Inside the unique European village where all 6,000 residents live on the same street

A picture-postcard village in Poland might be an extrovert's dream - or an introvert's worst nightmare - as all 6,000 of its residents live and work on the same stretch of road.

Sułoszowa, located around 29 km north-west of the regional capital, Kraków, is home to an intricate patchwork of green and gold fields and a cluster of modest homes with red and blue roofs.

Though life in the seemingly ordinary village is described by locals as 'slow and fairly quiet,' Sułoszowa has seen a surge in tourism over recent years due to its rather unique layout.

A singular road, one of the longest in Poland at approximately nine kilometres, runs through the vast green space - where all 6,000 residents live, shop and work.

From a birds eye view, the village's winding network of fields and linear roads resembles a leaf, as noted by Katarzyna Bieda from the Gmina Sułoszowa council.

She told the Express: 'Sułoszowa is immersed in nature with lots of forests and fields. These fields have made us famous all across the world thanks to drone pictures in which our fields surrounding the main street look a little bit like a leaf.'

On why the town has been built around a single road, Bieda explained: 'The one street thing comes from the past, when it was easier for people to live on one street, mostly because of road communication.'

Posted and shared millions of times online by mesmerised social media users, tourists have since flocked to the village to see its colourful sweeping fields first-hand.

In 2023, MailOnline visited Europe's 'hidden gem,' part of the Ojcowski National Park, to find out whether life is as idyllic on the ground, as it appears from above.

Local shop owner, Edyta, said: 'I saw the aerial picture on the internet and I know that people are talking about us, and I am not that surprised, it is a lovely view.'

'There is a good sense of community here. We have Strawberry Days where we all get together and taste the new crops and play live music. We also have Potato Days where we do the same thing.'

However, she added: 'But people like to gossip. And everyone knows everyone.'

Another resident, local tractor driver Marian Gęgotek, said: 'Life here is slow and fairly quiet, but I like it. Until I saw the pictures from above, I didn't really appreciate how nice it is here.'

The sleepy village, which was founded in the 16th century by an aristocratic army officer, is isolated from other villages by long stretches of empty road.

While its extraordinary structure may initially draw visitors, Sułoszowa has become something of a hotbed for tourism, with visitors flocking to explore local cliffs, ravines and over 400 caves each year.

Dubbed a 'little Tuscany', at one end of the village is a dramatic rock formation on top of which is perched a 14th castle with 'to-die-for views' of the local countryside.

Read More

There is also the 'Bludgeon of Hercules', a 98-foot-tall limestone column thrusting into the sky.

One of the attractions is the so-called Trail of the Eagles' Nests, a string of fortifications stretching from Krakow to the holy city of Czestochowa 100 miles away.

But despite the throngs of tourists descending on the village, more and more of its younger residents are leaving.

One of the village's oldest residents, 74-year-old Stanisław whose house sits directly under a towering rock of sandstone said: 'I wouldn't call it idyllic here.

'The youngsters are going abroad or to big cities for work. And those that are here race their cars and motorbikes up and down the street outside my house.

'It's unbearable. Sundays are the worst because then we get all the tourists staring through my window.'

With no local pub, and with the village restaurant closing around 5pm, when not racing each other, the 'youngsters' often head to club Apogeum in the neighbouring village of Trzyciąż, 6.5 miles away.

For the rest of the village, in addition to the 'strawberry and potatoes days' the local community centre holds a regular 'Club for Seniors.'

Local nun Jolanta from the village's 14th-century Sacred Heart of Jesus church said: 'The village's Seniors' Club is a great place that is buzzing with activities.'

She added: 'I think the reason our village is such a hit is because people here take good care of their fields, this is way it looks so nice, the fields are cultivated.

'And it is wonderful to walk among them and enjoy the countryside and silence, you are almost guaranteed to see some deer and other wild animals.'

It comes as a little-known lake in Slovenia has been described as one of Europe's 'most beautiful' places to visit in 2025.

Lake Bohinj picked up the accolade in a ranking of Europe's 15 best beauty spots by Lonely Planet.

Spanning 318 hectares, Lake Bohinj is the largest permanent lake in Slovenia and is located in the country's Triglav National Park.