• 19/11/2022
  • By binternet
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Zaliphe, the most beautiful village in Poland!<

Only 80 kilometers from Krakow, you cannot miss Zaliphe.Known as the most beautiful village in Poland, it is probably the most photographed village in the country.The magic of Zaliphe is based on its many floral paintings ... everywhere!On houses, bridges, dog niches, stables, wells or chapels.Let's discover this extraordinary outdoor gallery.

When tradition meets art

Zaliphe ornaments have been famous for over 100 years.This practice is a real know-how of local folklore and is transmitted from generation to generation.

Where does this idea of painting the walls of houses come from?The inhabitants of the village often did not have the money to build a barn, so they shared their home with their cattle.At that time, rural houses had no chimneys.The soot and the ashes were deposited on the walls.In such circumstances, it was not easy for women in the home to keep everything in order.So to keep their interiors clean, they regularly whitewashed the walls and painted them with flowers.

The brushes of women were made from horse horsehair and the painting was made of soot diluted with milk.Upon arrival of dry paintings, the patterns have become more colorful.

The women then began to paint the outside of houses but also everything that surrounded them.Each surface of this village has become a “canvas» to paint: tablecloths, dishes, clothes and Easter eggs.

How has the village of Zaliphe become so famous?

Zalipie, le plus beau village de Pologne !

At the turn of the 19th and 20th century, a young room left Zaliphe to find work.To not forget his native village, the young man took with him a towel decorated with Zaliphe's patterns, drawn by his mother.The bright colors of white fabric were noticed by a Krakow researcher, Władysław Hikel.He was the first to come and study the style of Zaliphe.In 1905, he dedicated an article from the periodic “Lud».

Since 1948, Zalipie has been hosting the “Malowana Chata» festival (painted hut) on the first weekend according to the Corpus Christi celebration.During the festival, which are attending thousands of tourists, the inhabitants compete for the most beautiful house.Many residents open their houses so that everyone can admire the reasons.

Artist Felicja Curyłowa

The most famous artist in this region was Felicja Curyłowa, born in 1905.The legend tells that at 10 years old, the girl would have taken advantage of the absence of her parents to paint the ceiling.Despite her father's reprimand, she would have continued to paint, transforming her passion into a lifestyle.Felicja has become a living icon of popular art.

In the late 1940s, she even went to Szczecin at the Communist Party Congress to ask for electricity in her village.Here is what she said to the head of the communist regime in Poland, Józef Cyrankiewicz:

“We live in the dark.We cannot see what we are painting.I will not leave until you have promised to give us electricity.»

Following this speech, electricity arrived in Zaliphe 10 years earlier than in its neighboring villages.

Felicja Curyłowa died in 1974.The artist was buried in his native village.His grave is decorated with ceramic tiles that Felicja painted during his lifetime.When asked why she was preparing ornaments for her own grave, she replied: “I want art to stay with me, even when I am no longer on this earth.»

After the death of the folk artist, his house was transformed into a museum to admire his famous paintings on walls, stoves, wells or buckets, as well as old furniture and everyday objects.

How to go and what to see?

The village of Zaliphe is located in Powiat Dąbrowski, 14 kilometers from the city of Dąbrowa Tarnowska.It is easier to get there by car.The closest train station to Zaliphe is in the city of Tarnów.Trains come from Krakow every half hour.It is possible to go from Tarnów to Zaliphe by bus.

Si vous souhaitez passer la nuit dans le village, cela peut être fait au mini-hôtel “Gościna u Babci».This rustic house which can only accommodate five people, is decorated with traditional zalipped patterns.

Dans le village lui-même, avec la maison de Felicja Curyłowa, il vaut la peine de visiter “Dom Malarek» (la maison des femmes peintres) où des expositions sont organisées et où vous pouvez rencontrer des artistes de partout.You should also see the church of St Joseph, which is also painted with floral ornaments.

Zaliphe is so small that it is easy to move on foot.Less than a thousand people are fortunate to live in this really beautiful village.

Zaliphe is definitely an unusual place that is worth the detour.