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Travellers escaping Cracow at this time of year tend to head for Zakopane and the Tatras. It's a natural choice. That said, it often seems that half of Poland has the same idea. So where do you head for to get right off the beaten track?
Well, over the next few weeks, there's a delightful alternative to all the highland shenanigans of Zakopane. The Kossak family - celebrated here as a dynasty of painters, writers and patriots - will be hosting a 'Summer of Arts' at the foot of the Beskid hills. The event offers plenty of fun for all the family, and travellers will have a wonderful chance to explore the surrounding countryside. 
The Kossaks managed to reclaim their pre-war property, and they'll be hosting the event in the former manor park at Gorki Wielkie. The family has created a hostel in the former outbuildings of the manor (the old residence is now a ruin), whilst the longstanding Zofia Kossak Museum provides a further point of focus. The event kicks off on 23rd of June when students from Cracow's Academy of Fine Arts will begin painting an epic panorama in the spirit of one of Poland's most fabled works of art - the Raclawice Panorama (co-created by Wojciech Kossak back in 1894). Taking their cue from this turn of the century classic, the students will be leveling their brushes at a new panorama, based on Zofia Kossak's historical novel about the Fall of Constantinople in 1453. Children will also have a bash on a separate panorama, in this case inspired Zofia Kossak's much-loved children's tale 'The Troubles of a Gnome.' The official opening ceremony will be on 28th June, but the entire fortnight will be be peppered with concerts by gypsy and folk bands.
** For travellers new to Poland, a visit can be logically combined with a trip to Auschwitz, where, as it was, Zofia Kossak was imprisoned in 1943. Travellers can spend the night within the manorial complex at the Kossaks newly opened hostel.
Programme:
23rd June - 5th July: Open-air painting of Panorama
26th June - 8pm Concert by Saxophone Quartet PSM
28th June - 11am Official Opening of Summer of Arts
- 12 Acoustic concert by "Dzien Dobry" Band
- Opening of Children's Panorama
29th June - 8pm Guitar Concert by Poethicon
5th June - 5pm Celtic Music concert by Scottish group Celtic Triangle
Open-air exhibition throughout July
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