Since 1753, master Joppe’s 600-kilogram pot, 2.15 metres tall and holding almost 2,000 litres, had been a symbol of Bolesławiec. It appeared on postcards; small souvenir replicas of the jug could be bought; one confectionery made a cake in its shape; and in 1879, writer Kart T. Pfautz wrote a play with the large jug in the leading role. Visitors could tour the jug—entering it—after paying an admission fee. One such visitor was future US president John Quincy Adams, who travelled around Europe in 1800. The jug disappeared in 1945—it may have been destroyed by Red Army soldiers.
Replicas of Joppe’s jug in Bolesławiec
Four replicas of Joppe’s jug have been made in Bolesławiec: the first, made of cement in 1939, did not survive the war; the second was made in 2000 by artists Władysław Garnik and Andrzej Trzaska, but vandals destroyed it in 2007. The third, made of plastic, stands in the Museum of Ceramics and faithfully reproduces the original at a 1:1 scale. Ceramic sculptor Mateusz Grobelny attempted to fire the fourth replica during the Days of Ceramics in 2016, but the jug collapsed during firing.
An ecological construction in the Glina Show parade
Waldemar Cieślak’s jug, over 4 metres tall, was made from recycled materials, including 440 mineral-water bottles. The artist wanted to draw attention to the importance of recycling in our lives. The artist’s family collected that many bottles by buying mineral water over the course of a year.
“Plastic was unknown in master Joppe’s time,” says Waldemar Cieślak, the creator of the recycling jug made especially for the Glina Show parade. “Today, as people responsible for the environment, we should consider what we can do with waste. Recycling makes waste valuable and, instead of sending it to landfill, transforms it into raw materials for producing new materials. That was my first thought when I was building the jug for Glina Show,” the artist adds.
Waldemar Cieślak dedicated his jug to his seriously ill mother.
His work belongs to the Eco Art movement—recycling art intended to remind consumer society what it produces and how much it throws away. Notable eco-artists include Jane Perkins, who creates replicas of famous paintings and celebrity portraits from waste, and Joava Kotik, who uses beverage bottle caps in her works.
The construction of the pot and the Glina Show project are co-financed by the Marshal’s Office of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship.
Take part in Glina Show
We encourage you to take part in the Glina Show parade. Together with your children, you can prepare a simple costume, paint yourselves with clay and become a ship’s captain, pirate, fairy, princess or superhero. Playing together with children strengthens bonds, gives children support and—as paediatricians and psychologists demonstrate—helps them develop resilience, optimism and the ability to overcome adversity. Such play is also a new experience that we gain together with our children.
When is the parade taking place?
- Glina Show Town—17 August (Friday) from 18:00: costume painting
- Glina Show Town—18 August (Saturday) from 10:00 to 15:00 (paddling pool, washbasins and changing rooms, parade costumes)
- Glina Show Parade—18 August (Saturday), 15:00 (formation) and 15:30 (start)
- Fun in the Holi Festival of Colours town—18 August (Saturday), 16:00
BGŻ BNP Paribas Bank of a changing world
As part of numerous volunteering initiatives, employees of Bank BGŻ BNP Paribas are eager to support local communities, including employee volunteers from the Bank’s branch at 1 Asnyka Street in Bolesławiec. After work, they support the activities of a local association as part of the Bolesławiec Ceramic Festival.
New: Bank BGŻ BNP Paribas GOmobile mobile application available in Ukrainian and Russian.