At 49/53 Gdańska Street in the centre of Łódź stands one of the city’s most enigmatic monuments. The former palace of Rudolf Keller, despite its unusual architecture and rich history, has been in an increasingly deteriorating state of repair for years. The building was once a symbol of the wealth of the Lodz industrialist, but today it stands abandoned and deteriorating, with no good prospects for the future.
Rudolf Keller Palace – origins and construction of the residence
The palace was built in 1890 on the initiative of the entrepreneur Rudolf Keller, who came to Lodz from Prussia to take advantage of the dynamic development of the textile industry. The first factory buildings were erected on this plot of land as early as 1882, and a few years later Keller decided to build his representative residence. The author of the design was Hilary Majewski, while the contractor was the Lodz firm of Otto Gehlig. The villa, in the style of Northern Neo-Renaissance with French and Dutch elements, was distinguished by its rich detailing and carefully planned interiors.
Architecture and interiors at 49/53 Gdańska Street in Łódź
The stucco and decorations were created in the workshop of N. Gunzel and were completed in 1892. The representative staircase with Art Nouveau stained glass windows was a characteristic feature of the residence. These were probably commissioned after 1907, when the building passed into the hands of Emil Eisert. The palace in Gdańska Street was distinguished by its amphitheatre layout of rooms and details inspired by the Italian Renaissance and Mannerism. Unique stuccowork, woodwork, wrought iron balustrades and other finishes have been preserved in the interiors to this day.
Fate of the Keller Palace
Over the more than 130 years of its existence, the building has undergone various transformations. During the communist period, the palace was taken over by the state and housed the company nursery of the haberdashery factory “Lenora”. After 1989, however, the building fell into the hands of private investors and its decline began. In 2010, a fire broke out in the abandoned palace, destroying part of the roof and damaging the turret. Recently, the fire brigade removed its unstable structure for safety reasons. Since then, nothing has changed and the building continues to fall into disrepair, with successive attempts to sell it having failed.
Rudolf Keller’s palace and the public fight to save it
Since 2020, a social movement centred on the KelleReaction association has been active around the palace. Its aim is to publicise the problem of the degraded monument and take initiatives that could save Keller’s villa from total destruction. Despite the efforts of the local community, the building remains without proper protection and without any prospect of changing its dire situation. Only a comprehensive and therefore very costly renovation can save it.
Source: zabytek.pl, lodz.pl
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