The birdwatching walk and guided tour of the Zofia and Oskar Hansen House is a wonderful opportunity to take a broader look at Szumin—not only at the architects’ house built there, but also at Szumin as a home to many species of birds.
The event will be divided into two parts:
Part One: Birdwatching Walk (approx. 2 hours) We will go on a walk with an ornithologist to observe birds in the vicinity of Szumin. The town is located in a very scenic area, namely the Lower Bug River Valley. The Bug is one of the last Polish rivers where most of the valley retains its natural character. It serves as a refuge for a wide variety of bird species, both those nesting near the river and those stopping here during migration. Here you can encounter waterfowl, species inhabiting open meadows, as well as birds associated with forests and woodlands, which are plentiful along the river. Thanks to the great diversity of habitats in the immediate vicinity of Szumin, there will be a chance to encounter many species from very different groups during the walk.
Part Two: Tour (approx. 45–60 minutes) After the walk, we will tour the Zofia and Oskar Hansen House, guided by a staff member from the Museum of Modern Art. Szumin is not just an architectural experiment—it is also a space for daily rituals and relationships: dinners at a table set in the open space under the roof, working together in the garden, the dovecote, summer gatherings, and garden vernissages. For the Hansens, the house was not just a place to live—it was the practical embodiment of their Open Form theory, a space that evolves alongside its inhabitants and responds to their needs.
GUIDE
Bartosz Smyk – ornithologist, naturalist, and nature educator. Since 2020, an employee (previously a member and volunteer) of the Polish Society for the Protection of Birds. He works on the Polish Bird Monitoring team and as the administrator of the Ornitho.pl portal. For many years, he has been associated with the Silesian Ornithological Region, particularly the Barycz Valley, where he has spent the most time birdwatching. Organizer of goose counts in Silesia and co-coordinator of the Goose Roosting Site Monitoring program. Author and co-author of ornithological articles, nature guide, bird bander, and also a tracker of bird traces in cultural works.