The “Hradek n.N. and Bolesławiec on the Trail of Former Crafts” project is co-financed by the European Union from the European Regional Development Fund under the “INTERREG V-A Czech Republic-Poland” Operational Programme and from state budget funds through the Nysa Euroregion
The official opening of the exhibition took place on 23 November. Polish and Czech partners met to conclude the project. The city’s vice-mayor, who attended the ceremony, highlighted the benefits of cooperation with the Czech partner.
“Joint activities with our partner from Hrádek over two years enabled us to obtain one million złoty for 11 joint projects,” vice-mayor Kornel Filipowicz said during the meeting. “Together with our friends from the Czech Republic, we completed renovation, sports and tourism projects. We are very grateful to the mayor of Hrádek, Josef Horinek, for this cooperation,” the vice-mayor added.
He also conveyed his thanks to the deputy mayor Pavla Farský and the head of the grants, development and culture department of the Hradek nad Nisou Municipal Office, Jana Davidova, who were present at the meeting. The opening of the lapidarium was also attended by Anatol Brudnowski, Coordinator of Cross-Border Programmes at the Polish-Czech Programmes Team of the Nysa Euroregion.
The outdoor exhibition, which can be viewed at the Museum of Ceramics on A. Mickiewicza Street, presents objects made over the last several centuries. Among the monuments restored this year are a stone commemorating Friedrich Schiller, a coat-of-arms cartouche of the von Frankenberg zu Schellendorf family, a late Romanesque column, as well as numerous epitaphs and tombstones, including a monument to Bolesławiec potter Louis Werner.
The stonework was carried out under the direction of Michał Dubiecki and Sebastian Lichodziejewski, while the park arrangement design was prepared by Grażyna Polanica-Traczyńska, an experienced green-space designer qualified to carry out and supervise work in historic areas.
“The column is the oldest object,” curator Tadeusz Orawiec explained. “We managed to display the capital and plant elements well. The coat-of-arms cartouche has the richest sculptural composition in our lapidarium. The sandstone cartouche comes either from the gate of the nonexistent palace in Warta or from the gate of the palace in Kliczków. We do not know how it came to the lapidarium, as that happened in the pre-war period. The group of tomb monuments from Ptasia Street deserves attention. Each has a different shape and structure. All are made of local sandstone. Our collection also includes a monument commemorating the great Romantic poet Schiller, with the titles of the creator’s most important works inscribed on it, as well as tomb monuments of Bolesławiec potters from the Werner family,” the curator added.
The conservator and sculptor who restored the lapidarium objects spoke about the effort involved in restoring the Bolesławiec exhibits.
“Restoring objects for a lapidarium is a special kind of work,” said Sebastian Lichodziejewski. “Today, after completing the work, I would like to sincerely thank the director of the Museum, Anna Bober-Tubaj, for her understanding and professionalism. The objects in the lapidarium are, in reality, discarded elements that have to be brought back to life. According to conservation practice, we should make as few changes as possible. In this respect, the coat-of-arms shield was the most difficult. It was very dirty and had lost its cohesion, which had to be restored. Assessing the old repairs was also very difficult: whether they were secondary or original. Another challenge was reconstructing the cartouche so that it could be moved, as well as protecting the sensitive sandstone from absorbing water. The cartouche was coated with transparent silicone paint, which can be washed off if it becomes dirty,” the conservator revealed about his work.
On the Czech side, the project involved reconstructing a traditional Upper Lusatian house, an important example of regional architecture. After reconstruction, exposed fragments of the building’s original structure were left inside the house to show future generations the craftsmanship of former builders. The renovation of the house on the Czech side was discussed by meeting guest Vít Štrupl, Director of the “Brána Trojzemi” Cultural Centre in Hrádek nad Nisou.