Breweries, distilleries and inns
Breweries, distilleries and inns - once the heart of every Podlasie village
Today it is difficult to imagine that, only a few centuries ago, almost every village in the area had its own inn. Inns were places for meetings, trade and rest after work.
If you stay at Dla Ciebie w Kuraszewie, walking around the area or using our original guide with its bicycle and car routes, you will pass places where the life of earlier generations once unfolded.
Under serfdom, the so-called propination law meant that villagers could buy alcohol only at the inn owned by the lord of the village. They were often required to purchase a set amount of beer or vodka every year.
For estate owners it was an extremely profitable business. It was no coincidence that people used to say that a peasant was reluctant to go to work, but always found his way to the inn of his own accord.
The distillery at Trywieża
Near Kuraszewo, at Trywieża, one of the largest distilleries belonging to the Branicki estate operated in the 18th century. In 1779 alone it produced close to 80,000 litres of vodka.
The spirits were sent to more than sixty inns in the Bielsk land and some travelled as far as Gdańsk. Today it is difficult to imagine such enormous production in the peaceful area we know for its quiet, forests and fields.
Two inns in Kuraszewo
Few people know that Kuraszewo itself had two inns. One stood at the southern edge of the village and the other on the road to Rzepiska.
According to local stories, the second one was built away from the houses so that wives would have farther to go to reach their husbands and would visit less often. Legend says that eventually the women’s patience ran out and the inn was burned down by them.
We meet differently today
Although the old inns are gone, you can still feel the atmosphere of a shared table in Kuraszewo. At the Guest Barn we prepare dishes inspired by Podlasie cuisine and local produce.
With our original guide you can visit places where inns and distilleries once stood, then return to Kuraszewo for a quiet evening and good food.
Fortunately, no one is obliged to visit an inn today. But many of our guests return to the Guest Barn of their own free will.
