The library in Bolesławiec was established in 1945. A comprehensive anniversary publication tells the story of the institution. More than 30 people worked on the bibliography, and the work lasted six months.
The monograph includes memories of the people who created this remarkable place, as well as memorabilia and archival documents.
The editors of the anniversary publication were Anna Idkowiak, Anna Bober-Tubaj and Barbara Glinkowska.
Krystyna Szymańska and Stefania Nowak, as well as Halina Majewska, the Library’s longest-serving employees, were invited onto the stage. They were thanked for their many years of work and for helping to create the bibliography.
The ceremony was enhanced by a meeting with writer Katarzyna Bonda.
History of the library in Bolesławiec
The library’s history began with modest beginnings, leading to a lasting cultural legacy. After World War II, the institution became one of the most important centres of culture and education for the residents of the Bolesławiec region.
After World War II, Bolesławiec, like many cities in Lower Silesia, needed not only material reconstruction but also a spiritual foundation that could support education and the integration of residents. In 1945, the first post-war library institution in Bolesławiec was established, and it was also the third in Lower Silesia, after Kłodzko and Wrocław. Its establishment was closely linked to its founder and first director, Joanna Waszak. Thanks to her and the commitment of the community, the library took its first and most important steps: its first collection of more than 300 books came mainly from donations by residents, while a small portion was allocated by the Ministry of Education. It began modestly, but with plans for development and the belief that books could be a tool for a post-war community undergoing revival.
The rules for using the library were established as early as 1947. Readers paid a fixed monthly fee of 20 złotys and a deposit dependent on the value of the borrowed book. These formalities served a practical purpose: ensuring the institution’s financial stability while protecting the collection against late returns and possible misappropriation.
In retrospect, this sounds like a simple rule that allowed the library to plan the expansion of its collection and maintain order. In 1948, the collection grew to around 3,000 volumes, while the number of readers exceeded 200. The first library branches were also established at this stage, in Gromadka, Milików and Czerna, and management passed into the hands of Bolesław Bielawski.
The next steps led to the concept of “special” library branches. In 1950, five of them were opened at various workplaces: Zakłady Ceramiczne “Bolesławiec,” Powszechna Spółdzielnia Spożywców, the forestry district, the sawmill and the Electric Energy Sales Office. This was a strategy intended to make literature available to broad sections of the population and provide easier access to information. Over time, the authorities also recognized the need to centralize and combine resources.
In 1950, the Municipal Public Library was established. It adapted to the realities of the socialist system, combining central (national) capabilities with the needs of the local community.
A critical moment came in the following years, when a growing influx of literature intended to shape the ideological “language” of the era began to be observed. In 1951, although the number of books was increasing, a decline in loans was recorded, and a specific plan for lending literature had to be implemented, instilling particular values. These actions illustrate the duality that accompanied libraries at the time: on the one hand, a desire to provide broad access to literature; on the other, the need to implement the guidelines of cultural and educational programmes imposed by the state.
In 1955, the two institutions—the District and Municipal libraries—were merged under the joint name District and Municipal Public Library, and from the beginning they were based in the Town Hall. In 1962, when a decision was made to renovate the Town Hall, the library was moved to premises at 4 Kaszubska Street. The growing collections and number of readers were also significant: 40,000 volumes and 4,000 readers required organizational and logistical solutions to facilitate the library’s operation.
At that time, departments began to be moved to various locations around the city. A children’s branch was established in 1974 at Relaks on Łukasiewicza Street. In 1975, a Reading Room and the Information and Bibliography Department were established in the former premises of the Pedagogical Library at 9 Kubika Street.
In 1980, Branch No. 1 was established at the Young Worker’s House at 6 Wojska Polskiego Street; it also collected the first audiovisual materials.
In 1982, further work began to improve the institution’s premises. A concept was developed for a new, independent building, which was initially intended to form part of the Bolesławiec Cultural Centre and was later planned as a separate building near the telephone exchange on Karola Miarki Street.
The plan was to carry out the project between 1986 and 1990, but the project collapsed in 1989 due to a lack of funds. The year 1990 brought further organizational changes: the Municipal Public Library institution was established, and the city authorities took over responsibility for it. With the support of Mayor Józef Król and the City Council, a decision was made to transfer to the library an independent building formerly used as a nursery at 8 Sądowa Street.
The adaptation was completed, and in 1993 all the library’s departments returned to one location covering more than 600 m². The building housed 80,000 items, used annually by more than 8,000 people, both children and adults. This also made it possible to open a new lending department for phonographic collections and video cassettes. In December 1993, Branch No. 1 was moved from Wojska Polskiego Street to the Day Care Centre at 6c Staroszkolna Street.
The most symbolic moment of the 1990s was the institution’s 50th anniversary, celebrated with new and supportive infrastructure already in place. On the occasion of the anniversary, the library was named after Cyprian Kamil Norwid—a renowned poet and patriotic thinker whose work and outlook correspond perfectly with the library’s mission: spreading knowledge, culture and freedom of thought.
Today, the library in Bolesławiec is located in the modern Centrum Wiedzy building. However, what matters most is the spirit of community that has accompanied every decision over the decades. It is thanks to this spirit that the library in Bolesławiec is not a museum of the past, but a living place where everyone can find a book, information and inspiration for their own explorations.