Gazduś gallery, Zakopane: Podhale folk art and handicraft shop

Gazduś is a small folk-art gallery and shop in Zakopane run by the Zakopane Cultural Centre (Zakopiańskie Centrum Kultury). It opened in 2010 to give local makers a fair place to sell their work, and to give visitors a chance to buy a genuine Podhale piece instead of a factory souvenir from Krupówki. It shows and sells work by professional artists and folk artists (twórcy ludowi) from Zakopane and Podhale, as well as by artists for whom Podhale has become a source of inspiration.

The gallery is not a museum: entry is free, you can pick things up and buy them. Gazduś now operates in the Zakopane railway station building on Chramcówki street, home to the cultural centre and the tourist information office.

Why go

• See Podhale glass painting — the gallery’s most popular genre. These bright pictures once hung in highlanders’ cottages: because of the halny wind and frost the windows were small, and the vivid colours of the glass paintings brightened the dark main room. People bought them at church fairs or from travelling pedlars; today’s painters keep to the old subjects — religious scenes, legends and outlaw (zbójnik) motifs.
• Buy original woodcarving — from traditional “świątki” (the Pensive Christ, the Madonna and Child, St Florian, patron against fire) to figures of highlanders, animals and heroes of the Janosik tales.
• Find a gift with character at a fair price without trawling the souvenir stalls.

What to buy

Glass painters whose work the gallery sells include Anna Bogucka, Dorota Bujak, Maria Dudek, Zofia Majerczyk-Owczarek, Bożena Doleżuchowicz-Mickiewicz and the late Adam Doleżuchowicz (father); woodcarving is represented by, among others, Władysław Łukaszczyk, Eugeniusz Bogucki, Andrzej Ferenczak and Florian Walkosz, who build on traditional patterns but have developed their own recognisable styles. Podhale has no old pottery tradition, yet makers increasingly turn to clay for forms that echo their wooden counterparts. Besides glass painting there are oils, pastels, watercolours, prints and icons. Wood and ceramics are among the richest sections: carved boxes, highlander bells, shelves, ceramic cups and mugs, angels, sheep and rams, Christmas baubles and Easter eggs. Leatherwork includes decorated boxes, bookmarks and glasses cases. For the home there are tablecloths, runners, napkins, embroidered bedding, stained glass and carved clocks, and to order — wooden chests, sledges, cradles and woollen kilims. In winter the handmade wool and felt hats and gloves come in handy, and the jewellery includes necklaces, earrings, bracelets and brooches with Podhale motifs.

Practical information

Address: Zakopiańskie Centrum Kultury, ul. Chramcówki 35, 34-500 Zakopane — in the railway station building next to the bus station, about 10–15 minutes on foot from Krupówki. It is handy if you arrive by train or bus and easy for families — all on the flat, no climbing.

Hours (as published by the town, as of October 2026): September–December and March–June — Monday–Saturday 9:00–17:00; July–August and January–February — daily 9:00–17:00. Free entry. Phone: +48 18 20 120 04, +48 18 20 122 11. Prices depend on the piece; part of the range is also sold in the centre’s online shop.

Nearby

• Krupówki street — Zakopane’s main pedestrian street.
• The market below Gubałówka — oscypek, wool and sheepskins.
• Dom Oscypka — how the Podhale sheep cheese is made.
• Sztukomania — contemporary design and handicraft with mountain motifs.

Official website: zakopane.pl

Photos: zakopane.pl.