5. ŚLĄSK

For a long time Śląsk has been a highly urbanised and industrialised area. In spite of this, some elements of its folk culture – mainly material culture – have been preserved to this day. The most numerous cultural characteristics is represented by architecture in the form of cottages and unique wooden churches. The Silesian churches are the most beautiful in Poland. Some of these are churches in Lacza, Księzy Las and Pniów. Apart from wooned cottages and churches there are two types of buildings peculiar for that region. One of them is a tall multi-storey granary covered with a wide roof. The other is a barn whose shape does not appear in other areas of Poland. In the region of Śląsk Cieszyński we can find characteristic pictures on glass, which have peculiar elaborate ornamets and flowers in colours of sky blue and aquamarine. The Silesian costume has many different forms and is unusually colourful – especially the woman's costume. Its characteristic elements are puffed shirt sleeves, various caps, wraps, aprons, vests – all of them overflowing with laces, braids, etc. Men's costumes are much simpler. Sculpture is represented by figures of Worried Christ and on Dolny Śląsk the characteristic motifs are pieta and human-shaped bee hives sculpted in wood.