Old Cottage is a beautiful example of the traditional residential building typical of Podhale. It was constructed without nails using mountain spruce timber sawn into logs 18 cm wide, called “płazy” (flat logs). The flat logs are connected by means of notches at the corners. This is the so-called corner-notched log structure. The slits between the flat logs are filled with the so-called “wełnianka”, that is thin woodchips braided and well pressed. At the beginning the logs were sealed with moss, this process was called “mossing”, and the specialist – “moss-sealer”.
Originally, the cottage roof was covered with shingles, that is planks cleaved along the growth rings. Old Cottage has the traditional two-room layout, with the “black” and “white” rooms separated by the entrance hall.
The “black” room was where everyday life took place, with the only stove in the house (the ceiling displays marks of the chimney opening). The ceiling of this room is supported on a wonderfully curved log, called “sosręb”. The ceiling log has a rosette with the construction date 1933 carved near the window. Currently, the “black” room houses the kitchen and dining-room for guests.
The “white” room is the living room and bedroom now. The white” room was used on special occasions. It was a store for valuable items. In the past, it was possible to enter the attics up a ladder from the hall. There hung large chumps of pork fat. Grain was kept in a chest called ‘sąsiek’. At present, upstairs you find bedrooms accessed up the regular stairs. The cottage is heated electrically. The inside is warm and cosy even in the harshest weather.
