The distinctive two-row wetland settlement pattern connects Wielka Nieszawka with Mała Nieszawka. At the same time, Olenderski Park Etnograficzny is devoted to a reconstructed Olender village. For travellers interested in the historic settlement pattern and way of life of the Olenders, the local layout and the museum presentation come together here as two different perspectives. The arrangement of farmsteads, fields and drainage ditches is also part of the picture of Wielka Nieszawka.

The wetland settlement as a townscape

The farmsteads stand in a row along the road; the strips of fields run perpendicular to it and are separated by drainage ditches. The settlement pattern is thus shaped by the relationship between the road, farmsteads, fields and ditches, not just by individual buildings. The same distinctive arrangement can also be found in Mała Nieszawka. This shared pattern provides a concrete point of reference for understanding the two places: their connection lies in this settlement structure.

Olenderski Park Etnograficzny

Olenderski Park Etnograficzny is Poland’s first open-air museum devoted entirely to Olender settlement. An Olender village from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries has been reconstructed on an area of more than five hectares. Its linear settlement pattern is characteristic of floodplains. Buildings relocated here from the Lower Vistula Valley are surrounded by fields, orchards and gardens; they illustrate the way of life and living conditions of the Olenders. The presentation therefore focuses not only on individual houses, but also includes the settlement pattern and its surroundings. While Wielka Nieszawka and Mała Nieszawka are connected by their shared pattern, the park brings the subject together in the reconstruction of a village.

The cemetery and historical layers

There are more than 150 marked graves in the park cemetery. The reconstructed village dates from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Getting your bearings and travelling there

You can use audio guides on your own smartphone during your visit or borrow a device free of charge. The loan device offers text in Polish, English and German, as well as audio description. Further facilities are available for visitors with special needs: ramps to the farmsteads are provided on request; tactile maps and audio guides with audio description are available at the ticket office. If you need a ramp, it is best to arrange this with the museum before your visit.

The park can be reached by MZK bus routes 151 and 152. From the “Wielka Nieszawka Wiślana” stop, a footpath leads to the open-air museum in five minutes. The journey therefore consists of a bus ride to the stop followed by a walk. Check the latest information on bus routes and the footpath before travelling. An archived municipal route description also mentions a green cycling route that passes hill forts in Wielka Nieszawka.

Discover more destinations: Steklin, Chełmża, Stary Toruń, Papowo Toruńskie, Browina, Dzikowo, Ostaszewo, Turzno.

For the main travel overview: Toruński.