Marginea Black Pottery

Marginea is one of the last places in Europe where black pottery is made in quantity by the traditional method. The clay is thrown on a foot-driven wheel and left to dry, then burnished with a smooth river stone which compacts the surface and produces the sheen; the firing is the key step, because the kiln is sealed and starved of oxygen at the end so that smoke penetrates the clay and turns it black through, rather than glazing it. Nothing is added, no pigment and no glaze, and the finish comes from the burnishing alone. Several family workshops in the village work in this way and open their doors to visitors, with demonstrations of throwing and burnishing and shelves of finished pots, jugs and plates. The village sits on the road between Rădăuți and the painted monastery at Sucevița, so it fits easily into a Bucovina circuit.

What you actually see

• Throwing on the foot wheel - potters working the traditional kick wheel.
• Stone burnishing - the polishing step that gives the surface its sheen.
• The reduction kiln - the sealed firing that blackens the clay through.
• Workshop shelves - finished ware in the family workshops.

When to go

Year-round on working days; weekdays are far better than weekends if you want to see work rather than just buy. Larger workshops keep more regular hours. Firings happen on their own schedule and cannot be timed by visitors.

Honest expectations

It is a craft visit and a shop rather than a museum, and if you do not want to buy anything the experience is thin. Some roadside stalls sell industrial ware alongside the genuine article, so go into a named workshop. Demonstrations depend on who is working that day.

Nearby

Sucevița and Moldovița painted monasteries are close; Putna lies northwest.