Zalipie is a village located in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship in the municipality of Olesno. The place is famous for its colourful houses, whose facades are covered with colourful paintings with flower motifs. Today, the place is a tourist attraction, and its uniqueness is evidenced by the fact that the tradition of painting the cottages still continues.
The village is distinguished by the colourful bouquets that are painted on the houses, farm buildings, fences or wells. Floral motifs are also found inside the inhabitants’ houses. The tradition of decorating cottages in this way originated at the end of the 19th century. One resident decided to decorate her house with flowers made from tissue paper. The idea began to be repeated by other residents, who decorated the interiors of their houses with cut-outs and spiders made from straw and painted the walls of their houses in floral patterns.
At first, the patterns were quite simple. The women residents had access mainly to white paint. It was only with time that the paintings became more complex and multi-coloured floral compositions. Roses, daisies, poppies and other flowers familiar from the rural landscape can be seen on the walls. These patterns are always painted by hand, without the use of stencils, which means that each house has a unique façade and you will not find another like it in the whole village.
One of the best-known creators of the village paintings was Felicja Curyłowa, who was described as the “queen” of painted flowers. Her works decorate not only houses, but also chapels. The oldest surviving patterns of paintings can be seen in the House of the Painters and in Felicia Curyłová’s Homestead. The former is a regular meeting place for painters. Souvenirs can also be purchased there.
Some of the colourful buildings in Zalipie are listed in the register of immovable monuments of the Lesser Poland Voivodeship. These include the aforementioned Felicja Curyłowa’s homestead, which consists of a wooden house, a stable, a barn and a well. The historic homestead is located on the Małopolska section of the Wooden Architecture Route.
The tradition of painting houses continues to this day. Every year in Zalipie the “Painted Cottage” competition takes place, during which the most beautifully decorated houses are selected. The event strengthens the bonds between the inhabitants and attracts visitors to Zalipie to see these colourful works of art. The tradition of painting the cottages is a source of pride for the locals and an example of how a local custom can successfully appeal to curious tourists from all over the world.
When planning a visit to Zalipie, it is worth reserving two to three hours. There are about 20 colourful houses in the village.
photos: Mariusz Cieszewski / MSZ / licence: CC BY-ND 2.0
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