It is from the 1970s. The mosaic in Kowary will be restored

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 expected to begin in 2025.

We already wrote about the mosaic in 2019, when the building was entered in the Municipal Register of Historic Monuments. This is a basic form of protection, which, however, does not offer the same possibilities as an entry in the Register of Monuments.

The famous mosaic was made in 1978 from 170,000 glass tiles. Its shape is reminiscent of a carpet and is 9 metres long and 8 metres wide. The mosaic was designed by employees of the Carpet Factory in Kowary, and the work was led by Stanisława Lewkowicz. The ceramics were 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 Porcelany Factory.

The mosaic was made over a period of three months. The decorative element is reminiscent of a chenille carpet of the Smyrna type, which was produced at the factory there. Unfortunately, the mosaic has not been maintained over the years and more fragments are systematically falling off.

The photos we are publishing were taken in 2019. Today, the condition of the mosaic is already worse. The falling off pieces are collected and stored by Andrzej Olszewski from the Sentiments Museum, which today operates in the building of the former factory.

The editor of the website architektura.muratorplus.pl Julia Dragović contacted the Mayor of Kowary, Elżbieta Zakrzewska, who informed her of the plans to start restoration work. The work is due to start in 2025 and is linked to the development plans for the entire site. The new owner wants to open an automotive museum here. The mayor of the city has been pushing for the mosaic to be included in the register of provincial monuments, but without success. We are keeping our fingers crossed that the local authorities will successfully restore the work so that it can once again please the eyes.

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 were trained in carpet sewing. Carpets were then made by tying knots on wooden looms. The factory expanded 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 factory passed into private hands, but was finally closed in 2009.

photos: Museum of Sentiments(muzeumsentymentow.pl, facebook.com/MuzeumSentimentow)

source: Kowary Town Hall, Architektura Murator, Museum of Sentiments

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2018 photo: