Almost all the houses in the Polish village zalyp’ya covered with floral ornaments.
In a small Polish village zalyp’ia, which is only 90 minutes from Krakow, for several years maintained an unusual, but very nice tradition in this settlement signs each building, be it a house, Church or even a barn or well.
Every wall is decorated with intricate floral designs, which give the village its unique character, attracting tourists from different countries.
So how did this tradition in zalyp’ya (Zalipie). In fact, credible evidence does not exist, however the most reliable version States that the local women began to paint their homes inside due to poor ventilation of the house, when soot from the ovens settled on the ceilings and walls. These spots looked untidy even if to clean them and to paint such flaws, women draw very simple drawings – flowers.
Over time, even when ventilation in buildings has become a lot better, the local people could not even imagine a home without this painting. And floral patterns all over and over again – began to appear on the walls, both inside and outside houses, on roofs, on fences, on bridges, on roads – everywhere, where only surface allowed. It became a local feature, a tradition which does not violate today, and which the locals cherish.
Interestingly, neighbouring villages also began to adopt this idea for decorating their homes. After the war, 1948, between these villages was carried out mini-competition “Malowana Chata” for the best painted house. When this contest began, the government it wasn’t so much an interest in the competition, as in the return of the spirit and motivation of the people who have suffered so much during the Second world war (the population of Poland decreased by 17%). However, it Malowana Chata returned to the local village spirit of revival, and the locals began again to paint their homes as they did before the war, and even with greater zeal than before.
One of the houses, which until 1974 belonged to a local resident Felicia Churilovo, today has become a Museum. During his life, Felicia has done a great job and painted almost everything that was in her house – from walls and ceilings to spoons and flower pots. Now this three bedroom house is the Central landmark of the village zalyp’ya, where every year hundreds of tourists come from all over the world.
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