommend a kayaking trip to a place that is 2.5 km away from Schowanek, then you can return from the trip by walking through the meadows,
– raft down the Widawka, where the routes are more interesting, but the Widawka is a capricious river and rafting down it is only possible when the water level is high,
– go for a walk along the river embankments,
– go to Sieradz and go to the Castle Hill with the ruins of the royal castle, visit the Ethnographic Museum and the Antoine Cierplikowski Virtual Museum,
– take horse riding lessons at a local stud farm,
– visit Zduńska Wola (open-air museum of locomotives and railway equipment, Jaruga Staropolski Brewery and the City History Museum, go to the aqua park or to a sauna session),
– go to Jeziorsko Lake (a dam reservoir on the Warta River), where you can rent kayaks and try your hand at wakeboarding, as well as ride a bike around the reservoir,
– at the turn of May and June go to Spycimierz to see the amazing flower carpets laid for Corpus Christi, included in the representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity maintained by UNESCO.
What’s there for children?
Children will also find shelter in the Shelter. We know from experience that the youngest ones love sleeping on the mezzanine, which also becomes a play area. It can be a pirate ship, Santa's sleigh or a base where you can plan the whole day.
In the garden for children there is an enchanted house covered in ivy, as well as several swings and a sandbox. In the barn, we have set up another corner for children with an enchanted chest full of toys. The youngest ones enjoy watching the flock of sheep, looking out for birds (you can take an atlas with you to help identify them or install a special application on your phone) and wandering aimlessly. You must be vigilant near the ponds - their area is fenced off with a net, but after passing the gate, you need to be more vigilant and keep an eye on the children. We can provide a cot and a highchair for feeding children.
What’s there for employees?
The shelter is located in the forest. There is a greater chance of coming across a deer than an optical fiber. The standard internet is therefore average, but it is possible to turn on fast internet (Starlink) after consultation with us and for an additional fee. There are plenty of places to work - there are desks in three rooms, a large table in the dining room, it is also good to work on the terrace or in front of the house, in the shade of the vines.
In the barn space you can organize meetings and conferences. We will be happy to host teams for work-offices and groups for all kinds of intimate workshops.
