Koniakow Lace

Koniakow sits high in the Silesian Beskids near the point where Poland, Czechia and Slovakia meet, and since the second half of the nineteenth century the women here have made lace: crocheted, not bobbin lace, worked freehand without a written pattern, in floral motifs joined into rounds - a technique passed by watching. Koniakow lace was sent to popes and royalty, and the village holds a Guinness record for a doily some five metres across that took a group of lacemakers months. In the 2000s the village became briefly notorious when some makers began producing crocheted underwear, which sold internationally and caused a public argument locally about whether it was a betrayal of the craft or its survival. Both are still made. The lace museum in the village shows historic pieces and there are workshops where the making can be watched and lace bought directly from the maker.

What you actually see

• Freehand crochet lace - worked without a written pattern, in joined floral rounds.
• A record doily - about five metres across, made collectively.
• A lace museum - historic pieces and the village's history of the craft.
• Makers' workshops - lace bought from the women who made it.

When to go

May to September. Half a day.

Honest expectations

The village is high, remote and served by few buses. Workshops are private homes and generally need arranging. Prices reflect the hours involved. The museum keeps limited hours.

Nearby

Istebna and Wisla are close; the triple border point is a walk away.