A mosaic depicting a carpet adorns the wall of the former Carpet Factory in Kowary. Today it is in a terrible state, but the local authorities want to save it. Restoration work is due to begin in 2025.
We wrote about the mosaic back in 2019, when the site was entered into the Municipal Register of Monuments. This is a basic form of protection, which, however, does not offer the same opportunities as entry into the National Register of Monuments.
The famous mosaic was created in 1978 from 170,000 glass tiles. Its shape is reminiscent of a carpet and it measures 9 metres in length and 8 metres in width. The mosaic was designed by employees of the Kowary Carpet Factory, with the work led by Stanisława Lewkowicz. The mosaic was made from tiny tiles measuring 2×2 cm. In total, tiles in 18 different colours can be seen here, and they were produced by the Wałbrzych Porcelain Factory.
The mosaic took three months to complete. The decorative feature resembles a Smyrna-style chenille carpet, which was produced at the local factory. Unfortunately, the mosaic has not been maintained over the years and fragments are steadily falling away.
The photographs we are publishing were taken in 2019. Today, the condition of the mosaic is even worse. The falling fragments are collected and stored by Andrzej Olszewski from the Museum of Sentiments, which now operates in the former factory building.
Julia Dragović, editor of the website architektura.muratorplus.pl, contacted the Mayor of Kowary, Elżbieta Zakrzewska, who announced plans to begin restoration work. The work is due to start in 2025 and is linked to plans for the development of the entire site. The new owner intends to open a motoring museum here. The mayor sought to have the mosaic listed in the provincial register of monuments, but to no avail. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that the local authorities will successfully restore the work so that it can once again be admired.
The history of the Kowary Carpet Factory dates back to the second half of the 19th century, when a group of residents visited the Turkish city of Izmir (then Smyrna), where they trained in carpet weaving. At that time, carpets were made by tying knots on wooden looms. The factory’s development took place in the early 20th century. New looms made it possible to weave carpets using 64 colours of wool. In the 1930s, the factory’s products were exported to Western Europe, Scandinavia and the Americas. In the 1990s, the previously nationalised plant passed into private hands, but was eventually closed in 2009.
photos: Museum of Sentiments (muzeumsentymentow.pl, facebook.com/MuzeumSentymentow)
source: Kowary Town Hall, Murator Architecture, Museum of Sentiments
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photo from 2018:
