4. GROUP OF KUJAWY AND WIELKOPOLSKA
/ GRUPA WIELKOPOLSKO - KUJAWSKA/

This region spans Wielkopolska, the Lubuska land and Kujawy. The traditional folk art was dominated by the German urban culture and extensive industrial and civilizational development. These influences can still be seen in the form of the many windmills. The old folk architecture was replaced with brick buildings. Interiors of houses have no ornamentations like painted walls or cutouts, which cannot be found in this area. The only painted elements were chests, which were not worse in terms of art than the ones from the Kraków region. The most characteristic thing about this region is its costume. It stems from the urban German costume but was somehow adapted to suit the tastes of the native people. Hence it contains many elements which are “purely Polish”. The costume was composed of a woollen overcoat (sukmana) and jacket (katana) in dark hues worn by men. Women wore a jacket (kaftan) and skirt in various colours. It can be best seen in costumes from Szamotuły, Borowiec, Łęczyca and others. Sculpture and painting is fairly modest in comparison with other regions of Poland. As the last thing we need to mention folk music whose primary roots can be found mainly in Wielkopolska. The characteristic instruments are richly ornamented bagpipes and kozły – they are produced up to this day.