Ryszard Bonisławski graduated in Polish studies from the University of Lodz. He was an employee of the Central Museum of Textiles. In 1992 he became a director of the Voivodeship Tourist Information Office in Łódź (transformed into the Tourist Information Centre). He was also a lecturer in the Department of Tourism at the University of Lodz and a lecturer in advertising, promotion and knowledge of the region at the University of Humanities and Economics in Łódź (now the Academy).
He is a member of the Association of Art Historians and a well-known guide to Łódź and the Łódź region. For many years he has been involved in promoting and describing the city's manufacturing past and its traditions. Since 1994 he has been the editor of the "Film Encyclopaedia of Łódź" on TVP Łódź, and the editor of a column dedicated to the monuments of Łódź in the monthly magazine "Kalejdoskop" published by the Łódź House of Culture. He presides over the editorial team of "Ziemia Łódzka" and co-created "Spacerownik Łódzki" published in 2008.
In 1999-2003 and 2010-2011 he was a councillor of the Łódź Voivodeship Regional Parliament (Sejmik). In 2009-2011 he was an advisor to the Łódź Governor for cultural heritage.
He is the president of the Society of Friends of Łódź, a member of PTTK (Polish Tourist and Sightseeing Society) and the Beer Fraternity. In the Eighth Term Senate, he was a member of the Committee on Culture and Media and the Committee on Science, Education and Sport.