Drewutnia, Bukowina Tatrzańska: glass painting workshops and highland furniture

Drewutnia ("the woodshed") calls itself a "shop for cultural needs". It is the family business of the Kuchtas of Bukowina Tatrzańska, who say they have lived here since the early 18th century and have worked in folk art and crafts ever since. Great-grandfather Jędrzej was a well-known carpenter and musician; grandfather Adam was a saddler, metalwork artist and musician who received the Oskar Kolberg Award. His son Zygmunt ran the Folk House in Bukowina for over twenty years, founded Poland's first school of vanishing trades, folklore and folk art, and in 2005 received the "Meritorious for Polish Culture" award.

Today the business is run by the father Zygmunt, his son Józef and daughter Marianna, all three graduates of the Antoni Kenar School of Fine Arts in Zakopane. Grandmother Zofia painted on glass and passed the skill on to her granddaughters. Marianna carries on the tradition of glass painting (malarstwo na szkle), one of Podhale's classic techniques, with scenes of highland life, feasts, saints and flowers; she also makes backlit stained-glass pieces. Józef works on furniture, carving and interior design.

Why go

The main draw is the glass-painting workshop led by a qualified folk painter. Participants sketch or choose a pattern, transfer it onto glass, paint the fine details first and the background last — the way old highland painters worked, because a picture on glass is painted "in reverse". You take your finished piece home. The sessions suit children, teenagers and adults, individuals and groups.

You can also see highland joinery: since the 1980s the family has made furniture and interiors in the Podhale style. Zygmunt Kuchta's work can be seen in the church in Bukowina (an altar with four interchangeable reliefs, a pulpit), and the family designed the interiors of the Pod Stancyjom inn, a restaurant and Terma Bukovina.

What to see and buy

• Glass paintings by Marianna Kuchta — sold or made to order only here.
• Highland furniture and carving — chairs with carved backs, tables and chests to order.
• Folk crafts from all over Poland: clay angels, ceramics, wooden dishes and flowers, metalwork, straw goods, jewellery and toys — for example a wooden spinning top launched with a string.
• Wooden bowls and platters of cherry, beech and walnut, finished with plant oil.
• The shop also stocks Hutsul ceramics from the Ivano-Frankivsk region — a pleasant surprise for visitors from Ukraine.

Practical information

Address: ul. Kościuszki 190, Bukowina Tatrzańska, Klin district, in the same building as the Pod Stancyjom inn. About 20 km from Zakopane via Poronin; buses to Bukowina leave from Zakopane bus station.

Hours: Monday–Saturday 10:00–18:00, closed Sunday (as of October 2026). Workshops run daily during the winter school holidays and Monday to Saturday during the summer holidays; on other dates book in advance.

Contacts: workshops, shop and crafts — Marianna Kuchta, +48 501 105 542; furniture and interiors — Zygmunt Kuchta, +48 519 146 059, Józef Kuchta, +48 505 104 113.

Nearby

• U Jancoka shepherd's hut in Brzegi — about 1.5 km along the road to Łysa Polana.
• Terma Bukovina — in the centre of Bukowina.
• Shepherd's hut on Rusinowa Polana — on foot from Wierch Poroniec.

Official website: drewutnia.bukowinatatrzanska.pl

Photos: drewutnia.bukowinatatrzanska.pl.