Poland’s Fairytale Floral Painted Village

Once upon a time, in a land far far away, in a small Polish village called Zalipie, someone painted a flower.

In the 19^th century, the flower was painted on the ceiling of a quaint village home to cover up a soot mark caused by a stove. While ventilation was poor and soot stains were common, others soon followed the trend, concealing the marks with little flowers until every house was covered.

Eventually everything in town was covered in flowers, from houses and barns to churches and bridges. Every spring, since 1948, the village holds a painted cottage competition or Malowana Chata. The original purpose of the contest was part of a movement to help Poland psychologically recover from the atrocities the country suffered in World War II.

Today, the village is far from those times. Situated in the southeast of Poland, 90 minutes from Krakow, the beautifully bright and colorful village is the perfect spot for those looking for a unique and memorable trip.

Visitors can see the town in all its flower power glory, celebrating color and nature’s beauty daily. Everywhere you go, you’ll see vivid flowers on windows, churches, children’s playgrounds and even inside the houses, too — perhaps even on bed linens.