Łowicz and Harvest Folk Excursion

Discover Łowicz, its unique, colourful folklore and history while visiting local museums. Experience and learn traditional crafts from local folk artists. Join an unforgettable Dożynki (Harvest) procession to celebrate the end of harvesting season.

Folka is proud to invite you to this exciting Łowicz and Harvest Folk Excursion. During four days you will experience unique traditional craft, explore beautiful wooden architecture, join Harvest procession, taste delicious Polish food and enjoy surrounding nature. It will be such a memorable experience. Not to be missed!

When: 31st August - 4th September 2023

 

Travel plan:

* Thursday 31st August *

We’ll meet in Warsaw at 1pm to visit the Ethnographic Museum where we will have a private tour. You will learn about Polish folk art. Museum has an amazing collection of traditional costumes, various customs and traditions, sculptures, paper crafts and many more.

In the evening we’ll drive towards Łowicz.

 

* Friday 1st September *

This day we will focus on Łowicz unique and traditional crafts.

Łowicz is a town in the Łódź voivodeship. It’s famous for its vibrant folk culture - traditional “pasiaki” - stripy, colourful costumes, exceptional “wycinanki” papercuts, unique pająki - straw chandeliers, embroidery, papercraft and music.

We’ll visit a local Ethnographic Museum presenting an extraordinary collection of folk art from Łowicz region - traditional costumes, embroidery, wycinanki (papercuts), pająki straw chandeliers and many more. We’ll have a private tour around the museum.

After the tour we’ll have a paper cut workshop with a local artist. This is an unique opportunity to learn traditional local craft straight from artist, who have been passing their traditions through generations.

After lunch, we’ll drive to a nearby village Sromów to visit the Folk Museum of Brzozowski’s Family. Museum was founded by a folk artist Julian Brzozowski in 1972. Julian created over 400 moving sculptures, some of them full sized and dressed in original costumes. He also constructed special engines to make some of the sculptures move. There’s a wedding party and guests dance under mini pajaki, Nativity Scene, Corpus Christi procession. Museum is decorated with papercuts, paintings made by other talented members of Brzozowski’s family and pająki chandeliers made by Julian’s wife Wanda (I included her unique Łowicz style pompoms in my book!). You will also see original antique carriages and agriculture equipment.

Today, the museum is run by Julian’s son Wojciech and his wife Renata. The museum is such a gem!

 

* Saturday 2nd September *

In the morning, we will drive to a lovely open air museum in Maurzyce.

Museum presents the architecture of Łowicz region from the period between the 18th century and the beginning of the 20th century. You will visit traditional wooden cottages where you will explore how people used to live. Each cottage features unique decorations, everyday objects and furniture. We’ll have a picturesque walk surrounded by a lovely wooden church from the second half of the XVIII century, wind mill and these mesmerising wooden cottages painted in blue.

In the afternoon, we’ll learn a new craft! We’ll join a local artist who will teach us a traditional embroidery in Łowicz style.

* Sunday 3rd September*

We’ll be leaving early in the morning to visit a local village where we will join the “Dożynki”.

Dożynki (Harvest Festival) it's one of the oldest and most important customs, connected with Slavic pagan cults of nature, plants and agriculture. 

Traditionally, in rural Poland, from the XVI century Dożynki used to be organised by manor owners as a reward to peasants for their hard work at their land during harvest.

The symbol of Dożynki is a harvesting wreath - it symbolises a rich harvest, the prospect of wealth and the power of new life. Wreath is made of wheat and rye straw (which are believed to be the most important ones) usually in the shape of a crown decorated with flowers, berries, ribbons and braided straws. People dressed in traditional costumes will carry the wreath in a colourful procession, some of them will also carry scythes and smaller garlands. After getting it blessed in a local church, the wreath would be carried to the manor house to be presented to the owners. Then, the owners would give ceremonial speeches and invite everyone to dance, eat and celebrate the end of harvest. 

Dożynki is still celebrated across Poland, they are organised by local authorities. Each village makes their own harvesting crowns, which are later presented at the procession and during the show. They are very elaborate, after the show there’s a competition for the best one. 

We will join a local Dożynki celebrations. Local artists dressed in traditional costumes will bring their spectacular harvest wreaths to take part in a procession. It’s such an amazing and memorable experience.

There will be a craft market as well where you can buy lots of beautiful and unique art.

We’ll drive back to Łowicz in the evening.

* Monday 4th September*

We will drive back towards Warsaw in the morning.

Please note: There might be some changes in an itinerary.

 

Cost:

Promotional introductory price for the Łowicz and Harvest Folk Excursion is £900.

Price includes:

Accommodation

Transport

Workshops

Museum tickets

 

Price does not include:

Flights to/from Warsaw

Lunches and dinners (Dinner in Poland costs approx £10-£15)

 

PAYMENT IN TWO INSTALMENTS IS AVAILABLE. Please get in touch info@folka.co

 

Accommodation:

We will be staying in a lovely hotel in Łowicz. Rooms are single. Breakfast is included in the price.

Transport:

 We’ll be travelling in a comfortable minibus with a private driver. Our group will consist of maximum 7 people.

 

PLEASE NOTE:

There might be some changes in an itinerary.

You need to arrive in Warsaw at 12am on Thursday 30th March at the latest to be able to join us at the Ethnographic Museum.

There are 2 airports in Warsaw. Chopin airport (Wizzair, British Airways) is in the centre and Modlin airport is approx 1 hour away. We will help you to arrange a pick up from the airport.

You can come to Warsaw earlier if you would like to visit the city. We will help you to find a hotel.

CANCELATION POLICY:

As Łowicz and Harvest Folk Excursion is happening soon we are unable to offer a refund once you confirmed and paid for the trip. We will do our best to find a new person.

 

Your guide:

 Karolina Merska, originally from Poland, lives and works in London.

 She makes pajaki - traditional rye straw and paper chandeliers. She loves folk art and her dream is to revive some of the forgotten crafts and traditions. Over the years she travelled across Poland to find and meet amazing artists and promote their craft. Each folk excursion is carefully planned by Karolina.

 

Karolina runs shop Folka in Stoke Newington in London.

Łowicz and Harvest is her third folk excursion, after sold out Kurpie and Zalipie trips earlier this year. She’s planning to take you to a dreamy Podlasie next year as well.