Unique expositions, works of artistic craftsmanship and an open-air museum where they bake bread.
Before Rockefeller made a fortune exploiting ‘black gold’, his men visited Bóbrka in the Subcarpathian region and Ignacy Łukasiewicz, the father of the petroleum industry, showed them around his oil production plant. Today the Open Air Museum of the Oil and Gas Industry operates at that location. Built in the 19th century, these are the world’s oldest oil wells still in operation. There are many other museums in the Podkarpackie where you will see absolutely unique artefacts and collections.
So what other unusual expositions can you see here? A rarity among European museums, the Coach House, which is part of the Castle Museum in Łańcut, presents the magnificent collection of horse-drawn vehicles assembled by the estate owners, the Potocki family. The Clock Tower in Przemyśl holds the Museum of Bells and Tobacco Pipes, which for centuries have been manufactured in this lovely old town. In fact, the renowned bell foundry of the Felczyński family still casts bells for customers from all over the world. In Rzeszów, Jarosław and Przemyśl there are underground tourist routes which tell the fascinating stories about merchant treasures, Tartar incursions and secret passages. At the Glass Heritage Centre in Krosno the exposition presents the fragile wonders made by master glassmakers.
In spring, visitors come in large numbers to admire the rhododendrons and water lilies in the arboretum in Bolestraszyce. On sunny days, a visit to the Carpathian Troy near Jasło is a truly enjoyable experience - a hillfort from 4,000 years ago has been reconstructed there, and from the scenic tower you can get an amazing view of the surrounding area going as far as the Kamieniec castle. You can spend a whole day in the Museum of Rural Culture in Kolbuszowa or in Poland’s largest outdoor museum in Sanok, where you can learn about the heritage of the Boyko and Lemko peoples, you can see an old wooden synagogue and take a walk around the reconstructed market square of an old Galician town. Here you can meet real craftsmen - you can even buy sourdough bread made on site in the old bakery.
You can also take a walk along a 1930s style street, past shop windows with lovely art déco items, when you visit the Workshop Gallery in Stalowa Wola - a town that was launched during the inter-war period as a part of the economic project of the Central Industrial District. Obviously, in the region there are also expositions for those interested in fossils, in military artefacts and visual arts. In Mielec, the museum located in a lovely old Villa Jadernówka presents exposition related to the history of photography. The tale of the past is also shown here in newly built facilities. One of these is the Ulma Family Museum of Poles Saving Jews During World War II in Markowa, which stands out for its beautiful and innovative design recognized among the most impressive works of contemporary architecture of this type.
The fascinating museums of the Podkarpackie are waiting for you.