Polish Pottery Trip to Boleslawiec, Poland

Before moving to Germany, I hadn't really heard about Polish pottery.  Once I came to Germany, I heard plenty.  People, and by people, I mean ladies, are obsessed with this stuff!  I know back in the States that shops that do carry the Polish pottery charge a very hefty price.  And it can be somewhat justified.  Poland is known for its pottery. It is well-made, hand-made, and there are so many designs to choose from. 

Most people find their pattern and fall in love with it.  Others have fun mixing and matching.  Personally, I was not initially interested in Polish pottery.  I thought, what can I do with these old fashion looking items?  But soon you get hooked. 

I took a day trip to Boleslawiec, Poland and spent the day at several different pottery shops that were located in the same general area.  In Poland, there isn't really a middle man jacking up all the prices, so the pottery is significantly cheaper.  And you are going directly to the source, so you have a pick at essentially any design your heart desires. 

I want to show you some of the pieces that I bought for myself.  The first is a coffee cup and plate.  This design, in my opinion is not typical of the pottery designs they have.  It has a forrest theme with a little cottage and tree that I thought was adorable.  How cozy.

I figured, I am most likely not going on another one of these trips (just for pottery at least) so I might as well make a splurge.  I saw this beautiful spice rack with yellow roses and burnt sienna accents.  This wasn't quite a splurge though as the price might have been doubled in the States.  I paid around 40 Euro for it.  It's not vintage, but looks modern day vintage.

The last item that I picked up for myself was at a nearby antique shop in Poland. Of course I had to stop in and check it out.  I ended up buying a light blue enamelware milk jug in pretty decent condition.  I have no idea of the year in which this piece was made.  I would guess maybe the 50's, but please let me know if you have any insight.  I think I am a new enamelware/graniteware fan!

In this antique store there were also some other very "interesting" historical items displayed in the back. 

I did end up buying a lot more Polish pottery than shown, but I will have to wait quite a while to show them because they are gifts!  But I will post them eventually.

Currency in Poland is by the Zloty, so I basically had to take the price in Zloty and divide by 4 for Euros or divide by 3 for the Dollar about and this would give you an estimate of what you were paying.

The next couple of images are of what I could snap with my iPhone.  Piles and piles of pottery and different designs over the span of about 6 different shops.

 

 

 

Bowls, mugs, cups, dog bowls, spoon rests, tea pots, salt and pepper shakers, cooking dishes, take your pick!

Butterdishes, saucers, and bobbles.

They had something for everyone and it was a bit overwhelming to choose between so many options. 

 Beautiful Polish pottery stepping stools.

In Ceramika Henry's Pottery store they had an upstairs.  The place was huge!  One room contained baking dishes for casseroles and such and the  other room was filled with various types of baskets.

The trip was long.  Only 4 hours from where I live, but it was a 6 hour bus ride.  I got everything that I wanted to get for gifts and got to experience what the hype is about. 

For lunch, we did get to experience some Polish food.  I was expecting the Polish comfort foods that my family makes on various family get togethers like pierogies, halusky, and pigeons (which I recently found out was the English way of saying Golabski).  But no, none of these items were on the menu, though my dish was very yummy.

I suspect this is because we were mere kilometers from the German border, so they integrate German foods with Polish foods.  I normally don't eat pork, but since living in Germany, it's practically impossible not to.  The Germans eat more pork than beef by far.  I had pork sirloin stuffed with feta cheese and a gravy sauce, green beans wrapped in bacon and the most amazing rosemary potatoes. 

Though these meals are typical of meals served at lunch in Germany and Poland, I will never get used to eating this amount of food, for lunch or any meal.  But in small doses, this food is amazing.  The waiter jokingly kept asking me why I didn't finish my food.

I do wish that we had time to go view some of Poland outside of pottery, but there just wasn't enough time.  I would love to see some of the sights and learn more about Poland especially since it's not too from where I live.  For now, I will have to say, next time!

Are there any Polish pottery junkies out there?

Linking up at: Savvy Southern Style

                    Her and Nichole

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