The first house - the house of an ordinary peasant from the village of Istebna

The history of these houses dates back to the mid-nineteenth century. Both were located in the small village of Istebna in the Beskidy Mountains. In one a normal peasant lived, in another a rich one

Currently, they are an attraction of the museum, the Silesian Skansen, but not the only one, because there are several dozen buildings worth seeing in the museum

This is a house from 1876, built of large hewn logs, without the use of nails. The whole thing is sealed with hemp ropes.

The interior of the house of an ordinary peasant from the village of Istebna

I took pictures of the interiors through the windows of these houses, and it seems to me that they have their own specific atmosphere. Such peeking through the window makes a person move in time, and has the impression that it is a real reality.

The house is small, with small windows, a modest table with a stone top, a stone stove, a simple chest of drawers and wooden beds. Unadorned, austere, it was both a sleeping and cooking room.

House of a rich peasant from the village of Istebna

This is an even older building, from 1794. You can see the difference at first glance. The house has many rooms, it is more massive but also made of logs.

The entrance door to the house is like a gate, wide and high made of solid boards, decorated with iron elements.

The interior also looks richer, neater. There is a wooden table, a carved solid wood wardrobe. Decorated chests, and on the walls paintings depicting most often holy possessions.

This homestead also had a garden in front of the house, probably a vegetable garden and several fruit trees.