A New Life for an Old Cottage in Poland

Kazimierz Dolny is marked as a place that every tourist visiting Poland must see, according to all travel guides. This historic town has a long history. In medieval times, when grain and salt were transported along the Vistula River, it was a major river port. In the 19th century, it became a fashionable summer resort and a center of artistic life. Kazimierz Dolny was even sometimes compared to the French Provence.

Today, it is an open-air museum: new construction in Kazimierz Dolny is forbidden, and any renovation must be coordinated with municipal authorities. This is all done to preserve the unique atmosphere of the city: most buildings were erected in the 16th–17th centuries.

Visitors come to Kazimierz Dolny for exotic charm, while residents of nearby Warsaw come for quietude. One day, Hani and Derek, owners of the Winnica villa (named after the Polish word for 'vineyard'), arrived here. They were looking for a plot in a picturesque location to build a country cottage. They didn’t plan to move from Warsaw to the countryside.

When they saw this green hill, it became clear that there was no need to look further: the dream that brought them here had become reality. A picturesque piece of land with a view over the valley, just three kilometers from the market square. With an old wooden house that the couple initially considered as temporary accommodation.

When one of the ceiling beams was cleaned of old paint, a lettering appeared: “1897”. Hani and Derek realized that they had no choice now: demolishing a house over a century old was impossible, so it had to be restored. For the first few years, they spent all weekends and holidays in Kazimierz Dolny, and then started staying here even during weekdays.

For this, both had to quit their jobs in Warsaw. Derek is a designer by profession, while Hani worked with computer animation. In Kazimierz Dolny, they became experts in restoration – friends who bought houses in the countryside following their example now come to them for advice.

The restored house of the couple was transformed into a mini-hotel that hosts tourists visiting Kazimierz Dolny. Despite its age, the house lives up to modern times: in summer, nearly 90 percent of electricity is provided by solar panels.

In the old granary that Derek purchased to increase usable space, yoga therapy and meditation sessions are held. In Kazimierz Dolny, more and more people from Warsaw are moving there: they, like the owners of the Winnica villa, believe that after fifty, people shouldn’t have anything to do in big cities.