Researchers say the changes which have affected this sector over the past 40 years are natural, even as once-busy workshops disappear from cities, with the older generation finding no-one to whom they can pass on their trade.
But recent years have seen a resurgence of interest and what is being called a "new wave" of craftsmanship, bringing in new people and a new energy.
Elżbieta Krajewska spoke to Katarzyna Chudyńska-Szuchnik from the Museum of Warsaw's Praga District, co-author of a new a report on the situation of this type of skilled labour in Poland.
The museum has a special video channel where you can see some of these old masters at work.