Toys with history.

Like many such stories, this one also began with a passion. However, it was a special passion, one could even say “child’s”. However, it quickly turned out that the child is really in each of us. And everyone eagerly returns to this period. Meet Maria and Mirosław Ozierański, the creators and founders of the Toy Museum in Kudowa Zdrój (and later also another one in Krynica Zdrój). Meet people and a place with passion …

Maria and Mirosław Ozierański collected toys for years. By  2002 they gathered so many of them thatthey  decided to open the Toy Museum in Kudowa Zdrój. Why toys? Because they hide a lot of secrets and memories, show the development and ingenuity of people, and at the same time it is an object that connects us all regardless of all differences – every person in this world had a toy. – says Maria Ozierańska. And he quotes from Henry Fielding, “there are toys that are suitable for all ages, from rattles to the throne, and their owners value them equally – each one theirs.”

And it is so. Toys accompany us from the very beginning of humanity. The ones gathered in the museum are therefore an ideal history lesson. Looking at it, we can observe how the fashion and customs have changed over the centuries. They are also a perfect reflection of the everyday life of their times.

What’s more, in the Toy Museum in Kudowa Zdrój we will see toys from all over the world and from different eras. Among more than 5,000 exhibits there are, among others: toys from ancient times, dolls with accessories, boys’ militaries, home theaters, toys from movies and fairy tales, blocks, optical toys, game consoles and much more. The vast majority of toys, however, come from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Many of them are also memories of the communist period.

Many exhibits were transported and donated to the Museum by guests. Those who learn about the existence of such a magical place want to leave their memories there as well. Together with the toy donated to the collection, they often share their unique history and fragments of life that are important to them. These moments and these stories are simply priceless.

Collecting toys is our family passion. We are constantly looking for new exhibits to capture the charm of passing childhood and show it to the next generations – explains Mrs. Maria. Indeed, their passion for toys is family-friendly. Today, the daughters of the Ozierński family and their husbands: Urszula and Piotr as well as Anna and Danel are also involved in the work for the museum.

However, the museum is not only about watching and admiring or participating in a tangible history lesson. The Toy Museum is also a workshop for children, during which the little ones create their own wooden toy, thus getting to know the childhood of their parents and grandparents.

In 2007, Mr. and Mrs. Ozierańscy opened the second Toy Museum. It was established in Krynica Zdrój to please the eyes of tourists visiting that part of the country.

The Toy Museum is a real time travel for all generations. For some, a history lesson, for others a return to memories. For everyone, a smile, joy and a lot of carefree childishness. Because no matter how old we are, we have a child inside us. Here we can discover them!

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