Going potty for Polish pottery

A look at an unusual tourist trade that's transforming an area of western Poland, and getting itself a name across the Atlantic too.

There are many foreign tourists coming to Poland. Some of them visit the Polish seaside, others go to the mountains. Interestingly there are those who come here to follow other pursuits - like collecting unique Polish pottery. One of the places to go to is Boleslawiec, where they usually stay at a small hotel called PROTEA.

Boleslawiec is located some 450 kilometres from Warsaw and some 250 from Prague, in the southwestern corner of Poland. A very popular place, a lot of tourists and a lot of foreigners are coming here for the pottery. And one of the places to stay here is this cute bread-and-breakfast. Right now we are in its restaurant hunting hut, which is beautiful. It's made of wood; it has a very charming fireplace and a very good cuisine.

"My name is Mary Niechajczyk, I am the owner of this place."

How big is this place?

"Not big. Here we have accommodation for 50 people."

Who comes to stay here?

"Different nationalities stay here - generally 70% Americans and different nationalities from Europe."

What about the Americans staying here? You told me they are special guests in a way.

"Yes, the American people are special guests. They are an interesting nationality for me. I like them very much."

And they come here to buy pottery? - Right.

"Yes, I think Americans generally like Polish pottery".

Indeed, they do - just like this American lady I met at one of the stores. I can see that you've just done some shopping here. Hello...

'Hi'. What did you buy?

"Oh, I bought some lovely things - cups, saucers and all kinds of different colourful dishes. They really have a big supply and such a variety - it's really lovely - something different then what I've ever seen."

Where are you from?

"Los Angeles, California".

And how did you find out about Polish pottery, and this particular place - Boleslawiec?

"My goodness, it's a small world. You find out from your family, friends and everybody else".

I also visited the biggest plant in the region - Zaklady Ceramiczne Boleslawiec where I talked to its export manager Beata Kubat.

"About 60 percent of our products are cast in gypsum moulds, while 40 percent of the products is formed on semi-automatic machines. Next the products are bisquette fired in the temperature of approximately 800 degrees Centigrade. The next step is manually decorated by means of unique stamp technique or by brush."

Where in the world can Boleslawiec pottery be found? I know part of America is crazy about those things.

"Yes, your right. Our main export market is the United States. We also sell a lot in Europe."

And why do you think those products are so appealing to foreign tastes?

"They have colourful decorations, they look great and they are very useful. You can use it both in the kitsch and on the table".

The example of Boleslawiec shows that Poland can attract western tourists, even in spite of the fact that it can't count on mainstream tourism like the case of Alpine or Mediterranean resorts.