We learnt about Arkady Fiedler Museum in Puszczykowo thanks to the kindness and recommendation of an employee of the museum in Kórnik Castle.

Most of us know that Arkady Fiedler was a leading voyager and writer. We read the book "Squadron 303" at school and due to other Polish travellers, we can encounter many unusual tales from his expeditions. We had no idea about the enormity of his numerous journeys and research trips. During the 90 years of his life he made 30 expeditions, and as we found out in the museum, he used to scrupulously prepare for them, having at his disposal not the ubiquitous and omniscient Internet, but maps, atlases and books about the lands he was going to.

His works add up to 32 books translated into 23 languages and over 10 millions editions. His books captivate us with their simplicity and equally with their picturesque nature, and they bring people from different parts of the world together. They show how sensitive to the beauty of the world was their author. Those who have read them do not need to be reminded of books like "Canada fragrant with resin", or "The fish sing in Ukajala". Those who haven't read his books, I recommend them as a window on the world of tolerance and respect for different cultures and customs.

The museum was established in 1974 by Arkady Fiedler and his sons Marek and Arkady Radosław in the old family home near Poznań. Thanks to Feliks Skrzypczak, the house has regained its old glow, and the exhibition was put together under the watchful eye of Zygmunt Konarski. In the course of time, younger generations of the family have become involved in the activity of the museum. Due to this, the value of museum, not only in the material sense, is steadily rising.

Today in Puszczykowo we can see the world in a nutshell. The museum at the home has accumulated amazing mementos from journeys, works of art, hunting trophies, books, and rare birds and animals from different parts of the world. In the Garden of Culture and Tolerance we are surrounded by replicas of famous statues and monuments, which for various reasons we can't see in reality. The copy of the 1,700-year-old statue of a standing Buddha from Bamjan in Afghanistan, completely destroyed by the Taliban in 2001, made the biggest impression on me.

For my active children the biggest hit was the 1:1 scale replica of Santa Maria, the legendary sailing ship of Christopher Columbus. It took four years to build the ship, and Christopher Columbus, the Duke of Veragua and the famous explorer's descendant, made the formal opening. The replica (which you may visit) is 20 metres long and 6 metres wide, and even though it was a big, modern and well-equipped ship, the awareness of an expedition in the middle of nowhere must have been intimidating.

After the outbreak of the Second World War, Arkady Fiedler set out from Tahiti through France to Great Britain. There he met some Polish airmen who had fought heroically in The Battle of Britain. He wrote the book "Squadron 303" about them. In the museum garden you can see a 1:1 scale replica of the fighter plane Hawker Hurricane MK I. On the nacelle you can see the final outcome of Squadron 303 in The Battle of Britain – 126 enemy aircraft shot down. The famous ace Witold Urbanowicz flew a fighter just like this.

I don't want to tell you about every surprise waiting for you in Puszczykowo. I will mention only that you can go to the dark and mysterious world of the Native Americans, come face to face with a Native American leader and go into a pyramid, and for the adults visitors there waits an erotic treat.

We are going to go back to Puszczykowo. We will see once again the whole exhibition and maybe we will find something new for us in this amazing family melting pot full of tolerance, history and culture from the whole world.

I recommend it!