The climate protests and appeals for the smart use of resources are not a whim or an invention by environmentalists, but you probably already know that. Our way of life is to return to simple pleasures, mindfulness and actions in harmony with the ecosystem. It is here, in Podlasie, in the buffer zone of the Białowieża Forest, near the blue church, that we created the Dom Dobry - Good House out of hay and clay. Here the asphalt ends and peace and freedom from civilization unpleasantness begin.
The House of Creative Laziness, as we like to call it, does not overburden the environment: We have a ground heat pump, thanks to which we do not burn coal, and a home soil and plant sewage treatment plant supplying our orchard with clean water. We do not mow grass, we like spiders, we do not iron bedding, and we hang it to dry it with the wind. We compost as much as possible. We take care of our land, introducing permaculture principles, we grow chem-free vegetables, we go vegetarian, eco and source locally if possible.
A typical dinner at the Dom Dobry is eggplant rolls with sunflower paste in tomato sauce, pasta with garlic pesto; rhubarb tart for dessert. On hot days we focus on colourful dinners, and in spring we eat nettles. In the summer we run barefoot and organize painting workshops.
You can relax in a hammock, arrange a bonfire, ride a rented bike, go canoeing on the Narewka River or hunt wild animals. Bison, deer, elk, roe deer, lynx, foxes and the truest wolves in the world honour us with their presence. You can watch deer, roe deer and bison from the windows of the house. Our winter night record (during the full moon) is 52 deers and over 20 bisons in sight. Take your binoculars and come and spend your time creatively in the open air and join us for meetings about topics close to us.
In the gentle buffer zone of meadows, in the vicinity of bison, roaring deer and the rushing wind, we have built our ecological dream house. We have made every effort to ensure that it has a pleasant, healthy microclimate and does not interfere too much with the surrounding environment. The outer walls are filled with straw and covered with clay plaster and wood. The walls are up to 60 cm thick. The house, built in strawbale technology, is friendly to allergy sufferers and all those who value being surrounded by natural materials. You will not find here great luxuries, golden door handles and marble countertops. It is modest and homey.
The Good House is also not ironed. Not only today, but from the very beginning. You will always find clean, wind-scented and ecologically non-ironed bedding.
The common space is a living room and kitchen that is used for meetings, integration, cooking and relaxing.
The comfortable, fully equipped kitchen has:
- stove with hob and oven;
- large fridge;
- dishwasher.
In the dining room, there is a folding table, a fold-out sofa and an armchair at your disposal, as well as a reading and entertainment corner with a rich library of book and board titles. There is something interesting for everyone.
We have three rooms for you on the first floor - two are for three people and one is for four people, and the Clay Studio on the ground floor.
Room 1
Triple room, with a large window, balcony and private bathroom with shower. It has:
- one double bed, which can be converted into two single beds;
- one single bed.
Room 2
Triple room, with a large window, balcony and private bathroom with shower. It has:
- one double bed, cannot be converted into two single beds;
- one single bed.
Room 3
Quadruple, with private bathroom with shower. It has:
- one double bed;
- two single beds, including one in the sleeping niche, higher.
Clay Studio
Two to four people can comfortably live in the Studio.
-one double bed;
-two single beds;
-bathroom with clay shower;
-mini kitchenette: fridge, kettle, induction hob, sink, dishes;
- exit directly to the garden;
Additional options:
The possibility of using the washing machine.
Possibility to rent a dryer and an iron.
Possibility to borrow tools.
Possibility to order ecological, local products.
Possibility to rent bicycles.
There is also a fireplace, hammocks and a large covered terrace included.
Vege prevails. We run a delicious, vegetarian, colorful seasonal cuisine. We serve meals in straw baskets of local produce, and the products we use to prepare dishes are of local origin. We buy eggs and cheese from our neighbors, we make preserves at home, most of the vegetables and herbs come from our garden, but we also support the market in Hajnówka.
Each breakfast and dinner looks different and depends on the season and the cook's fantasy. The morning feast may consist of black lentil pate, hard-boiled eggs, blackcurrant jam and bread from a small bakery in Hajnówka. A typical dinner at Dom Dobrym is eggplant rolls with sunflower paste in tomato sauce, pasta with wild garlic pesto; tart with rhubarb for dessert.
In spring there is wild garlic pesto, asparagus soup with white and green asparagus. In summer - dumplings with blueberries, tomatoes in a delicious combination with sunflower-like feta, capers and flaxseed oil, pickled young beets, radish salsa, goat cottage cheese from the happy goats in the neighborhood.
When it gets colder, you can enjoy a hot soup with pleasure. We offer sunny yellow zucchini soup with red lentils, baked pumpkin with sage chips, pasta with buttermilk and marinated beets with goat's cottage cheese. In May, we eat nettles and use homemade flavored vinegars all year round.
The guest kitchen is equipped with all the necessary appliances, so you can meet culinary yourself.
You can buy or order organic, tasty products from friendly farms (cheese, eggs, oils, honey, etc.).
As befits the House of Creative Lenistwa, we deal with passive rest, creative ways of getting bored and blissful inactivity. Sometimes, when we get tired of lying in a hammock, we transform the Good House into a Creative House and organize workshops, painting workshops and meetings with interesting people.
In Werstok, we live with wild game for your brother. Through the windows of the house and on walks you can see bison, deer, roe deer, elks, foxes, hoopoes and shrike. With a bit of luck - you can also meet wolves and lynx in our area.
Our commune is among the top three Polish communes with the highest percentage of national minorities. Over 80% of the inhabitants declare Belarusian nationality.
The oldest icons in the blue church from 1768 come from the second half of the 18th century. The church's Gospel and the Apostle with the handwritten record of the founder Józef Wilczewski, a hussar knight, are also historic.
We also recommend trips around the Podlasie region:
The Białowieża Primeval Forest is about 12,000 years old and is the only natural object in Poland from the UNESCO World Heritage List. Pssst, we can recommend you friendly and proven forest guides. In Białowieża - in addition to the nature and forest museum and the palace park - we recommend our friendly cafe "Bike Cafe" - a place that combines the advantages of a cafe with a bicycle and cross-country ski rental. In the summer season, it is worth visiting the Przystań na Lato - rent a canoe and sail along the Narewka river to the border with Belarus.
Exactly! From Dom Dobrego you can jump - without a visa - to Belarus. We are adjacent to the visa-free zone "Brest - Grodno". The so-called Kamieniec region - with the 30-meter defensive Kamieniecka Tower built in the 13th century and a number of monuments (castle ruins, baroque and classicist palaces and churches) in the former ancestral estates of the Sapieha, Potocki and Puzyn families.
Hajnówka is the largest city in our area - with large chain stores, impressive churches and a market known in the area, where you can buy healthy food on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The route of the Narrow-Gauge Forest Railway begins in Hajnówka, which from May to September can be traversed by the forests of the Białowieża Primeval Forest.
For those interested in the history of Polish Jews, we recommend a trip to nearby Orla. The majestic synagogue was built around 1754. The interior was decorated with beautiful frescoes with plant and animal motifs, the remains of which have survived to this day.
The Green Velo Eastern Bicycle Trail. It is over 2,000 km of specially marked out route. The trail goes through five voivodeships of eastern Poland. There is nothing like going on a bike in the morning and breathing in the balsamic air ...
For lovers of relaxation by stagnant water, we recommend the Bachmaty reservoir and the Repczyce reservoir. There are bathing areas with a seasonal lifeguard, a playground for children and a water equipment rental.
Near Werstok, at 3 Jakubowo, you can experience the goodness of the forest. Nadi Massage Room is a place where you can add hand therapy to forest therapy. We recommend!
Other selected attractions from our area (indicative calendar):
MAY
- Hajnówka Half Marathon
JUNE
- local products fair in Białowieża
- sailing regatta Bison Cup on the Siemianówka Reservoir
JULY
- Kupała Night (Na Iwana na Kupała) in Dubicze Cerkiewne - an important point in the calendar of cultural events in Podlasie, an ethno event with concerts and a fair. Kupała Night is also organized, among others in Białowieża
- Festival of Many Cultures and Nations in Czeremcha - folk concerts, performances and shows of folk art, handicraft, music, dance and culinary workshops, exhibitions, film screenings, handicraft fair
- International Theater Festival WERTEP - performances and outdoor shows in Dubicze, Hajnówka, Białowieża, Orla, Bielsk Podlaski and other places
- Żubr Fair - folk concerts, shows, competitions, culinary workshops
- National Rock Music Festival ROCKOWISKO in Hajnówka
- The International Festival of Music, Arts and Folklore "Podlaska Oktawa Kultur" in Białystok
- Kleszczel Days - concerts, shows, sightseeing flights, runs, Nordic walking marches, animations for children
AUGUST
- Białowieża Days - fairs, educational stands, animations for children, firefighting equipment shows, concerts
- Belarusian Folk Festival in Hajnówka - concerts
- Białowieża Artistic Integrations - Peretocze - concerts of Polish, Belarusian, Jewish, Gypsy, Lithuanian, Russian and Ukrainian music
SEPTEMBER
- International Festival of Orthodox Music Days in Hajnów
- Festival of Colors and Soap Bubbles in Hajnówka
- Archaeological Festival in Zbucz - demonstrations of warriors, workshops of medieval crafts, folk concerts
- hut building workshops in Hajnówka
- Baked Potato Festival at the Repczyce Lagoon
- Belarusian festivities "And feed people there"
OCTOBER
- Festival of Belarusian Singing Poetry and Author's Song "Autumn of the Bards" in Białystok
DECEMBER
- Christmas market in Hajnówka
What’s there for children?
Werstok breaks out of Podlasie statistics and is full of children: locals and visitors. In summer, life goes on along the village road, and bikes, scooters and roller skates dart back and forth. We have everything kids need - free space and natural toys: stones, sticks, straw, sometimes puddles. There is a children's menu with healthy, sugar-free, vegetarian delicacies.
For 11 months our house is open to children aged 7+. August, on the other hand, is intended for adults without children or with children aged 11+. Of course, we love children, but we also know that sometimes an adult must stay without them on vacation, or else he will suffocate.
