The Main Post Office building in Wrocław, located at 25/26 Wita Stwosza Street, was one of the most monumental buildings in the city. Its imposing volume and rich architectural decoration made it a pearl among the neo-Baroque buildings of old Breslau. Unfortunately, the building did not survive to our times. The impressive edifice was badly damaged during World War II, and the burnt-out walls were demolished in the post-war years.
The Main Post Office Building in Wrocław – constructionand architecture
The building was erected between 1884 and 1888 on the site of the former Schreyvogl Palace. The building was designed by respected Berlin architects Julius Hennicke and Hermann von der Hude, the facade was designed by William Kyllmann and Adolf Heyden, and the sculptural decoration was by Christian Behrens. The three-storey building was characterised by rich ornamentation typical of the Neo-Baroque period, monumental facades, an impressive openwork dome and numerous sculptures. It had two spacious customer service rooms and administrative premises. The building occupied an extensive area, bordering Krawiecka Street, Niska Zaułek and Blessed Czesław Street.
The building on a postcard from the early 20th century. Source: Lower Silesia Digital Library
Destruction and demolition of the Main Post Office building
During the siege of Wrocław in 1945, when the Germans declared the city a fortress (Festung Breslau), the building was severely damaged. Its interiors burnt down and the structure of the edifice was badly damaged. Although it was technically possible to rebuild the post office, in the 1950s it was decided to remove it from the cityscape. Construction materials from the demolished building were probably used to rebuild Warsaw.
Heritage and memory
There is now an office and commercial building on the site of the former Main Post Office. Its construction was preceded by archaeological excavations, during which the foundations and cellars of the neo-Baroque building were discovered. These were inventoried and removed to make way for the new architecture. Traces of this impressive building are only preserved in archive photographs, postcards and in the memory of the city’s oldest inhabitants. The building was one of the most important architectural structures in Wrocław at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, and its history continues to be of interest to lovers of architecture and old Breslau.
Source: miejscawewroclawiu.pl, kresy.org.pl
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The post office building in the early 20th century and in 1945. Source: ‘Breslauer Apokalypse’, Horst Gleiss – 1986 and the Wrocław Historical Museum
Wita Stwosza Street and the post office building, circa 1905 and the same place today. Source: Historical Museum in Wrocław and Google Maps
The building in 1923 and a similar frame in 2023. Source: “Encyclopedia of Wrocław”, Wydawnictwo Dolnośląskie and Google Maps
The object in the first decade of the 20th century and the same place today. Source: “Wrocław na starej karcie pocztowej”, Maciej Łagiewski – Adan Opole, 1998 and Google Maps
