Stanislaw Witkiewicz (1851-1915) was a larger than life character who bestrode the cultural life of his day like an eccentric prophet. Besides being a gifted painter, he was also a key critic and the creator of the celebrated 'Zakopane Style' of architecture. Fed up with the deluge of Swiss style chalets that were popping up across the countryside, he decided that Poland (which had been robbed of her sovereignty) needed her own style of architecture, and it was in the Highlands that he found his inspiraration. This building - the Villa Koliba - was his first experiment in the style, and today it houses a delightful museum about the creator and his art. The style was an all embracing idiom with even the furntiture echoing local traditions. Upstairs, the collection of his son's pastel portaits (Stanislaw Junior was even more larger than life than his father) is a revelation.
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