Friday, April 15th

Boleslawiec - A Rare Find

The town of Boleslawiec isn't mentioned as a "place of interest" in the guidebooks. A Google search has more information about buying pottery online than visiting the town.

There's a church at on end of the perfect square where every structure is freshly painted and has a new roof.

This town has economic development, a great square, but no one knows. There's NO tourist information office - nothing.


Yes, it's still cloudy and sometimes raining.

A town hall at the other end of the square.

Lunch at a restaurant operating since the 11th century.

My lunch of beetroot soup and meat-filled croquette with a glass of natural blackberry wine was $5.


Our studio apartment ($41/night) is in the red building on the left (middle of the square). We're on the fourth floor (attic) - lotsa stone steps.

Remains of medieval fortress walls  are glimpsed within a three block radius of the square - a high wall or tower.


Visited ceramics factories  - rather their attached shops (skeps). Large operations and small shops, one right after another like a strip mall.

Visited a museum of ceramics. Signage included English and saw a short film (English version). It was like a private showing. Everyone else was Polish.

Polish pottery (which is made in Boleslawiec) started using designs featuring circle, dots, fish scales and peacock eyes around 1900. Recognizable once you know.

The museum docent recommended  the shop we liked - Ceramica Artystyczna.

Tomorrow we head north to Poznan. Had difficulty finding an apartment.

While at the town museum, Sandy got an email  reply from an airbnb inquiry. After lots of back/forth (our iPad has Polish cellular), we booked the apartment from the museum's WW2 display ($52/night). Whew. Done.

Later, while having a beer in the square, we heard music from what sounded like a ceremony. A German Pole at the neighboring table told us it's a celebration commemorating the 1,050th anniversary of Christianity in Poland.

Both sides of Poland's parliament convened in Poznan today. Poland's president and wife were there too. A nearby town was visited by the bishops of Poland. The celebration continue tomorrow....

So that's why booking in Poznan was so hard.