Kolo Hlyny Pottery Studio, Truskavets

Kolo Hlyny (“Clay Wheel”) is a pottery art studio right in the heart of the spa town of Truskavets, at 6 Toroszewicza Boulevard, a short walk from the central pump room. Here you can sit down at a real potter's wheel, throw your own mug or plate and then paint it with slips and glazes. The studio welcomes spa guests who come to Truskavets to drink Naftusia water as well as local families: experienced instructors, a warm atmosphere and an unhurried pace make a pottery workshop in Truskavets one of the nicest ways to spend free time between treatments.

Why visit Kolo Hlyny

The point is a piece you make with your own hands. Visitors say a session lasts about two hours and nobody rushes you: the instructors demonstrate every stage, help you centre the clay on the wheel, pull up the walls and shape a handle, and then suggest how to paint the finished form. You can choose wheel throwing or hand-building — children often prefer making a mug from a clay slab and decorating it with little cats, birds or hearts.

• Potter's wheel — for adults and teenagers who want to feel a vessel being born.
• Hand-building and painting a mug or plate — suitable even for children from about four, together with a parent.
• Studio-made ceramics — the shelves hold mugs, bowls, small vases and toys you can buy as a souvenir of Truskavets.

What to know about firing

After the class the clay piece has to dry and be fired in a kiln, so you cannot take it home finished on the same day. Before the workshop the studio offers a choice: take the unfired piece with you, or pay extra to have it fired and sent to you by post. Visitors note that in high season the wait can range from a week to three or four weeks, so if you live abroad or are leaving the resort the next day, check the timing and delivery when you book.

A word about the craft

Pottery is one of the oldest crafts of the Carpathian foothills: around Drohobych and Sambir potters have long made jugs, mixing bowls, dishes and stove tiles, and archaeologists find ceramics even on the rocks of the ancient Tustan fortress nearby. Today's studio ceramics at Kolo Hlyny is not a museum reconstruction but a living town workshop where the traditional wheel technique meets bright modern painting — which is why both children and adults touching clay for the first time enjoy it.

Practical information

• Address: 6 Toroszewicza Boulevard, Truskavets (second floor, next to the central pump room and the Spa Park).
• Hours: Monday–Saturday 11:00–19:00, closed on Sunday (according to Google Maps; best to double-check before you go).
• Booking: by phone +380 97 708 30 20 — especially in season and at weekends, when tables fill up quickly.
• Prices: not published; the cost depends on the format (wheel, hand-building, painting) and on whether you order firing and delivery — ask by phone.
• Payment: cash or card.

Getting there: the studio is in the pedestrian centre of Truskavets, a few minutes' walk from Pump Room No. 1 and most central sanatoriums. If you come by car you will need to look for parking on nearby streets, as the resort centre is largely pedestrian. Truskavets is reached by train or bus from Lviv (about 100 km) or by minibus from Drohobych and Boryslav.

Tip: wear clothes you don't mind getting dirty and allow at least two hours, so you have time both to make and to calmly paint your first mug.

At a glance

• Address: Truskavets
• Opening hours: Mon–Sat 11:00–19:00, closed Sun
• Season: All year round
• Prices: Prices not published; ask by phone (firing and postal delivery of the piece cost extra).
• Phone: +380977083020

Photos: lh3.googleusercontent.com.