At 11a Mazowiecka Street in Warsaw, the headquarters of the Warsaw District of the Association of Polish Artists is home to two art galleries – the ‘DAP’ Gallery and the ‘Lufcik’ Gallery. Both spaces host a number of exhibitions by renowned artists, both from Warsaw and across Poland, as well as international presentations. The building housing the galleries was constructed in 1966 at the rear of the preserved entrance gate of the former building of the Ziemski Credit Society. The monumental arcade, incorporated into the House of the Visual Artist, has become a recognisable symbol of Mazowiecka Street. The gate is also a reminder of the fierce battles of the uprising.
The Neo-Renaissance edifice of the Ziemski Credit Society was built between 1853 and 1858 to a design by Józef Górecki and Henryk Marconi. The building, inspired by the Venetian New Procuracies, was Warsaw’s first office building. It had two equal front elevations and richly decorated interiors, including the Main Hall with decorations by Karol Marconi. Two entrance gates led into the property – from Mazowiecka and Kredytowa Streets.
The building of the Ziemski Credit Society in 1859. Photo: mbc.cyfrowemazowsze.pl
The building survived intact until 1939, when it was bombed during the September campaign. The Warsaw Uprising brought further damage, leaving 80% of the building in ruins. After the war, part of the walls were demolished, but the wing on the side of Mazowiecka Street was secured and reconstructed in 1948-1949. The full reconstruction of the building, with modifications in modernist style on the courtyard side, was not completed until 1962-1971.
The building before 1939 and today. Photo: Andrzej Jeżewski, Warsaw in Old Photography, Wydawnictwo Artystyczno-Graficzne, Warsaw 1960, p. 119 and whiteMAD/Mateusz Markowski
The preserved entrance gate, which was part of the original building, was incorporated into the body of the House of the Visual Artist in 1966. The traces of war damage visible on it – gunshots and damage – are a material testimony to Warsaw’s history. Between 2009 and 2012, the building underwent conservation studies to preserve these unique mementos.
Mazowiecka Street in 1906 and 2024. Photo: Tygodnik Ilustrowany 37/1906 and whiteMAD/Mateusz Markowski
The area around the gate in 1958 and today. Source: NAC – National Digital Archive www.nac.gov.pl and whiteMAD/Mateusz Markowski
The House of the Visual Artist in 1982 and 2024. Photo “Stolica” no. 11 (1784) 30.05.1982 and whiteMAD/Mateusz Markowski
The arcades have also become part of the project “Wounds of Memory. Traces of World War II destruction in the city’s topography”, initiated on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the war. This programme documents and protects material traces of military action, such as gunshots, bullet holes or inscriptions from the war and the Warsaw Uprising, which are still present in the city space.
Source: wit.edu . pl, culture.pl, um.warszawa.pl
Read also: Architecture in Poland | Monument | City | History | Warsaw
