Casa Mila is Mila's house. Mila is me. It is also a wavy building designed by Antoni Gaudi in Barcelona. I used to be closer to Spain, but now Lower Silesia, the Ostrzeszów Hills, the Land of Extinct Volcanoes and the Bober Valley are in my heart. My partner Michał and I can finally, after more than 10 years of work, live in our dream house. In a house that was to undergo a minor renovation to keep most of the original elements, that was a total surprise. I wanted to protect its character and walls. To refresh only the plaster, replace the chimney, the windows, the roof, to insulate. However, it had other plans and actually fell apart. It wanted new walls. So, from a planned two years, it turned into more than ten and dreams turned into doubts. However, it is a well-known fact that together we are better off, better and easier. One artist with a passion for cooking and an art historian fascinated with palace renovation managed to manage this unruly household.
Hosting guests has always given me great joy, which is why I am so happy to invite you to the floor of Casa Mila. Make yourself comfortable in our cosy guest house, which has three rooms with separate bathrooms. We have decorated them ourselves using our many years of experience in design and decorated them with art collected over the years. The eye will be attracted by my paintings and those of our friends, ceramics, beautiful mirrors, furniture which we restored ourselves.
We share our home with those who want to relax away from the city noise, read a book on a field bed, explore the Bóbr Valley from a kayak, climb the Extinct Volcano, jump on cross-country skis and run through Jakuszyce. To give you strength for all this, we will treat you to breakfast in the morning, offer to cook dinner, send you to the Farmers' Market in Siedlęcin, and in the evening, we will light a bonfire and spend the night.
We want to create a place where you can breathe clean air, relax in cosily furnished interiors, taste excellent cuisine and above all, enjoy the homely, cosy atmosphere. We invite you to Bełczyna, our charming village at the foot of Ostrzyca Mountain.
I painted the farm in Bełczyn a dozen or so years ago, then it was empty, neglected, but in what a neighborhood. At the foot of an extinct volcano, in the Kaczawskie Foothills, in the Bóbr Valley.
I bought a house in a small village in Lower Silesia over 10 years ago. The optimistic plan assumed a 2-year renovation and moving in. The planned 2 years suddenly became 10, and the subsequent surprises and changes in the project exceeded my expectations and strength. A woman with big dreams and a big renovation. At some point I stopped believing that I would see it through to the end, but thanks to the help of friendly good souls and unforeseen random events, I managed to complete this project. However, the house as an artistic form still requires constant care.
The part of the house that was a utility room is now my apartment, a comfortable space for living. So I live behind the wall, and for you I have three rooms, each with a separate bathroom. In each room there is a double bed, which can be separated into two single beds. In the case of a group, it is possible to accommodate two additional people overnight.
The house is furnished using old structural elements, tiles that were already here, furniture made of natural wood, which I restored myself and design classics from the 60s and 70s. Finally, my collections, my paintings, gifts from friends that have wandered around the world with me also appeared. Now they have their place throughout the house. You can hang your eye on, for example, a beautiful painting by Darek Fiet.
There is also a shared kitchen and living room and an entire wild garden at your disposal. A great place to read is a field bed standing in the meadow. In the evening, we gather around the campfire, there we chat about all sorts of topics and get to know each other better.
An integral part of the house is a spacious terrace overlooking the wild meadows.
At your disposal is a kitchen and a living room with a dining table, I will tell you more about it on site :)
You can train your stillness, where the only thing you need to do is turn over the pages of the book. You can use aromatherapy during a nap on a field bed in our garden. You can come with your own paints, with a hoop and cord, with material for the book, with your own thoughts to organize. I have open arms to all urban refugees who seek peace, slow mornings with seasonal breakfast, evenings by the fire and days that flow sluggishly merging into timelessness.
When you get bored at all times and find that it is time to move, the vicinity of my house will provide you with a lot of impressions. I am pleased to recommend you the directions that stole my heart during local ubiquitous excursions.
- Right from home you will go for a walk to Ostrzyca. The highest volcanic cone in the Land of Extinct Volcanoes can be conquered.
- For those who will pack their bikes for cars, we have bicycle paths and single-track tracks - also in the vicinity of Ostrzyca.
- Canoeing trips on the Bóbr river, start from Nielestno.
- In winter, we are going to the running routes in Jakuszyce.
- If you want to see what magic is hidden in the local inhabitants, be sure to check out Wolimierz Station. It is a place created by extraordinary artists who describe the Station as the Institute of Time Transformation into Space. You can visit their Gallery with the works of Jizera artists, take part in the summer festivals organized by them (first in 1995) of ecology and art, beautiful things and wise people, during which music plays, there are wild dances, bonfires to heaven, theater performances, a unique energy of positive people.
- Wolimierz attracts artists, so this is where my talented friend Magda Kuźniarz found her place on earth. Be sure to check out her studio and the Szklana Kuźnia gallery. You can also take part in workshops and create glass items using the fusing method.
- This sight cannot be forgotten. Galloping, free, dignified. Icelandic horses live in Dębowy Gaj, and their home is the Icelandic Horse Stud. Here you can stroke the foals, mount the horses and admire these beautiful animals.
- It is worth seeing Chojnik Castle - only half an hour from the house. You can go there, for example, after passing the market in Cieplice.
- A dozen or so minutes to the unique dam and the lake in Pilchowice.
- Every Saturday there is a must-see in the area, i.e. the local producers' market in Jelenia Góra, where you can buy real, homemade, local food. Make sure you book time to visit the Ducal Tower.
- Spectacular views will please your eyes at the Pearl of the West road, where it is worth taking a walk along the Wrzeszczyński Lake.
- A bit further, 2 hours drive, but still worth it, i.e. Dresden. Even a one-day trip will provide you with many impressions, including artistic ones.
These are just a few suggestions in this picturesque area, rich in history and attractions.
What’s there for children?
My home is a place where adults can find peace. So I did not secure the edges, I did not separate steep wooden stairs, I did not enclose the area, I did not equip the kitchen with high chairs and plastic cutlery.
My house best serves adults and young people who will not get bored when we talk about art, permaculture gardening, Lower Silesian minerals in the Land of Extinct Volcanoes and the work of Olga Tokarczuk over breakfast.
Pets are also welcome, as long as they do not eat cats, are gentle and sociable.
