<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nProduction of the famous pottery all starts in the basement where the clay and some other materials are mixed with water using a unique recipe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The basement has a number of different chambers. Each chamber stores different materials. These materials are then loaded and transported by wheelbarrows. They are then put onto a special machine with natural silicon rotors which make the clay mixture used for making tableware.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you watch my video, you will see my host, the main production manager Agnieszka Lipinska showing the size of a natural silicon rotor. It is large and pretty impressive. The mixing of the ingredients is one of the most crucial steps in the whole process of making the Boleslawiec pottery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/span>How Is Boleslawiec Pottery Made?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBoleslawiec pottery is made using two techniques: by slip casting or by forming individual shapes from clay by means of hand-driven or mechanical potter\u2019s wheels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>The Slip Casting Technique<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThe Slip Casting technique is used to form mugs, cups, teapots, and similar products. The technique involves a clay body slip that is poured into plaster moulds and allowed to form a layer on the internal walls of the mould.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A bowl that I saw being made was formed for 4 minutes. The amount of time spent however differs based on the product that is being formed. Vessels with small elements that are more delicate require manual molding. Here things like handles are manually added on by employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Forming Individual Shapes Of Clay<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThis is the second technique that is used to form simple tableware such as plates. One worker can produce up to 1200 plates during one working day which is so impressive!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once the ceramics are formed, the raw ceramics are left for one day to dry out. Some of the ceramics are pre-painted the next day. There is a reason for this. Boleslawiec pottery has a very strong color and the upper layer needs to be placed before. If this is not done, the artists\u2019 hands will get dirty fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Preliminary Firing<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThe next step in making Boleslawiec pottery is preliminary firing at 800\u00b0C or 1472\u00b0F. When this is done the products shrink slightly. They also become hard and pale pink in color. At this point, they are called ‘biscuits’. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Decorating Polish Pottery<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nNext, the biscuits are dusted and then moved to the decoration department. Here they are all hand-covered with elaborate patterns using underglaze paints. Some items are decorated using stamps made of sponge or rubber. Other items are uniquely hand-painted using floral patterns, Christmas themes, and other different motifs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is interesting that painting pottery is almost an exclusively female occupation. There are only 3 male painters working in the factory right now!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Each employee is equipped with a tablet with step-by-step guides on how to make each pattern. Despite the guides, hand painting the pottery is not an easy job. One mistake and the entire dish has to be thrown away because you can’t erase the painting. I imagine that this makes the painting process a very stressful profession.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So what happens when there is a small pattern missing on the pottery? This pottery is then sold as a second or third sort in an Outlet store that\u2019s located right next to the factory. If you are not a professional, you can\u2019t really notice the difference. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I bought some second sort pottery for myself and I still don\u2019t see what\u2019s wrong with my mugs. So you can see what attention to detail goes into making the iconic Boleslawiec pottery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two final steps of producing the pottery from Boleslawiec are glazing and final firing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Glazing The Boleslawiec Pottery<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nGlazing is performed by submerging vessels in a vat filled with a liquid glazing compound or by applying the glaze using a spray gun. Before the final firing, the decoration is invisible under the glazing applied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The glaze is then removed manually from the bottom of the dish otherwise it would stick to the oven when firing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>The Final Firing Of Boleslawiec Pottery<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nPainted and glazed products are then fired in special-purpose stoves that reach temperatures over 1200 Celsius or 2200 Fahrenheit degrees, for a total of around 14 hours. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
During this final firing, pottery becomes resistant to damage. In the last stage of the process, the glazing is transformed into a thin transparent coat that reveals the decoration. The final Boleslawiec pottery is beautiful and is nothing short of a work of art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Quality Control Of Boleslawiec Pottery<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nAs I mentioned before, there is a lot of attention to detail that goes into making the famous Polish pottery. The pottery is checked at every step of the production process by quality control. This is a laboratory where the entire process of production is checked, measured, and verified. That way you can be sure that whatever you buy is perfect, authentic, and beautiful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So that\u2019s the entire production process! You will find that right next to the factory, there is a shop and outlet where you can buy the pottery from Boleslawiec. I must admit this place feels like heaven to me! There are so many beautiful patterns and colors to choose from! They are too hard to resist!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>History Of Boleslawiec Pottery<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nI want to end this post by telling you a little bit more about Boleslawiec and the history of producing ceramics in the town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The town is located in the southwestern part of Poland, close to the border with Germany and Czechia. Even though Boleslawiec is a small Polish town, you can hear foreign languages anywhere you go. This is because the American military base is nearby and there are also many Ukrainian refugees living in the town right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s not sure for how long the pottery in Boleslawiec was produced but it probably started in the Middle Ages. Some people theorize that it started even earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the 18th century, Johann Gottlieb Joppe made a huge vessel called the \u201cLarge Pot\u201d in Boleslawiec. It was more than 2 meters: 6,5ft high which made it the biggest in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The total population of Boleslawiec is less than 40,000 people. Nowadays you will find that almost every family living in Boleslawiec has someone that works in the pottery industry. That should not be a surprise because it is one of the major sources of income for the city.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Boleslawiec is so famous for its pottery that pottery-making and art are some of the most popular occupations in the area. It is therefore not surprising that many of the things to do in Boleslawiec revolve around the famous Polish Pottery. If you are visiting Boleslawiec, be sure to walk around the old town too! […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3278,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[21,17],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Visiting Boleslawiec Pottery Factory (+Things To Do In Boles\u0142awiec Poland) - Travel Poland Tours<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n