Oscypek Museum

The Oscypek Museum at Jagiellońska 28 in Zakopane is a living museum: instead of display cases it has a show in which shepherds make oscypek (smoked sheep's milk cheese) in front of the audience. The whole thing lasts about 90 minutes and relies on audience participation.

The oscypek-making show

At the show you will see the successive stages of oscypek production according to the traditional recipe. The hosts also talk about shepherding customs and about how shepherds came to live beneath the Tatras, and explain terms such as kosor, ferula and pucenie.

Under the guidance of a head shepherd (baca), participants make their own cheese in a mould, for example in the shape of a sheep, a lamb or a young deer, and take it with them. The organisers do not recommend the show for children under five, because it conveys a lot of information.

Highlander cheese shop

Next to the museum there is a shop with certified oscypek from nearby shepherds' huts. Besides these it sells gołka, redykołka, bundz and handmade bryndza, as well as regional souvenirs and handicrafts.

Nearby

The museum is in the town centre, so it is easy to combine with visits to other places. Close by are the Tatra Museum and the Karol Szymanowski Museum in the “Atma” Villa, and for a walk in the mountains you can head, for example, to Nosal.

Practical information

• Address: Jagiellońska 28, Zakopane, opposite the Zakopane Thermal Baths, not far from the railway station.
• A visit means taking part in a show at a set time; according to the museum's website, on show days it is usually at 12:00 and 16:00, and the museum is closed on Sundays. Check dates and availability of places on the museum's website before your visit; tickets are bought in advance because the number of places is limited.
• The museum has no car park of its own; there are municipal car parks with parking meters nearby.
• The shows are given in Polish; a show in English can be arranged with the museum as a private booking.