Bolesławiec - the city of ceramics. Attractions worth visiting

Bolesławiec, located in the north-western part of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, is a beautiful, historic town known mainly for its ceramic tradition and rich history dating back to the 13th century. It is one of the most beautiful cities in the region, tourists come here for interesting monuments, walking trails, interesting events and unique products made of characteristic, navy-white ceramics with beautiful patterns with peacocks and hand-painted decorations. Check out our guide to Bolesławiec!

Bolesławiec. Location and access

Bolesławiec is located in the north-western part of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, among forests, in the valley of the Bóbr River, on the border of the Lower Silesian Forests and the Kaczawskie Foothills. Not far from the borders with the Czech Republic and Germany, about 110 km west of Wrocław and slightly west ofLegnica. The easiest way to get here is via the A4 motorway (exit to DK94), e.g. from Wrocław by car in 1.5 hours or by train of the Lower Silesian Railways also in about 1.5 hours. From Krakow via A4 it is about 4 hours drive (nearly 400 km). From Katowice it is about 250 km and a 3-hour drive. Flixbus buses are also available.

Things to do in Bolesławiec What to see and do in Bolesławiec

Bolesławiec is such a typical walking city, where most of the attractions are located around the center, the heart of which is the main square, i.e. the market square. The monuments are heartwarming, and the museum with the possibility of workshops allows you to experience an interesting adventure. Here are the best attractions of Bolesławiec!

Market Square in Bolesławiec

Bolesławiec in Lower Silesia is located at the intersection of the former trade routes: the Via Regia Royal Road, connecting Western Europe with Russia and the road leading from the Czech Republic to the north. It was this location that determined the layout of the city and the large, rectangular Market Square. In the past, it was a place of trade, because the city was created at the intersection of these routes. The town hall stood along the route of the Royal Road. The Baroque Town Hall was rebuilt in 1781. It dominates over colorful tenement houses with ceramics on the facades. On the town hall tower, you can admire the Renaissance sgraffito.

After many centuries and numerous wars, the old town of Bolesławiec suffered damage, but regained its former splendor after revitalization carried out in 2006-14. An interactive fountain sparkling with different colors is a novelty. In addition to the Town Hall, you can see many colorful, well-maintained tenement houses on the market square, as well as a parsonage towering above the square.

Bolesławiec Town Hall

The first, still wooden Town Hall was built on the Market Square in Bolesławiec around the middle of the fourteenth century. In its place, a new brick building was erected in 1432. Since then, the building has been rebuilt many times, e.g. in the 16th century in the Renaissance style. Subsequent changes took place in 1781, when it acquired the features of the Baroque. Today it is a very impressive building, heterogeneous, with a high tower. Its oldest surviving part is the northern route with the tower, dated to the end of the fifteenth century.

Researchers attribute these elements to the activities of the outstanding Zgorzelec architect, Wendel Roskopf, who undertook a major reconstruction of the Town Hall in the years 1525-35. From that time there are two representative rooms on the ground floor, currently housing the Palace of Weddings. These interiors hide several smaller rooms, connected by a series of passages. The most interesting of them is a small hall with a magnificent circular vault with a characteristic arrangement of ribs in the form of stars. Also noteworthy is the former council hall, decorated with paintings, including a panorama of Bolesławiec and portraits of famous people associated with the city - Martin Opitz, Wendel Roskopf and Antoni Toscano.

Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Bolesławiec

The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Nicholas in Bolesławiec was erected in the Gothic style at the end of the 15th century, and more specifically in the years 1482-92. In the 16th century, several chapels were added to it from the south. Currently, it is the Marian Shrine in Bolesławiec. The beautiful rectory stands practically on the Market Square in Bolesławiec, towering above it, as high stairs lead to it. It offers a nice view of the city's spacious main square.

In 1642, the church was hit by a fire, after which the interior was rebuilt and equipped in the Baroque style. In the presbytery you can admire the main altar by Weber, completed in 1725, the painting "Crucifixion" from 1736 and the pulpit from 1722.
Address: ul. Kościelna

Ceramics Museum in Bolesławiec

An interesting Museum of Ceramics is located in Puckler's Palace, which dates back to the mid-nineteenth century. In addition, at Kutuzowa Street, in the Kutuzowa House, there is a branch called the Centre of Old Pottery Techniques. You can not only see exhibitions about the evolution of stoneware from Bolesławiec, learn about the process of manual production from clay to firing, but also take part in interesting family pottery workshops, which is an unforgettable adventure.
Address: Puckler's Palace, Zgorzelecka 28-29
Dom Kutuzowa, ul. Kutuzowa 14

Defensive walls and plants in Bolesławiec

In Bolesławiec, fragments of 14th-century medieval city walls have survived. The city had 3 city gates: Upper, Mikołajska and Lower. To this day, many fragments of the former fortifications have survived, along which there is also a defensive tower. The total length is up to 600 meters.
Address: Mickiewicza Street, Kubika Street, Grunwaldzka Street, Magistracka Street and others

Przemkowski Landscape Park

About 30 km northeast of the centre of Bolesławiec, there are magnificent heathlands covered by the Przemków Landscape Park. This place looks particularly charming in August and September, when the moors bloom in pink and purple. Nature trails and an observation tower over the Przemkowskie Ponds were created here. It is a perfect place for a walk, but also for a bike ride.

Other monuments in Bolesławiec

Bolesławiec boasts a historic urban layout along with a rich set of carefully restored monuments. The following are noteworthy here:

• Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, Ceramiczna Street/Ptasia Street - the oldest temple of the city, mentioned as early as in 1270. It stands outside the boundaries of the old town. A thirteenth-century chancel has been preserved from this original temple. Attention is also drawn to the Baroque altar and epitaphs on the walls from the 16th-18th centuries
• Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Pl. Castle - was built in the place of the former castle in the middle of the 18th century, as an Evangelical church. Interesting is the high church tower, 73 meters high, but this one was built later, because in the nineteenth century
• Dominican monastery, Teatralna Street - a baroque building from the 18th century formerly belonged to the order, and now the building houses the Office of the Rural Municipality
• Court in Bolesławiec, ul. Sądowa - a beautiful, neo-Gothic building can impress
• Promenade, Kubika Street - route with a fountain with a weather forecast, a tower and a monument to Kutuzov
• Railway viaduct, access from Wróblewskiego, Ceramiczna or Mostowa streets - the nineteenth-century stone bridge over the Beaver River consists of several dozen arched spans, reminiscent of a Roman aqueduct. It is 490 meters long and dates back to 1846. It is made of sandstone and interestingly, it is one of the longest objects of this type in Europe! These areas are an interesting place for picnics and recreation
• Thermal baths Bolesławiec, ul. Zgorzelecka 52

Ceramics in Bolesławiec

The favorable location of the city determined the rapid development of trade and all crafts. Bolesławiec was an important centre exporting saltpeter, as well as mediating in the salt trade. Gold was also mined here. The inhabitants were engaged in weaving, spinning and canvassing. Quite quickly, the city also became famous for its pottery production, and local ceramics are known all over the world to this day. It became famous in the Middle Ages. Currently, there is a Ceramics Museum here, and moreover, the largest festival of the city – the Bolesławiec Ceramics Festival, which takes place on the third weekend of August, is associated with this topic. It gathers tourists from all over the world, offering a rich cultural program and stalls with beautiful ceramics. Ceramic traditions are also manifested in the small architecture on the Market Square, where you can find an interesting ceramic fountain and benches with the famous blue pattern.

Brief history of Bolesławiec

The first mention of the settlement comes from around 1194. Bolesławiec received city rights between 1226 and 1251, thanks to Prince Bolesław the High. It is the same one that built the castle in Legnica and Wlenie. Bolesławiec suffered during the Hussite invasions in 1429, as well as during the Thirty Years' War. It also did not resist the destruction of World War II. And it has developed in the past thanks to pottery. The production of ceramics dates back to the 14th century, driven by local clay deposits. In 1945, Bolesławiec was incorporated into Poland after the expulsion of the Germans, and today it is famous for the annual Ceramics Festival.

Accommodation in Bolesławiec

We did not sleep in Bolesławiec only in Legnica, but below you will find many accommodation options in the city itself as well as in its surroundings.

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What's worth seeing in the area?

You don't have to travel far to find more interesting places. Within a radius of 100 kilometers, there are many attractions waiting for you that will certainly enrich your stay Your trip with additional memories.

• Czocha Castle, distance: 31.6  km
• Sky Walk Tower in Świeradów Zdrój, distance: 43.4  km
• Castle of Pigs, distance: 52.6  km
• Colorful Rudawy Janowickie Lakes, distance: 56.2  km
• Mużakowa Arch Geopark, distance: 62.9  km
• Mużakowski Unesco Park, distance: 66  km
• Bad Muskau Castle, distance: 66.4  km
• Książ Castle, distance: 69.1  km
• Church of Peace in Świdnica, distance: 79.7  km
• Grodno Castle in Zagórze Śląskie, distance: 82.2  km