On a beautiful sunny morning on 3 May 1992, at several points around the city (the Market Square, Piłsudskiego Square and Asnyka Street), secondary-school students sold the newspaper at tables set up for the occasion. The masthead, featuring distinctive, seemingly casually drawn lettering by Jan Domaradzki, caught the eye.
Franciszek Uściński, the newspaper's editor-in-chief, wrote an editorial entitled "We are setting out... here we place a local publication in your hands and submit it to your judgment..."
"Głos Bolesławca" was created by a group of enthusiasts gathered around the Towarzystwo Miłośników Bolesławca – "... whoever wishes may write an article, a tribute, an anecdote, a literary work, etc.; the editorial team is not closed."
That was how it began. The first issue featured the following titles: "Who Loves Our City", "Our Representatives in the Sejm and Senate", "What Street Names", "Culture at a Crossroads", "In Piastowski Bolesławiec", "Work on the City's History", "The Kutuzov Monument", "Sport", "Police Chronicle"...
This foreshadowed the character of the future newspaper: the city's history, culture, architectural monuments, traditions, a chronicle of events and the people of the city. By necessity, the monthly could not be a current-affairs, interventionist or sensationalist newspaper.
As it developed, the individual sections grew; "Municipal News" from Gmina Bolesławiec was also added, informing readers from the city and villages about what was happening in the gmina and its individual villages.
The city's history was the only source of information for school students interested in the history of the city, who could also contribute to enriching it as part of the "small homelands" programme.
Historical texts were written by: Barbara Berduła, Zygmunt Brusiło, Krzysztof Olczak, Włodzimierz Kowalski, Zdzisław Mirecki, Paweł Śliwko, Jan Żuralski, Rev. Dr Zdzisław Lec, Franciszek Uściński, Bogdan Czyżewski and Lucyna Fijałkowska.
The newspaper served as a chronicle of events, particularly cultural ones. It contained information about plein-air art events, exhibitions and concerts, such as Blues nad Bobrem. "Głos" published resolutions of the City Council, giving residents an opportunity to familiarise themselves with them. The newspaper expanded, and new correspondents joined, including correspondents from the friendly city of Siegburg. Rev. Dr Zdzisław Lec began his regular series "from the history of the Church in Bolesławiec and the chronicle of Bolesławiec parishes".
In 1993, "Głos" launched the "Gift of the Heart" campaign, whose aim was to raise money to purchase medical equipment for the hospital in Bolesławiec.
The city chronicle was supplemented with a historical insert containing full documentation of the celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of Bolesławiec's return to the Motherland.
From 1995, the municipal news section expanded to include the gminas of Nowogrodziec and Osiecznica. "Głos" gave many young people, students of Bolesławiec schools, an opportunity to make their literary debuts (Agnieszka Dzikowska, Bernard Łętowski, Dominika Chirowska, Karolina Rasławska, Wioletta Sądaj, two Ewas – Nowakowska and Lipińska, Małgorzata Wesołowska, Agnieszka Chojnowska, Marta Soja (Martucha) and many anonymous contributors), whose works were published in the "Young Voices" section.
From the beginning, the newspaper was accompanied by wonderful drawings, aphorisms and jokes by Stanisław Graczyk. Thanks to him for that...
After Franciszek Uściński stepped down as editor-in-chief, Paweł Śliwko held the position for a year. Following his resignation, the newspaper was left without an editor. It was difficult to find someone willing to perform the role on a voluntary basis. Janina Pietrzak took responsibility for gathering materials and liaising with the printing house. "Głos" was published by an editorial team. Despite these difficulties, it still received the Jelenia Góra Voivode's award in a local press competition.
During its five-year run, the newspaper fulfilled its tasks. It became rooted in the cultural landscape of the city and gminas and became part of them. "Głos" was known throughout the voivodeship and the region. It was sent to major university libraries across the country (Łódź, Warszawa, Kraków and Wrocław). It was regularly sent to the Dolnośląskie Towarzystwo Społeczno-Kulturalne and the Stowarzyszenie Prasy Lokalnej in Poznań.
There will be no fifth-anniversary celebrations! Just as we came into being without fanfare, we also intend to depart in the same way. "Głos" and its role in today's reality and free-market economy have exhausted their possibilities. Towarzystwo Miłośników Bolesławca – the newspaper's main publisher – believes that publication should be ended. TMB wants to focus its activities on preparing other means of promoting the city, such as information brochures, calendars, postcards, etc.
Other newspapers are being published in Bolesławiec, not always favourably disposed towards "Głos" – engaging in an uncompromising struggle for readers.
In closing, I would like to thank all the readers, correspondents, everyone who wrote for the newspaper, the previous editors-in-chief, everyone well disposed towards us, and the Friends who supported us throughout all five years.
Thank you.
President of TMB
Zygmunt Brusiło