The Józef Żak Open-Air Museum in Zawoja Markowa

The Józef Żak Open-Air Museum in Zawoia Markowa is an outdoor museum located in the picturesque hamlet of Markowa. The museum showcases the traditional wooden architecture of the Babia Góra highlanders and consists of three residential cottages, a smithy, a roadside shrine, and a free-standing cellar with a granary. Among its architectural treasures is the "Kudzia Cottage," which houses an exhibition dedicated to mountain guiding and tourism in the Babia Góra region. The "Gancarczyk House" is an example of a log cottage, featuring a living area with functional spaces and a repurposed utility section that now serves as guest rooms. Meanwhile, the "Słopniakowa Cottage" represents a typical smoke cottage (curtained chimney structure) with a rich ethnographic exhibition, including a unique collection of oleographs in the utility area. The early 20th-century smithy is fully equipped, and the cellar stores traditional grain supplies. The centerpiece of the museum is a picturesque shrine with a statue of the Virgin Mary. The museum is listed in the register of monuments of the Lesser Poland Voivodeship, highlighting its architectural and cultural value. The idea for establishing the museum emerged in the 1970s on the initiative of Józef Żak, with the first building purchased in 1973. In 1986 and 1987, additional cottages were added to the museum, creating a rich collection of material culture testimonies of the Babia Góra highlanders. The museum not only preserves architectural heritage but also serves as a place for education and integration of the local community, with its diverse exhibitions attracting tourists from all over Poland.