2025

First kilim I got was from my Grandma and it was made by a lady from Fowarki Tylwickie next to where my Grandma is from in Podlasie, Poland. Then a guy in Podlasie sold me another one when I bought wood from him. Next was the one my mum got with a… house as it …

If You’ll take any of the majorly important Polish art or book of the past ,more often then not it was made in Kresy. “Lithuania, my motherland” – starts the national poem “Pan Tadeusz”, and one of the most popular Polish songs “Hej Sokoły” marvels on the beauty of green Ukraine… Kościuszko and Moniuszko were …

It seems odd from today’s perspective when we look at the map, but more then 100 years ago Kurpie land in Green and White forest (Puszcza Zielona & Puszcza Biała) were quite isolated. The most iconic part of Kurpie folk artis the tradition of paper-cuttingknown as wycinanki. Actually colorful paper was not that easy to …

We never regarded Polish old-school books that much; nowadays, when paper is awful, illustrations are crap and design is lacking any creative thought, I see it in a different light. After carefully inspecting hundreds of vintage Polish books for kids as an antique bookstore owner, here are the prettiest and the most well-made. An Amber …

Which is the prettiest Vintage Polish Children’s Book’s art? I searched through hundreds while having an on-line Slavic shop and here are my favourites that nobody is talking about. Szelmostwa Lisa Witalisa There are numerous variants of this famous Jan Brzechwa book, but the one with Maciej Buszewicz pops the most and is also very …

What does it actually mean to be a Slavic witch? Are there any left—and can you become one? “All of our ancestors were witches,” say girls on Instagram. Or were they? There is a famous skeleton of a female shaman from 9,000 years ago uncovered in Bad Dürrenberg in modern-day Germany. Adorned with animal skulls …

There are many Slavic symbols online — one could say that every week there’s a new one coming! So what’s up with all that: are they real? Which ancient Slavic symbols are actually… ancient and Slavic, and which: not so much? Svarzyca/kolovrat? We see it on a church in Ethiopia, in Native American art, and …

Anyone traveling any Slavic country often come out with this: an awe for cottages, meadows and gardens of the region that, despite being nearly dead for half a year, becomes like a magic orchard from spring till early autumn. What’s the secret sauce? Firstly: Flowers Geranium, lewkonija, astry i fijołki.W sadzie, na brzegu niegdyś zarosłym …

Got paper? Straw? Eggs? The beauty of ancient Slavic crafts is in the fact that anyone can do it from the economical point of view. The technical side is more advanced, but there are easier ways to do traditional Slavic crafts. Wycinanki paper cut-outs Wycinanki, or traditional cut-outs, are actually not that old – they …

Why do I still go on about vintage Czech book illustrations (and illustrators) in 2025? Well, nowadays, books like this are not made anymore and they will not be made ever again. Why? Simply because never again will there be an economic scenario where a publishing house will pay a renowned painter like Adolf Zabransky …