On 27 November 1945, the oldest Public Library in the Jelenia Góra Voivodeship opened its doors in Bolesławiec. It was the third institution of its kind in Lower Silesia, based in the Town Hall. Its 340 books came from donations and monetary contributions made by the town’s first Poles, as well as from a small allocation from the Ministry of Education at the time. In 1948, the number of volumes grew to approximately 3,000, and the collection was used by 218 readers. Two years later, the Municipal Public Library was separated from the County Library, only to merge again five years later. From 1976 to 1989, it served as a Branch of the Provincial Library, coordinating the activities of similar cultural institutions in three municipalities (Osiecznica and Nowogrodziec). Over the years, as the collection grew, the premises of the popular institution deteriorated dramatically. A breakthrough came in 1990, when the library was taken over by the municipal government and subsequently given a spacious building formerly occupied by a closed nursery. On 12 November 1993, the building at 8 Sądowa Street was ceremonially opened. A year later, its activities were expanded to include a video-cassette rental service and photocopying services. A major achievement was the opening of the “Format” exhibition gallery in 1995. The previous year, the collection had been used by 9,340 regular readers, who borrowed as many as 265,348 volumes (the collection exceeded the “magic” figure of 100,000). The institution deserves praise for its work with readers through competitions, including art competitions, meetings with authors, book promotions, exhibitions, library lessons and regular series of events for children. Director Wacława Skawińska spoke about these achievements during the jubilee ceremony; alongside Mayor Józef Król, she was presented with a commemorative medal of Polish librarianship. There were flowers, greetings, heartfelt ceremonial speeches, and performances by students of the Music School and the Youth Cultural Centre. It was a warm, festive celebration—and rightly so, given the institution’s impressive range of achievements. No wonder the local government spares no expense on the justified needs of this distinguished cultural institution. Another surprise awaited participants at the jubilee celebration in the “Format” gallery, where Bolesławiec artist and visual artist Mieczysław Kozłowski exhibited his paintings. A graduate of Wrocław’s PWSP (the painting, graphic arts and sculpture department, in the studio of A. Mazurkiewicz), he specializes in easel and architectural painting, fine and applied graphic arts, as well as the design and execution of ceramic painting. The artist’s achievements include many solo exhibitions: first, in 1977, at the local BOK and the Museum of Ceramics; then at the 40th-anniversary exhibition in Wrocław; in 1986, an exhibition at the Polish Cultural Centre in Bratislava; and earlier in Prague, Berlin and Karlovy Vary; in 1988, in Budapest; in 1989, at the Institute of Industrial Design in Warsaw. He has now prepared a special exhibition of new works for the “Format” gallery.These are watercolours and pastels in a series the artist calls “My Vedute” (from the Italian word for “views”): stunningly beautiful and artistically mature impressions from journeys to southern Europe. It is worth recalling the origins of watercolour in England, because the islanders were among the first travellers—sensitive and cultured—to acquire engravings depicting monuments and landscapes as souvenirs. Over the years, the colours of black and sepia were enriched with every hue, until watercolour came to be understood as an autonomous means of artistic expression, surpassed only by oil painting. Vedute are the fruit of a fascination with the world, inspired by journeys and the desire to preserve pictorially those charming, unique places that remained in the consciousness of a sensitive artist. The success is due to an excellent command of the craft and that “divine spark” that distinguishes talent from mediocrity. Thus, in these landscapes we find the mirage of the shimmering southern air, as in the works of the Impressionists; tremendous self-discipline in the precise rendering of architectural details; and enchantment with the beauty of the surroundings—trees, houses and even water ablaze with the colours of the rainbow. What is especially astonishing is the colour sensitivity: realistic yet transformed into dozens of shades, subtly and painstakingly, with Benedictine patience, united in the shapes of objects. Unique works of exceptional beauty have emerged—a now increasingly rare attempt among professional artists to combine the canons of traditional aesthetics with the dynamism of contemporary styles. Original, mature works that delight both the connoisseur and the enthusiast, as well as the ordinary viewer. The indisputable talent emanating from them commands respect and even humility in their reception; it moves, compels deeper personal reflection and has a cathartic effect. The miniature gallery houses a major exhibition of outstanding visual artworks that simply must be seen. The artist deserves sincere congratulations, as do the originators of this extraordinary painting exhibition.