One of the main donors is German collector Hans Martin Kühn and his wife. The couple donated a rich collection of approximately 600 exhibits to the museum. These are mainly vessels from 1900–1945 made in Bolesławiec and neighboring towns (including Nowogrodziec). Two-thirds of the collection will remain in Bolesławiec, while one-third was transferred by the Museum of Ceramics to its partner museum in Goerlitz.
“For sixteen years, no museum has shared its gift with us,” said a grateful deputy director of the Schlesisches Museum, Dr Martin Kügler. “I can confidently say that this is a global rarity.”
Another exceptional aspect was the German collector’s donation itself to a Polish museum, rather than leaving the collection in his homeland. Asked about the reason for his decision, Hans Kühn praised the professionalism and expertise of the museum staff in Bolesławiec.
“This ceramics comes from this region; it simply returned home,” the collector explained. “I grew up surrounded by these stamped vessels; they were in our family home, and when I married my wife, it turned out that her family also owned ceramics from Bolesławiec. There was no other option but to become a collector. Then we grew old, and the idea arose of leaving the collection in good hands. For a while, there was a plan to place it in a museum in Dusseldorf, but ultimately Bolesławiec was chosen,” said Hans Kühn, pleased with his decision.
Lucyna Fijałkowska (née Napiórkowska) from Bolesławiec donated to the local institution a decorative punch bowl adorned with painted decoration, a valuable, large porcelain vase made in Parowa, as well as a richly decorated porcelain plate from a Bavarian factory in Küps and a stoneware mug from Höhr. Particular attention is deserved by a rare mug bearing the coat of arms of Bolesławiec, originating from the Bolesławiec factory of J. Paul and covered with blue glaze.
Elements of a dinner service donated to the museum collection by Stanisław Wawrzynowicz were made at the same factory in the 1930s. It includes, among other things, two jugs, a bowl, a gravy boat and a creamer, decorated with stamped designs and painted decoration and covered with matte glaze.
Jacek Biernat donated a punch bowl from the K. Werner factory. Its striking appearance results from the use of decorative runny glazes, a technology developed through cooperation with the Vocational Ceramic School in Bolesławiec.
The German stoneware researcher Prof. Volker Ellwanger (Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz) donated extremely interesting exhibits to the Museum of Ceramics. They are mainly Bolesławiec bottles covered with earth glaze and vessels covered with salt glaze. For several years, the museum has cooperated with Prof. Ellwanger on research projects, exhibitions and publications devoted to stoneware.
“The donation of a private collection represents great trust in the Museum,” said Piotr Roman, the president who attended the meeting Piotr Roman. “It is proof of the high standing and importance of the Bolesławiec center. I understand how significant this gift is, because parting with a collection means parting with a part of one’s life. We are all the more honored that the collection will remain in Bolesławiec,” the president added, thanking the donors.
Some of the donated items will be displayed in the permanent exhibition at the Bolesławiec museum, available to residents and tourists from around the world. The vessels received, often unique, will also constitute important research material for the development of further studies concerning local stoneware.