The beginnings of Polish craftsmanship date back to the early Polish Piast (X century) times. It was then that in Poland, groups of people professionally specialized in the production of specific products began to emerge. Blacksmithing and metallurgy developed the earliest. Later, such professions as cooperage, pottery, baking, brewing, tanning, shoemaking, and tailoring emerged too. On August 27, during the Bielsko-Biała Days, a recreational event in cooperation with the Bielsko-Biała Chamber of Crafts will take place. It will introduce craftsmanship, craft guilds, and historical reconstructions, such as awarding the title of a shoemaker’s guild master. On the next day, you can see the famous Banialuka Puppet Theater.
The beginnings of Polish craftsmanship date back to the early Polish Piast (X century) times. It was then that in Poland, groups of people professionally specialized in the production of specific products began to emerge. Blacksmithing and metallurgy developed the earliest. Later, such professions as cooperage, pottery, baking, brewing, tanning, shoemaking, and tailoring emerged too. On August 27, during the Bielsko-Biała Days, a recreational event in cooperation with the Bielsko-Biała Chamber of Crafts will take place. It will introduce craftsmanship, craft guilds, and historical reconstructions, such as awarding the title of a shoemaker’s guild master. On the next day, you can visit the famous Banialuka Puppet Theater.
On August 27, a special event devoted to Polish craftsmanship will take place in the Słowacki Park in Bielsko-Biała in cooperation with the Bielsko-Biała Chamber of Crafts. It will be a part of Bielsko-Biała Days – 2 weekends full of unforgettable experiences.
On the occasion of the 120th anniversary of the Polish House’s founding, a concert was planned near the area where it stood many years ago, i.e. on the square at Grępielnia. The concert will be a musical journey into the 20s and 30s with Marcin Miecznikowski and his special program.
The Polish House was a place where the citizens of Bielsko and its vicinity awaked and nurtured Polishness at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries when Bielsko was strongly influenced by Germans and German culture.
Next, on Sunday, August 28, the participants of the Bielsko-Biała Days are invited to visit theaters in the city. There will be a chance to see the Banialuka Puppet Theater.
The theater is one of the oldest puppet theaters in Poland and one of the most famous not only in the country but also in the whole world. It was founded in 1947 by the visual artists Jerzy Zitzman and Zenobiusz Zwolski. The artistic pedigree of the theater determined its artistic face for many decades. Banialuka visited dozens of countries around the world, including Japan, Chile, and the United States.
The celebration of the anniversary of the Polish House will end on Monday, August 29 with a historical debate on the small stage of the Polish Theater with the participation of Bielsko historians Jacek Proszyk, Jerzy Polak, Piotr Kenig, Maciej Bujakowski, and Jacek Kachel on the Polish House.