Items with soul: wicker baskets, embroidered tablecloths, pottery in traditional regional patterns, figurines inspired by characters from the household altars that guarded the safety of houses, hand-painted corals … this is what we are looking for, and these are the items that we like to surround ourselves with. We are becoming less and less interested in mass production and commercial products. Instead, we are looking for unique, extraordinary items. This is why handicraft and artists who uphold this tradition are in such demand.
Handicraft is nothing else than products of artistic value; original, hand-made, ones that create culture of a region.
Pomorskie can boast of extremely rich folk culture. People form Kaszuby or Kociewie have always created items that not only made their lives easier, but also made their lives better, more beautiful. When visiting Pomorskie region, you should visit the Kashubian Ethnographic Park in Wdzydze Kiszewskie.
It is the first open-air museum in Poland, where you can admire more than 50 buildings and exhibits of folk architecture from Kaszuby and Kociewie.
Another tradition upheld by the indigenous people of the region has been plaiting, which inspired creation of unique baskets, trays, pots, and even water buckets. These people also devoted themselves to pottery, and their unique items can be admired not only in museums, bu also in shops. This tradition has been successfully cultivated by the well-known Lubiana china factory. Lubiana offers porcelain cups, plates, and even entire sets inspired by Kashubian culture. Fish scales, Kashubian stars, oxeye daisies, big and small tulips: all those are characteristic of Kashubian culture.
Without doubt, the most popular element of inspiration for handicraft artists in Pomorskie is Kashubian embroidery. It has long and beautiful history, having been first produced in monasteries of Norbertine sisters in Żukowo, and Benedictine sisters in Żarnowiec. In the past, c.a. the XVII century, the decorative elements of Kashubian embroidery were present mostly on textiles. Multicolored ornaments that we know today was born in the beginning of the XX century, and has been successfully implemented in many ways until this day.
The Kashubian gallery and workshop Farwa displays the traditional embroidery on clothes, jewelry, furniture, handbags, clocks, and even sneakers! As it turns out, local tradition is versatile and can be combined even with modern trends. Hand-made interior elements combined with traditional Kashubian motives are very impressive.
Ironically, handicraft, through its imperfections, becomes perfect. In Ceramika MK workshop in Pęplino, owned by Magdalena Kamińska, you will not find two identical figurines of any kind, nor two identical plates. Each item is hand-made, each is created with passion and heart by the artist. Materials used by the artists, combined with her passion, make each item that comes out from the workshop into a piece of art.
Pomorskie handicraft inspires. When visiting the region, strolling through Kashubian villages, or towns of Kociewie, you should try to enter one of many local shops, or pay a visit to one of numerous local farms. The handicraft treasures that you may come across might win your heart.
