The Żywiec Etnographic Park

The Żywiec Ethnographic Park in Ślemień is an exceptional place, established to preserve the cultural heritage of our ancestors for future generations. This mission has become possible to carry out thanks to the resources received from the European funds and the financial support of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. Functioning as of 2013, it is the newest open-air museum in Poland and the third as regards the area of the Silesian Voivodeship. The main objective of our Ethnographic Park is to protect the cultural legacy of the old inhabitants of the Żywiec Beskids, the material and spiritual realms included, all the more because these have always existed side by side, ever intertwined. Therefore, by entering our museum, one can see not only buildings, but also fully outfitted interiors and expositions depicting the lifestyle, folklore and traditions of the Beskids highlanders. The majority of our collections has been given to us as a gift from the community inhabiting the Żywiec territories. They have always cared for the well-being of our culture.