The Memorial House of Zofia Ryzy

The house of Memory of Zofia Ryży was built in 1881-1883 by Wincenty Ryży and was named in honour of his wife and last occupant, Zofia Ryży, who became a person who continued her father's work and promoted the mother tongue and history of Poland among the youth in Adampol. The house of Ryży family was one of the most magnificent houses in the whole village and fulfilled a role of culture centre. It included the richest book collection of Polish literature.

The house of Ryży family was also one of the oldest guest-houses in the village and was always teeming with life.

Numerous, multilingual notes in old memory books what confirms that was the oldest house. The oldest note was from 1916.

According to Zofia Ryży's wish and thanks to goodwill of her heirs - Lesław Ryży and Antoni Dochody - and thanks to support of Cultural Foundation of Adampol in Warsaw (which was founded in 1991), the house became a place, where all the souvenirs of the history of Adampol and life of inhabitants were accumulated and available to people. That was an idea of the curator of National Ethnography Museum in Warsaw. The preparation works were made in spring 1992 by a group of ethnographers from Warsaw. The House of Memory of Zofia Ryży was officially opened during the 150t anniversary of the settlement, on 4th of July 1992. In the years 2001-2003 the house was renovated and conserved.

There were some regular exhibitions. The owners: Antoni Dochoda and Lesław Ryży (Leslaf Rizi) made some renovation and preparation works. In 2002 a group worked under Jerzy Szałygina (a specialist for wood architecture conservation) guidance restored the building and its equipment. That was an order of Fight and Martyrdom Memory Protection Council. Dr Anna Malewska-Szałygin, from the Ethnology and Anthropology Faculty on the Warsaw University, cooperating with mgr Jolanta Adamska from the Fight and Martyrdom Memory Protection Council completed the exhibition.

The house consists of four rooms, where we can still see some old furniture and a piece of old equipment. On the walls and in the showcases there are photos, portraits and pictures, and also some documents that illustrate the rich history of the Polish equipment.