Centuries-long ceramic traditions may be traced in the collections of the Museum of Ceramics, and in the footsteps of famous potters and ceramic artists - J.G. Joppe, W. Pukall and A. Hennig. The town also has a few outstanding sculptures by famous artists, such as J.L. Weber, K.F. Schinkel, P. Breuer and the Bolesławiec-based sculptress, J. Bary-Doussin.

Johann Gottlieb Joppe /1723 - 1788/

This famous potter was born to a protestant family in the Saxon town of Muskau, a well-known ceramics centre. He arrived to Bolesławiec in 1751, passed his mastery exams and gained the citizen’s rights. Two years after settling in the city, at the age of 30, Joppe made the Great Pot in his pottery at Zgorzelecka St.

The Great Pot - The Market Square (34)

Today’s Wielki Garniec (Great Pot) by W. Garnik and A. Trzaska refers to the famous work of Joppe from 1753. The original had truly imposing dimensions: height - 2.15 m perimeter in middle height - 4 m capacity - 1,970 litres weight - 600 kilograms The time it took to create the clay monster is not known. The pot was left on the potter’s wheel, and -due to its size - was not fired, but rather subjected to a slow drying process. The work must have been done in stages - Joppe was likely to have thrown particular rings separately, and then masterfully lute all the parts together. The final effect proved his high skills and the real pottery genius. The Great Pot was moved to the pavilion at Kubika St in 1893, and then, in 1911, to the Museum. It was destroyed during World War 2.

Museum of Ceramics at 13 Mickiewicza St (35)

The Municipal Museum in Bolesławiec was opened on 9th November, 1908. Local authorities provided 25,000 marks to that purpose, and the reconstruction was charged to E. Balzer. The Museum gathered archaeological, ethnographic and crafts collections, including a large collection of vessels from Bolesławiec and the vicinity. The present day’s Museum has been active since 1953, and starting from 1967 it has collected local stoneware and European ceramic works. The standing exhibition includes the oldest ribbed pitchers covered with bronze earth glazing, smooth bodies, covered with white cover sheets, vessels with antique motifs, designed by J.G. Altmann, first vessels ornamented using the stamp method, as well as works coming from the Ceramic School in Bolesławiec and those made by local ceramic factories of Julius Paul /founded in 1893/, Hugo Reinhold /1897/, Robert Burdack /1881/ and Carl Werner /managed by him since 1919/. The abundance of ornaments and forms of local ceramics is stunning: apart from the stamping, the methods used included poured glazing, crystalline glaze, spray decorating, cornet ornamenting, and the marquetry technique. After the second world war the local ceramic traditions were continued. Tadeusz Szafran, professor of the State School of Decorative Arts in Cracow, restarted production in Bolesławiec. The factory of “Ceramika Artystyczna” started co-operation with the State Academy of Arts in Wrocław right away. The first designs for the plant were made by students of the Ceramic department taught by professors Rudolf Krzywiec and Julia Kotarbińska. Museum was presented with works by Izabela Zdrzałka, Alicja Szurmińska-Krępowa, Amanda Różańska, Bronisław Wolanin, Wanda Matus, Janina Bany-Kozłowska. The exhibition also presents a white and blue table set, on which a meal was served to Pope John Paul II on board of the aircraft, during his departure from Poland on 10th June, 1997. The set was made at “Ceramika Artystyczna”.

Wilhelm Pukall /1860-1936/

In 1897 the city decided to set up the Vocational School of Ceramics. The headmaster was Wilhelm Pukall. He based the system of education on technical knowledge mainly, but aesthetic values of the works were equally important. The co-operation between the School and ceramic works, started by the headmaster, allowed to introduce many changes and modernisations. The potter’s wheel used up to those times was replaced by the casting method New ornaments appeared - such as poured and crystalline glazing; the stamps were complemented with spraying, cornet ornamenting and marquetry. The manufacturers that were most active in co-operation with the school were those of Paul, Reinhold, Burdack and C.Werner.

Tenement houses at 4 Kaszubska St (36)

The building with the former flat of Wilhelm Pukall, the first headmaster of the ceramics school. The house was built around 1904 and was designed in the style of late historicism, characterised by rich, modernised neo-gothic and neo-renaissance.

Artur Hennig /1880-1958/

A well-known painter, lithographer, draughtsman and ceramic artist in the period of modernism. He lectured at the ceramics school since 1925, focusing on the art of developing simple, functional porcelain vessels. Hennig departed from the stereotypical copying of historical patterns, towards designing sets of modern form, functional, simple and beautiful. The spare design was supposed to stress the very form of the vessel, and aiming for a purely functional form brought the works close to the aesthetics of Bauhaus.

Royal Vocational School of Ceramics - today, Electronic High School - Tyrankiewiczów st (37)

That was one of the three main schools of the type in the territory of Germany, modelled after Austrian solutions. Since its creation till the end of World War 1, it was called the Royal Vocational School of Ceramics, and from 1922 - the State Vocational School of Ceramics. The building from 1897, has raw brick facades, typical of the architecture of the Berlin school. The asymmetric composition features the main entrance and the staircase both moved to a side. Characteristically for the late 19th century, emphasis is placed on the high utilitarian and technical standard - with big, spacious and light halls assigned for drawing and modelling rooms. In the same style, a large green area is located next to the school /former Strzelecki Park, now - the Municipal Park/. In 1930 the building received a southern annexe with the Glass School - Glasfachschule, designed by Artur Hennig. The new section is an example of modernist architecture, and makes a perfect fit with the older part, creating a harmonious entity.

Georg Leonard Weber - /approx. 1670-75 ? - after 1732 ?/

One of the best known Silesian sculptors of late baroque, representing the Bohemian school in the fine arts of the 1st half of 18th century. A son of Jan Balthazar Weber, the court sculptor to Prince von Schwartzenburg of Franconia, Georg Leonard settled down in Świdnica, where - in the year 1699 - he received the town’s citizenship. He co-operated with the workshop of a Jesuit sculptor Jan Riedl. Their common work yielded a figurative ornament decorating the main pipes of the organ in the Świdnica church (1704-08). In later years, too, Weber did many works for the town of Świdnica, including figures of Saints in the main church, the well of Atlas and Atlants, works for the town hall and the palace of Krzeszów abbots. He also produced sculptures for Cieplice /ordered by the Schaffgotsches/, Duszniki, Namysłów and Wrocław The latter city has got the best of his works - the sculptural decoration of the Blessed Czesław chapel in the Dominican monastery. In Bolesławiec, besides his initial works of 1701, he created a set of six figures decorating the city gates /1723/, later moved to the Kościelny Square and to the main altar of the Holy Assumption church /1723-25/.

The Holy Assumption/St. Nicholas church - sculptures of the southern and western portals (2)

Sculptures of the southern portal presenting St. Roch and St. Sebastian Weber were made on the order of mayor S. J. Wolfgeil. At the beginning they decorated the Upper Gate, and were subsequently moved to their present place in 19th century. Latin chronograms on the plinth say: „ sanCtVs RoChVs seMper fVIt et aDerIt. In peste patronVs./ sanCtVs sebastIanVs MeDICVs et In peste patronVs”, and decoded it gives the date of the figures’ creation - 1723. Statues of the western gate - Saint Mary, St. Jadwiga, St. Joseph and St. John of Nepomuk - were funded by the Wolfgeil family in 1723 and used to decorate the Lower and Upper Gates.

The Holy Assumption/St. Nicholas church - the main altar presenting St. Mary’s Assumption (2)

The altar was made in the years 1723-25 on the order of provost Blutvogel. The scene of the Assumption was placed in the centre of a two-level architectural structure, under a representation of the Saint Trinity. On both sides of the central image there are 8 figures: St. Augustine, St. Nicholas, St. Stephen, St. Lawrence, St. Wenceslaus, St. Leopold, St. Peter and St. Paul. The upper level has 5 smaller statues of St. Jadwiga, St. Ludmila and allegories of Faith, Hope and Love. The monumental altar filles the presbytery, and its decorative value is increased by the colourful polychromy and lavish gold plating.

Museum of Ceramics, Department of History of Bolesławiec, 14 Kutuzova st - the sculpture of Jupiter (14)

The sculpture, created in 1701, is regarded one of the two earliest works by Weber, besides the Hercules figure, no longer preserved. Two garden statues were brought to the loggia of Gansel’s house at Zgorzelecka St in II half of 19th or in early 20th century.

Karl Friedrich Schinkel /1781-1841/

An architect, set-designer and painter, he was educated in Berlin and that is where most of his activities took place. He represented the classicising and neo-gothic current within the romantic school. His first works were implemented in the style copying the Greek antique, in later ones - he referred to Italian architecture. He did not abstain from engaging in industrial design, either. His most important achievements in Berlin include: the “New Guard” building, the cathedral, a theatre and the Altes Museum. Schinkel built palaces in Charlottenburg, Charlottenhof, the church in Krzeszowice and the castle in Kamieniec Ząbkowicki. In his paintings, Schinkel preferred romantic landscapes and views of gothic cathedrals. He was the author of 42 theatrical set designs.

Peter Breuer /1856 - 1930/

A respected German sculptor, professor and Senate member at the Academy of Fine Arts in Berlin. Of many projects, the most famous became his monumental works. Peter Breuer took part in many memorial competitions - including those for monuments of Bismarck and K.G. Suarez in Wrocław (1899, 1892), emperor’s memorials in Köln and Halle. His style adhered to what was called “naturalist baroque”, skilfully combining excellent nature study with a dose of decorativeness. The form of Breuer’s sculptures was in sure hands, so that the final effect is simple and graceful, with no artificial pose.

The sculpture of “Jesus, the children’s friend” - Zamkowy Square (38)

The memorial was funded by the Emperor and the Prussian Ministry of Culture, for the 150th Anniversary of the Royal Orphanage (today, it is the building complex in Bankowa St). The monument of supernatural scale was cut in a snow-white block of fine-grain marble. The stone was personally selected by the artist in the Italian town of Carrara. The sculptor also picked the place for the statue - in the yard of the so-called “Old House”, built between 1755 and 1764 by Gottfried Zahn, the founder of the Royal Orphanage. After World War 2, in 1960s, the monument was moved to the municipal cemetery at Śluzowa St, and in March 1998 - to Plac Zamkowy.

Jenny Von Bary-Doussin /1874 - 1922/

This daughter of landowner Etienne Doussin and Jenny Latermann was a talented sculptress. Having graduated from a school of arts in Dresden, she started her own studio. Later on, she moved to Berlin, and then to Munich. Her fame was first owed to busts of well-known opera singers and composers, including Richard Wagner, that could be admired at opera houses of Hamburg, Braunschweig and Magdeburg. Critics admired the versatility of her talent, ranging from bronze to stone, from small busts to monumental reliefs. Jenny’s work includes realistic bronze cast sculptures - young girls captivating with the light forms or naturalistic animal representations - as well as busts and gravestone statues cut in stone and styled after antique art. She also created large-size reliefs of pure, simplified form - this is where her Bolesławiec works belong - the relief on the Town Hall wall and two works inside the former Municipal Baths.

Municipal Baths - today the MOSiR building (the sports centre) at 52 Zgorzelecka St - reliefs by J. von Bary-Doussin (39)

The works of Jenny von Bary-Doussin can be seen on the eastern wall of the swimming pool. The old text (not preserved today) between the two reliefs said: “Oh come, hurry to this place prepared by a friend, so that after the excellent tonic you can go on in full power.” The subject of the reliefs are two contrastive scenes: one showing tired and exhausted people, the other - a scene of joy and vitality among the fitness-conscious lot. The sculptures were placed in the swimming pool constructed in years 1914-15, funded by the widow of M. Taemmer. Design of the pool building made use of the tower that was once part of the city’s ramparts. The architect managed to harmoniously combine a modern swimming-pool complex, a medieval defence tower and the building of the exclusive baths, erected in the northern-renaissance style in 1895.