On Basztowa Street in Krakow, a brick tenement house with a corner tower and a metal globe above the clock attracts the attention of all passers-by. The “Pod Globusem” House, as it is called, is the pride of the city and one of the most famous landmarks of Krakow from the early 20th century. The building was originally constructed as the very representative seat of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce. Today, however, it is associated with the activities of the Wydawnictwo Literackie publishing house and a bookshop, invariably impressing with the unusual scale of its volume and the distinct identity of its architecture.
The “Under the Globe” House – genesis of the investment
At the end of the 19th century, the authorities of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry decided that the institution needed its own premises. Until then, it had been using rented premises, which did not match the ambitions and stature of the organisation bringing together Kraków’s entrepreneurs and craftsmen. The building’s location was chosen as a prominent plot of land at the junction of Basztowa and Długa Streets, situated in the vicinity of important institutions and a tramway line. Such an address was to emphasise the position of the Chamber and place it in the representative circle of urban development in the Planty district.
Design by Stryjeński and Mączyński
The task of creating the design was entrusted to Tadeusz Stryjeński, one of Krakow’s renowned architects, who invited Franciszek Mączyński to collaborate. The plan of the edifice was created under the influence of European formal explorations at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Inspirations can be seen here, among others, in the building of the Amsterdam Stock Exchange and Viennese realisations centred around commercial life. The “Pod Globusem” house was built between 1904 and 1906. The impressive edifice received two floors above the high ground floor, facades enriched with brick details, a corner tower with an illuminated clock and an openwork globe on its top. Despite the limited width of the plot, the architects developed a layout of great value to the overall composition. In addition, a metal sailing ship with the Chamber’s emblem was placed on the façade, and the entrance portal was completed with reliefs by Konstanty Laszczka. The stained glass windows with motifs related to the industry were created in the workshop of Władysław Ekielski and Antoni Tuch on the basis of drawings by Mączyński.
Mehoffer Hall of the “Under the Globe” house
The most representative interior of the building was located on the first floor. Initially, its design was entrusted to Stanisław Wyspiański, but eventually Józef Mehoffer took over, creating a hall of exceptional depth and richness of ornamentation. The walls of the room were divided into three zones. The lower one features bright panelling enriched with brass details inspired by folk jewellery. The upper areas are filled with geometric and floral motifs with accents of green, yellow and red. The plafond, meanwhile, is decorated with a painting of eight writhing snakes set among peacock feathers. The furniture and lighting were also created according to Mehoffer’s design, which ensured maximum coherence of the entire interior composition. After the bust of Emperor Franz Joseph I was removed in 1918, the relief of the Polish Eagle appeared.
The House “Under the Globe” and its fate
The “Pod Globusem” house survived the Second World War unscathed. After 1950, the building was taken over by institutions connected with politics and commerce. Ignorance and a lack of proper care for the monument soon led to a series of unfavourable modernisations. The building’s interiors were partitioned, the colourful polychromes were painted over and some of the rich furnishings were simply removed. Another major blow to the building was the piercing of the arcades in 1953, which did not go unnoticed. At the time, no one regarded the tenement as a cultural or architectural asset, but rather as an administrative backwater stripped of its former stature.
Literary publishing house restores gloss
The situation of the house changed only in the 1970s, when the premises in the building were rented by Wydawnictwo Literackie. A gradual restoration began then, carried out in stages. Conservators reconstructed the damaged furnishings on the basis of archival materials and preserved elements, so that the “Pod Globusem” house could once again become a jewel in the crown of Krakow’s architecture. At the same time, a number of modernisations were also undertaken, bringing the building up to current standards.
Pod Globusem Bookshop
The forgotten ground floor of the building was revived in 2006 by the Pod Globusem bookshop, which was redesigned a few years later under the direction of Romuald Loegler. The premises became a meeting place for readers and a venue for literary events, workshops and talks with authors. It was visited by artists associated with Polish culture, including Sławomir Mrożek, Jerzy Stuhr and Roma Ligocka. In the 1990s, the rim of the globe was inscribed with the name of the Wydawnictwo Literackie publishing house, which financed the restoration of the feature.
The “Under the Globe” house as an icon of Art Nouveau
The “Pod Globusem” house with its characteristic tower remains today one of the most interesting representatives of Art Nouveau Krakow. Its avant-garde form, multitude of details and timeless form place this monument at the top of the list of must-see buildings when visiting Krak’s City.
Source: zabytek.pl
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