Fire destroys 350-year-old wooden church at Sanok open-air museum in Poland
A nighttime fire at the Museum of Folk Architecture in Sanok consumed a 1667 wooden church of St. Nicholas and damaged two adjacent buildings, with 27 fire units battling the blaze.
The fire
In the night of 15 to 16 August 2026, a fire broke out on the grounds of the Museum of Folk Architecture (Muzeum Budownictwa Ludowego) in Sanok, southeastern Poland. Firefighters received the report shortly after 1 AM, with one source specifying 1:20 AM, when museum security guards raised the alarm. By the time the first units arrived, the wooden church of St. Nicholas, dating from 1667 and originally from the village of Bączal Dolny, was already fully engulfed in flames. Approximately 10 other wooden buildings within a 50-meter radius were threatened. The fire spread from the church to two adjacent structures: a 19th-century cottage from Niebocko and a barn. The barn was completely destroyed, while the cottage lost its roof and one wall. Firefighters managed to save some exhibits from the cottage, but nothing could be recovered from the church, which had been recently restored.
- Fire reported by museum security guards
- Firefighting operations conclude
- Press conference by museum director and emergency services
- Scene inspection scheduled with fire expert
Response and damage
A total of 27 fire units and nearly 140 firefighters from both the State Fire Service (PSP) and Volunteer Fire Service (OSP) were dispatched to the scene. One source reported over 120 firefighters and approximately 20 units. The deputy commander of the Podkarpackie provincial PSP, Grzegorz Oleniacz, was present at the height of the operation. One firefighter suffered a burned hand. Firefighters prioritized protecting neighboring buildings since the church was already completely consumed. All remaining threatened buildings were successfully protected. The museum's director, Marcin Krowiak, confirmed that neither the church building nor its interior furnishings could be saved. The church housed organs older than the building itself, a main altar with an image of St. Nicholas, two side altars, liturgical equipment, religious paintings, and sculptures.
An irreparable loss
Krowiak said his first thought upon hearing the news was disbelief.
It may sound cruel, but I thought: any other, just not this church. Because it was truly the pearl of our museum.
He described the church as one of the oldest not only in the Podkarpackie region but in all of Poland. He noted that a wooden cross standing 6 to 10 meters from the church remained virtually untouched by the fire, while the shingle roofing on a low wall surrounding the church burned completely. The heat was visible on the surrounding trees, showing how far the temperature had reached. Krowiak added that it was too early to decide whether the church would be reconstructed. The museum, founded in 1958, holds over 150 heritage buildings showcasing the culture of the Polish-Ukrainian Carpathian borderlands. It is the first and largest ethnographic museum in Poland established after World War II. Films such as "Syberiada polska" by Janusz Zaorski and "Wołyń" by Wojciech Smarzowski were filmed on its grounds.
Investigation and closure
Police secured the scene until firefighting operations concluded. A scene inspection was scheduled for Sunday at 11 AM with a fire expert.
The collected evidentiary material and secured evidence will serve to clarify the circumstances and causes of this event.
The museum announced it would remain closed to visitors until further notice, and Sunday's planned antique fair and art market on the Galician market square were cancelled. The causes of the fire remain unknown.
