Girl's Trip Day 2--Factory Tour of Manufaktura
We started day two bright and early to maximize our shopping opportunities. Boleslawiec, Poland is home base for the Polish pottery industry. The area around Boleslawiec is rich in clay and for 1000 years inhabitants have been putting it to good use. Today the hand painted blue and cream pottery is manufactured in this small town by several companies; some small, some big.
Carla arranged for us to take a tour of the the Manufaktura factory--which if you have time for, is very worthwhile and it only costs €1.50. Click here to book your own tour.
According to our tour guide, Manufaktura exports 80% of it's pottery to the United States. So popular has it become with Americans that they even have a stars & stripes pattern. I am more attracted to the peacock eye myself, but do have one piece that is covered in stars and it's a great compliment to the others.
As in most factories, there is an assembly line of workers--we passed by women who made nothing but cup handles. Another formed the bowls, another painted a stripe on the tea pot lid and another dipped the painted pottery in glaze. Several steps, each touched by a human hand. It gave me a greater appreciation for the craftsmanship and the pricing structure.
The clay used for the pottery is just sitting outside under what looks like a car port. All pottery is hand painted, but the work is made easier by these little sponges which are cut by lasers. A finished piece looks pastel, but once it bakes in the oven it will turn into dark greens, blues and red. While the most common pieces are blue and cream, new designs feature bright colors with intricate patterns. The advantage of visiting Boleslawiec was being introduced to so many patterns--many I'd never seen before.
The artist in the bottom right corner is a master artist and he will do customized designs, for a price of course!
I have never been to Poland although my great grandparents came from a region which had been German before. It must be an interesting country to visit !
ReplyDeleteWe've only been to Krakow, Auschwitz, and Boleslawiec--Krakow is a fantastic place to visit--I would highly recommend a visit.
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