The area of Nowy Tomyśl is characterized by low quality of soil. [...]at the end of the 18th century, people from Silesia, Brandenburg and Pomerania were brought in to farm its land. It is these people who started to deal with wicker and hop farming.
The area has largest concentration of the so-called Dutch villages in Wielkopolska. Even today, there are workshops creating wicker products both in the city and in its surrounding areas. The best proof of this are numerous wicker decorations on the streets, including the biggest wicker basket in Europe, situated on the market square. The exhibition, located in a reconstructed Dutch building from the 18th century, presents the tradition of wicker farming and basket-work, as well as the types of wicker, the ways of using it and the techniques of productions of wicker items. Another exhibition presents the history of hop-growing and the use of hop for the production of beer and in cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. The so-called Hunting Mansion, erected in 1977, hosts periodic exhibitions and natural science exhibits. The Museum organizes wicker workshops and outdoor activities. Hop and Wicker Fair, organized every year in September and harking back to the tradition of old wicker markets and fairs, enjoys the biggest popularity. [Zbigniew Szmidt; Museums in historic buildings and fafilities; Poznań 2007]