AGH University of Science and Technology was established in 1919. The university enjoys an excellent reputation and ranks highly in league tables. In the category of technical universities, in a ranking compiled by the weekly magazine "Wprost", it holds first place. The university’s ceramics faculty is the only one of its kind in Poland.

According to Professor Antoni Tajduś, Vice-Rector of AGH University of Science and Technology, who attended the ceremony, the Bolesławiec centre offers an excellent opportunity to combine academic knowledge and many years of experience with practical skills and artistic expertise in ceramics, for which Bolesławiec is famous.

Bolesławiec as an academic centre

"This is a historic moment, made possible through the efforts of the authorities and Bolesławiec businesses," said Minister of National Defence Jerzy Szmajdziński. In his view, establishing an off-campus teaching centre is an example of development-oriented thinking and an expression of the university authorities’ far-sightedness. Off-campus centres in smaller towns are needed; thanks to them, young people have the same opportunities to obtain an education as their peers from large cities. The minister was echoed by the voivodeship marshal, Paweł Wróblewski: "Regions should be developed and the monopoly on education held by large cities should be broken."

Ceramic trachea

The first students of the new programme took a solemn oath and received their student record books. Representatives of AGH University of Science and Technology assured them that classes would be held not only in Bolesławiec but also in Krakow, and that students would actively participate in academic life.

The students also attended an inaugural lecture delivered by Professor Anna Ślósarczyk of AGH University of Science and Technology. It turns out that ceramics are not only decorative vessels. Few people know that ceramics are one of the biomaterials and have broad applications in medicine. Ceramic implants are used in orthopaedics, dentistry and surgery. It is possible to perform operations using such complicated replacements for living organs as... a ceramic trachea. Ceramic implants are chemically clean, adapt very well to the body, do not cause allergies and are relatively easy to sterilise. Unfortunately, their drawbacks include brittleness and rigidity.