MY VISIT TO CRACOW (POLAND) #6 ... THE END OF THE SLIDE-SHOW SERIES

I was told that just over two decades since the demise of communism, Cracow’s shops are unrecognizable from those of 1989. The shelves are full, the queues are gone and malls have mushroomed like neon toadstools throughout the city. I don’t think we can call Cracow a shoppers’ paradise, yet I saw interesting items: diversity of handicrafts ranging from embroideries to wooden toys.

I had the opportunity to see a private collection of Polish handicrafts that was waiting for the good chance to be displayed at a proper facility. Despite the conditions, my eyes were delighted by the variety and quantity of items.

The Cloth House, once a trading center and today a museum on the first floor of an architecturally stunning building, has a complex of stalls selling gifts and souvenirs, permanently crowded with tourists, mainly.

Amber is an especially renowned raw material in Poland. It is a fossilized tree resin that ranges in color from cream through translucent yellow and orange to rich brown. It is considered to be the symbol of the Baltic, a precious gift that many contemporary designers continue to cut. The translucent material is turned into jewelry. Extremely renowned are also traditional ceramics, especially the white and navy-blue crockery lavishly decorated with either flowers or circles.

Poland has also a long tradition of high-quality cut glass-widely known as crystal. There were beautiful wares with delicate patterns on perfectly transparent glass. I had fun doing some window shopping in those narrow streets, crowded with locals and tourists, perhaps avid of finding something special.

As All Saints’ Day (Nov. 1) was off the corner, there were candle lanterns of every colour and size on sale, at small markets and stores close to cemeteries. The metal covers of the lanterns help to protect the flames from the wind. Polish people bath the graves in flowers and light. On that night, cemeteries become illuminated landscapes. 

The growing tourist industry will certainly not stop the expansion of Polish crafts…

Of course, Poland still has a far way to go, and next year when they join the European Union changes will certainly come even quicker… I'm curious to learn what will happen….

~~ Thanks for having joined me on such a fantastic visit ~~