BOLESLAWIEC – Poland

Boleslawiec is one of the oldest cities in south-west Poland. The settlement was established as early as the late 12th century. After World War II, Polish people from the territories of today’s Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, France, Ukraine, Lithuania and Belarus settled in the city and its surroundings. This multiculturalism is now reflected in culture, art, traditions and culinary arts. The cultural institutions of of Boleslawiec City Commune include the Museum of Ceramics, the Boleslawiec Cultural Center – International Ceramics Center (BOK-MCC) and two Tourist Information Desks; the Department for Promotion and Development at the Boleslawiec City Hall is responsible for the coordination of activities aimed at ceramics promotion. Resting on natural clay deposits, Boleslawiec has become a strong and significant European pottery complex. Boleslawiec ceramics is a hard, impermeable stoneware, fired at 1200-1300°C. Its characteristic feature is the underglaze decoration made with stamps and brushes. The production range-mainly tableware- is exported globally. The most important cultural events include the Boleslawiec Festival of Ceramics organized since 1994, an open-air event attracting exhibitors, producers and enthusiasts of ceramics from all over the world and the annual International Ceramics and Sculpture Symposium, welcoming artists from all over the world since 1996. The ceramic plants in Boleslawiec cooperate closely with the Academy of Fine Arts in Wroclaw, the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow and the AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow.

The tradition of handmade pottery in Boleslawiec dates back to medieval times, and although centuries have passed, the technique of production has not changed that much. Despite some minor changes in the production process, the tableware so far is either hand-painted or painted by the “stamp” method. And this is what makes it a unique handmade product in the world because of its uniqueness.

The Museum of Ceramics has two departments. In the Ceramics Department at ul. Mickiewicza 13, you can learn about the history of Boleslawiec pottery from the Middle Ages to the present day. In the City History Department at ul. Kutuzowa 14, you can see a model of Boleslawiec in the first half of the 19th century, the exhibition “In the old pharmacy”, the bedroom of Marshal Kutuzov and the collection of military items from the Napoleonic Wars period. Temporary exhibitions on various topics are also presented here.

Mickiewicza 13, 59-700 Boleslawiec
+48 75 644 47 00

The Boleslawiec Cultural Center is a self-government organization, a public cultural institution, whose founding body is the Municipality of Boleslawiec. On November 25, 2009, the Boleslawiec City Council, by Resolution No. XLV/370/09, changed its name and granted a new statute. Since January 2010, our facility has been called the Boleslawiec Cultural Center – International Center of Ceramics.

pl. Marszałka J. Piłsudskiego 1C – 59-700 Boleslawiec
+48 75 644 21 45
www.bok.boleslawiec.pl

In 1918, the Academy of Fine Arts celebrated a hundred years of work. It was a year, when Poland regained independence, what added symbolism to the jubilee. An interesting connection is also a fact, the first Prime Minister of Poland was Jedrzej Moraczewski, son of Maciej, an architect who designed the building on Matejko Square. In the 1920s, a students’ initiative functioned at the Academy, the Paris Committee (in Polish Komitet Paryski, usually abbreviated to “Kapist“). It was a movement that focused on sending art students to Paris, where they developed their talent under the eye of Jozef Pankiewicz, a mentor of young Polish artists. One of the students was a Jozef Czapski, who later created a Polish artistic circle in Paris. After World War II, the Academy was merged with the University of Fine Arts. In 1950–1956 it operated under a name of Academy of Plastic Arts. On the 100th anniversary of functioning as Academy, in 1979, it was given a name of Jan Matejko.

plac Jana Matejki 13, 31-157 Kraków
+48 122992039

Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Art and Design in Wroclaw is a state university. It educates students on full-time studies and part-time studies in seven directions in four faculties: Faculty of Painting and Sculpture, Faculty of Graphics and Media Arts, Faculty of Interior Architecture and Design and Faculty of Ceramics and Glass.

Generała Romualda Traugutta 19/21, 50-416 Wrocław
www.asp.wroc.pl

The AGH University is a modern university that actively participates in fostering a knowledge-based society and creating innovative technologies.

al. Adama Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Kraków
+48 12 617 22 22
www.agh.edu.pl

Every year in the middle of August the famous Pottery Festival is taking place in Boleslawiec. It lasts usually from Wednesday till Sunday. The main aim of these few days is to promote polish pottery from Boleslawiec. People from all around the world come to our city to admire the regional handicraft, make new business contacts or buy pottery. Additionally different artistic events are taking place during the festival to make this time unforgettable for the visitors.

Laziska 45, 59-700 Boleslawiec
+48 600 515 016
www.ceramikagalia.pl