Tradition of the region – open air museums

How people in Pomerania lived? The answer is simple. In many different ways. It depended, where the village was located. Low Land people were mainly farmers. Due to the very fertile soils most of people were working on farms. They grew wheat, vegetables. People who lived in the Northern part of the region, at the Baltic Sea used it and were mainly fisherman and most of their occupations were connected with the sea. Fisherman and craftsmen, who produced boats.

Deeper in the region, in Kashuby the main occupation was farming and fishing due to the good soils and a big number of lakes with many kind of fish and forests with berries and animals to hunt for.

In old times this region was occupied by Pomerania people, big Slavic tribe. They lived in the area of nowadays Gdansk, Starogard Gdanski and Tczew. Anthropologist believe that Pomerania People are ancestors of contemporary Kashubians.

A farming life one hundred, two hundred or five hundred years ago was not easy. Pomerania people led rather simple lives. Having simple tools and clear house responsibilities, they spent their whole day on work.

Slavic Village Museum in Kluki

The former life in a fisherman village we can experience in Slavic Village Museum in Kluki. It is a part of the Middle Pomeranian Museum in Slupsk, where You have ten permanent exhibitions about the everyday life of those people, who were part of Kashubians. The most interesting are their houses and huts, where You can get inside. In the one hundred year old kitchen You can get warm soup or bake some waffles. There are many folk festivals, shows and workshops organised in Kluki.

Museum of Folk Culture of Pomerania in Swołowo

Near by there is a small but very popular village, Swolowo. It is situated in the centre of the region called “The chequered patterned land”, the area where wooden constructed housed dominate. There is Pomeranian Folk Culture Museum in Swolowo. It is worth getting inside the Albreht’s Farm, typical for XIX c. rich farmer’s house, with a house, an animal shed and a barn. It is worth coming to Swolowo in November during the traditional Pomeranian geese festival.

Slavic settlement in Sławutowo (Osada Sławutowo)

Near Puck, there is Slawutowo. It is an old Slavic settlement with more than 1000 years tradition. Wooden huts with straw roofs and old pottery and people dressed up from the epoque. The Slavic Settlement in Slawutowo shows colourful but primitive middle age times in fortified settlements.

We shall find similar settlement in Owidz where a reconstruction of XII household was made from the times of Polish king – Boleslaw Chrobry ! What We can find here are, the area for animals, the gate tower and so called “stolp”, so last defence tower.

In the Southern part of Kashuby You have to visit Ethnographical Kashubian Park in Wdzydze Kiszewskie, named after Teodora and Izydor Gulgowscy. It is spreads around 22 hectares, where we can really organise time travels. We can find windmills, churches, huts and old style workshops, smithy, schools building and even mansions there. We can visit 50 houses in total from Kashuby and Kociewie region. It is a wonderful experience for those who are interested in architecture which is 100, 200 or even 300 years old.

Visiting Pomerania region it is really worth to include open air museums into our program. This time travel for sure will be unforgettable.