History

Pottery in Iłża is connected to the history of the town and its residents. The end of the 16th century and the 1st half of the 17th century were the times of greatness of this craft. Weakening of handicrafts was to a considerable extent a result of the Swedish Deluge. In 1668, there were only seven potters left in Iłża. There were attempts to restore the local craft in the 19th and 20th century; however, it never regained its former glory. It was caused both by the establishment of Sunderland’s Faience Factory and increased popularity of tin and cast iron dishes, which were more durable. After 1945, potters from Iłża were making mainly souvenir pottery.

The pottery oven in Wójtowska Street was owned by the Pastuszkiewicz family. Its stone casing is its oldest part, which was erected probably in the first half of the 19th century by Kacper Pastuszkiewicz. It is known that in 1930 a worn vault of the oven was replaced by a brick one. Until 1948, inside the casing there was one oven. Another one was build in 1948 by the last potter in the family, Stanisław Pastuszkiewicz. He used the ovens until his death in 1962.

Description

The pottery oven is situated in the northern part of Iłża, in Wójtowska street, right behind the building No. 63, about 15 meters from the street, deep within the plot.

In fact, the structure consists of two ovens in a casing which is a protection against starting a fire. It was built of sedimentary stone and is shaped as a 7-8-metre high irregular truncated cone with a diameter of about 4.2 metres at the base and about 1 metre at the top. The wall thickness varies from 60 to 70 cm. From the south, there is an entrance opening. The older and bigger oven is situated on the left and was used to fire dishes. It is also placed on stone foundations and is therefore higher. The newer oven, built after the war and located on the right, was used to fire small-sized decorative pottery.

Stanisław Pastuszkiewicz, the last user of the oven, was regarded as one of the most prominent potters from Iłża. His speciality was ceramic sculpture. He was a prizewinner at numerous national and international competitions.

Bibliography

• Iłża. Regional Museum in Iłża, Open travel guide, http://www.krajoznawcy.info.pl/wokol-garncarskiego-pieca-8041, access date: 27-11-2015.
• Pottery oven, Tourist Information in Iłża, http://www.ilza.turystyka.pl/piec-garncarski/, access date: 27-11-2015.
• J. Pieczonka, Pottery oven complex (record sheet), 1987.
• A. Słowik, Pottery oven (record sheet), 1997.