One of the most interesting tenement houses in Warsaw’s Old Town, standing at 21 Rynek Starego Miasta, has been beautified. Among other things, the plaster with sgraffito, the door and the element of greatest historical value – the Gothic portal – were restored. It is an original reminder of the medieval development of the market square. It has now undergone conservation work, as have other parts of the building.
The pointed-arch portal probably dates from the 15th century and is an architectural gem in the Old Town. Fortunately, it was not destroyed during the Second World War, but almost the entire remainder of the building lay in ruins. The portal was incorporated into the body of the building during the post-war reconstruction. Both parts of the portal date from different periods, but the exact time between them is difficult to determine.
Tenement house Rynek Starego Miasta 21 in September 1947, you can see the surviving portal. Source: “Warsaw, September 1947”, Author: Henry N. Cobb
In the course of the conservation work, dirt was removed and secondary cement joints were replaced. The entire medieval thread was cleaned by microsanding. Small defects were filled in with coloured mineral mortar, while larger defects were filled in with brick flecks. The entire façade above the portal was covered with a pinkish-brown mass-coloured render in a colour scheme confirmed in the survey and approved by the conservation commission. The sgraffito decorating the top storey, depicting putti carrying horns of plenty, was covered with a secondary layer of paint, which was removed during this year’s work. Once the build-up had been disposed of, its surface and base layers were reinforced. Due to the need for restorations, the sgraffito was colour-unified using laser paints. An ornate wooden double door, decorated with studs, leads into the hallway of the building. Prior to conservation, they were already in very poor condition. Comprehensive restoration of the doors – both wooden and metal elements – was carried out in the workshop.
The city’s grant for this restoration amounted to PLN 93,000.
Source: um.warszawa.pl
Read also: Architecture | Tenement | City | Warsaw | Architecture in Poland
