Without banality or clichés, but in an intimate and... very cultured manner, another exhibition was opened at the Bolesławiec CERAMICS MUSEUM. There are no suitable premises here for large exhibitions, but smaller ones find an excellent setting and atmosphere, as is the case with the presentation of collections from the Museum in Markersdorf (a town located not far from Goerlitz) and the District Museum in Jelenia Góra. Everything is explained by the exhibition’s title: "CHRISTMAS IN FOLK ART AND TRADITION". And although it is difficult to speak of an abundance of exhibits, the whole display is nevertheless highly interesting and testifies to the shared culture of the neighbors from across the border – the German Lusatia of today and Slavic Silesia, for whom Christianization brought new elements of religious worship and folk tradition.
A perfectly integrated and apt cultural accent of the event was the performance by the choir from the II General Secondary School in Bolesławiec (in the presence of the school’s director, Dr. Edmund Maliński, also deputy chair of the Municipal Council), which sang Christmas carols in Polish and German. At the same time, guests could enjoy Christmas cake (the former kołacz) and sweets; in short, something resembling the festive atmosphere of Christmas Eve in the days of our ancestors came into being... And it was a beautiful, unforgettable, highly intimate yet universal experience. The main credit for this goes to Ms. TERESA WOLANIN, head of the institution, who invited not only representatives of the museum from the Federal Republic of Germany, announcing ongoing cooperation, but also Vice President Jan JASIUKIEWICZ, members of the City Board – Stanisław ANDRUSIECZKO and Paweł Śliwko, councilwoman Dorota PIŃCZUK, as well as many people from the so-called local cultural elite. Attendance was good despite the “competing” event involving the naming of Primary School No. 10 after Janusz Kusociński. On the occasion, Ms. Teresa received from the Germans a faithful copy of an officers’ uniform from the times of the Napoleonic Wars for the collections of the future MUSEUM OF THE HISTORY OF BOLESŁAWIEC. Our heartfelt congratulations!