Have you come for a longer vacation to Santa Natura and are looking for unique places that will surprise you? If you are interested in history, you might also find the history of the flax industry in Polish lands intriguing. Visit the Philip de Girard Flax Museum in Żyrardów.
Philip de Girard was a French inventor who revolutionized the flax industry in Europe. He was born on February 1, 1775, in Lourmarin. At the age of 14, he built his first water turbine, and in 1810 he created a flax spinning machine that was to make France independent from imported cotton. Despite many inventions and established factories, he did not achieve significant financial success.
In 1825, thanks to Prince Franciszek Drucki-Lubecki, Girard came to the Kingdom of Poland, where he worked as the chief mechanic and advisor to the Bank of Poland. However, the greatest achievement of the engineer was undoubtedly the factory launched on July 24, 1833, in Ruda Guzowska, where, among other things, his mechanical flax spinning machine was used. Philip de Girard became its first technical director. The owners of the plant, appreciating his contributions, renamed the settlement to Żyrardów. The engineer died on August 26, 1845, in France.
The greatest boom of the factory occurred in the second half of the 19th century when the plant was taken over by German industrialists Karol Teodor Hielle and Karol August Dittrich. At that time, the factory became one of the largest and most modern flax plants in Europe. Production included a wide range of linen and cotton products, and the factory won numerous awards at international exhibitions.
During World War I, production was limited, and in 1915 retreating Russian troops destroyed key factory buildings. After the war, in 1918, the plant was taken over by the state, production resumed, and the city reconstruction began. During World War II, the factory produced for the German military, although the inhabitants of Żyrardów resisted the occupiers. Production resumed after the war. During the communist era, the factory was the main employer in the region.
In the 1990s, after economic reforms, the plants began to decline, and in 2012 the last part of the factory was closed. In the 21st century, the process of revitalizing the former factory settlement began.
Żyrardów would be a completely different city without the factory producing linen and cotton products. It is therefore no surprise that the Philip de Girard Flax Museum was established within the old walls at Dittrich Street 18. It was created to preserve and present the history of the flax industry in Polish lands while paying tribute to the workers of the Żyrardów factory.
The museum displays several dozen historic machines that show the entire fabric production process, from raw material processing to the finished product. Among them are unique exhibits from the early 20th century, as well as machines from the 1970s and 1980s. The permanent exhibition "Żyrardów. City Woven with Flax" is enriched with archival photographs and multimedia devices. Other exhibits concern the technological process of fabric finishing, looms used for producing raw linen fabric, and screen printing, from designing and creating stencils to printing patterns on linen products.
The museum conducts scientific research and cultural-educational activities, documenting the history of flax and the flax industry in Poland. It is an exceptional tourist attraction without equivalents in Mazovia, making it particularly interesting for visitors from Poland and Europe. The museum preserves remnants of the former factory's glory, connecting the past with the present and the future.
When planning a museum visit, it is worth allocating about an hour to thoroughly see all the exhibitions. How to spend the rest of the day or the whole weekend? Take a walk around Żyrardów and admire the characteristic red brick buildings. The city was fortunate that during World War II the damage was minor, so today nearly 300 buildings are listed as monuments.
Nearby, there are also several other attractions: the largest aquapark in Europe, Suntago, Mszczonów Thermal Baths, the Radziejowice Palace, or Deepspot – the deepest diving pool in Europe.
It is no wonder then that many people from all over Poland, especially from the Warsaw and Łódź areas, look for a comfortable hotel nearby that will serve as a base and relaxation place. If you belong to this group, pay attention to the Hotel Santa Natura Resort & Spa in Wiskitki, located within the Bolimowski Landscape Park Bolimowski Park Krajobrazowy. This is a place where both nature lovers and lovers of luxury will find themselves, as these two elements intertwine here at every step. Comfortable rooms, extraordinary cuisine combining tradition with modernity, slow-style breakfasts with a view of a beautiful garden, a playroom for children, and a cinema room, unique treatments at the SPA, a pool with a countercurrent and a natural bathing pond, and sauna sessions with a sauna master – all guarantee a truly pleasant time.
If you want to discover the secrets of Mazovia and look for a hotel near the Philip de Girard Flax Museum in Żyrardów, it is worth heading to Santa Natura Resort & Spa. It is an ideal place that combines comfortable rest with a convenient location, enabling easy sightseeing of nearby attractions. It offers everything needed for full relaxation after a day full of discoveries.