Hotel Glar in Wiselka with interiors designed by NOKE Architects

Hotel Glar is located in Wiselka on the island of Wolin. It is a place that has been under the influence of various cultures for centuries. Routes connecting Poland, Germany, Denmark and Sweden intersect here. The architects who created the hotel’s interiors decided to take advantage of this wealth of cultures.

The very name of the hotel Glar means “Luminous” – the name of a sacred horse, worshipped by the tribes that once inhabited the island of Wolin. The owners of the hotel chose this name in order to refer to the heritage of the place. They make no secret of the fact that they are strongly connected to Western Pomerania. This reference is clearly reflected in the design process of NOKE Architects.

In order to get to know the region better, the architects spent a lot of time on Wolin Island. They developed moodboards, analysed the local nature and visited local museums.

We met with archaeologists associated with the Polish Academy of Sciences. They told us about the colourful history of the place, especially between the 9th and 12th centuries, when the town of Wolin was one of the most populous settlements in Europe at the time, one of the most important ports on the Baltic Sea and a meeting point between the Scandinavian world and trade routes as far as China,” says Piotr Maciaszek of NOKE Architects, one of the authors of the interior design.

At the time, Wolin was a true cultural melting pot where Nordic, Slavic and Asian influences mixed. Excellent craftsmanship therefore flourished here. And as the old castle lost its importance over time, the earth covered and preserved to our days a wealth of priceless handicraft: ceramics, jewellery, costumes, metal tools and stone products. Numerous motifs have been taken from the treasures on display in the Wolin Museum, in a stylised form later transferred to the interiors. For example, strings of ceramic, stone and amber beads, which were used as currency in the past. They gave rise to the wooden totems visible in the rooms or in the design of the lamps for the restaurant hall,” adds Karol Pasternak, the second author.

They decided to use wood, which at the same time refers to the traditional architecture of the place, but is also universal and legible for guests from distant places. The designers selected and interpreted it to create a light, soothing, relaxing and yet deeply authentic space.

Hotel Glar is located on the shores of Lake Wiselka. The location makes the place popular with tourists from Germany, Denmark and Sweden. The architects decided to adapt the interior to different expectations. A total of eight room types were created. Some with a bathroom open to the room, others with a work desk and dressing table, others – for the needs of families – with two sleeping areas and a developed mini-kitchen. Suites with individualised interiors, with a bath room and the most attractive view from the extensive terrace are a proposal for those expecting the highest level of comfort. All rooms share several important design threads.

Wherever possible, we left the ceiling castings raw. This is a manifestation of the turn to wabi-sabi aesthetics – finding charm in imperfection. The idea for the frieze with the wheel motif, moulded in coarse plaster, came from finger writing in the sand. And the basins made of gouged boulders allude to the important phenomenon of rock erosion in Baltic nature, i.e. the impact of seemingly soft water on hard stone,” explains Karol Pasternak.

The whole is enriched by various textures: smooth glass, soft fabrics with thick weaves, and wood brushed and finished as if the sea had cast it ashore in the Wolin National Park. One senses in them the inspiration of what is eternal on the island of Wolin. Water, amber, centuries-old craftsmanship.

The space is also decorated with art. The totems mentioned earlier, the decoratively fired wood pillar in the lobby or the decorative wall in the background of the staircase, which was hand-moulded in clay plaster. A representative staircase leads down from the lobby to the impressive two-storey high main dining room, which opens up with a glass wall to the sun terrace and further to the lake. In addition to the classic tables in the vicinity of the buffets, a long breakfast table has been set up here to promote integration. One step further, the designers envisaged a live cooking area.

The hotel also has a spa area. You can enjoy the swimming pools, jacuzzi, brine graduation towers and dry and wet saunas. An interesting feature is the bottoms of the pools, which are decorated with mosaics designed by Ola Niepsuj. At the bottom of the larger one swims a giant fish. The surrounding drawing of waves shimmers, imitating flickers of the sun shimmering in the surface of Lake Wiselka, which can be seen from the windows. The basin of the smaller one is decorated with a drawing of a swan, which can be found on the road to the hotel.

design: NOKE Architects(nokearchitects.com)

nOKE Architects design team: Piotr Maciaszek, Karol Pasternak, Marcin Adamczewski, Marcin Sudnik, Aleksandra Hyz, Michał Niedośpiał, Justyna Puchalska, Paulina Cziba

photography: Piotr Maciaszek

styling: Ania Witko

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