Kluki Open-Air Museum

Kluki Open-Air Museum is a village museum at Kluki 17 near Smołdzino, in the Słowiński National Park region of Poland's Pomeranian coast. It preserves the half-timbered farmhouses and the way of life of the Slovincians, a small Pomeranian group who lived on the shores of Lake Łebsko and spoke a dialect related to Kashubian. The village of Kluki was one of the main Slovincian settlements, and the museum keeps its traditional buildings in their original surroundings rather than moving them to a new site. Visitors walk among timber-framed houses with thatched or reed roofs, barns, workshops and outbuildings, and can enter several of them to see period interiors furnished with tools, furniture, clothing and household objects. The exhibits explain how Slovincian families lived from fishing, farming, and the use of the lake and the surrounding peat land, and how the community declined in the 20th century. Craft demonstrations and events sometimes take place in summer. The museum is small, so a visit normally lasts about one hour. Tickets cost about 15 PLN for adults and about 10 PLN reduced, and the museum typically opens from 10AM to 5PM in summer, closed on Mondays, with limited hours outside the season; checking the schedule before travelling is wise. Late morning is a good time to visit, when the light is good and tour groups have not yet filled the lanes. In July and August the museum receives many families and cyclists from the coast. The village lies close to Lake Łebsko, and a short walk or a ride reaches the lakeshore and reed beds, and trails of the national park. The museum is reached by car or bike from Smołdzino, and bus service from Łeba is limited, so many visitors drive or cycle. Photographs of the thatched farmhouses are best taken in morning or late afternoon light.