photo #6094194

Every Part of This Tiny Polish Village Is Covered in Lovely Floral Paintings A small village in southeast Poland is heralded for its unusual tradition. Every house, well, church, and barn is covered in lovely, decorative painted flowers. The secluded town of Zalipie is just 90 minutes from Krakow. Just how did the tradition start? It's not entirely clear, but one store relates that it began due to poor ventilation for stoves. As they would leak soot onto the ceiling, women began to paint flowers over the marks in order to tidy up—and brighten up—their homes. And even as ventilation improved, villagers—mainly women—continued to carry out the folk art, moving from ceilings to walls to bridges and everything in between. The tradition has continued to endure, and each spring following Corpus Cristi, villagers host the Painted Cottage competition, or Malowana Chata. There's nothing like a little neighborly competition to get the creative juices flowing, with the contest taking place annually since 1948