After 85 years, Count Raczynski’s well has returned to Poznan. The reconstructed object was unveiled on 19 December at Długa Street, in the immediate vicinity of the University Clinical Hospital. The ceremony brought together representatives of the city authorities, the academic community and conservation services. The project was the result of cooperation between the City of Poznań, the Karol Marcinkowski University of Medical Sciences and the Municipal Conservator of Monuments.
The well of Count Edward Raczyński
The well was founded in 1846 on the initiative of Count Edward Raczyński and his wife Konstancja. It was one of four structures supplying spring water from the wine hills to the inhabitants. Its construction was part of the first modern water supply system, which was to improve the sanitary conditions of the inhabitants. Thanks to this solution, Poznan was among the pioneers in the region in terms of access to clean drinking water.
Architecture and form of the building
The manhole was designed by Christian Gottlieb Cantian. It took the form of an approximately 6-metre high neo-Gothic sandstone chapel, integrated into the brick wall of the hospital in Długa Street. The central part featured a statue of Our Lady and Child, inspired by the Sistine Madonna by Raphael Santi. The whole had a utilitarian and symbolic function, being a characteristic and striking element of the urban landscape.
Count Raczyński’s well – destruction
In 1940, the manhole was demolished by the German occupiers and its elements were recycled. From that moment on, the century-old object disappeared from the city space. Its form was known only from archival photographs and descriptions. For decades to come, there was no possibility or desire to restore the building in its original location, until 2015. It was then that real efforts began to return it to Długa Street.
The reconstruction process
Construction work went on intermittently for 10 years. Their finale took place in 2025. The reconstruction of the manhole was carried out on the basis of a design by architect Jacek Wilczak, and the entire project was made possible thanks to the involvement of the Municipal Conservator of Monuments and the authorities of the Karol Marcinkowski Medical University. Funding was provided by the Government Programme for Reconstruction of Polish Monuments, the budget of the City of Poznań and funds from the University Clinical Hospital.
Authors and implementation
The statue of the Madonna was made by sculptor Marcin Sobczak, while the stone neo-Gothic chapel was reconstructed by Marek Zielonka. Orlikon sp. z o.o. was responsible for the comprehensive realisation of the project. The reconstruction brought to a close the many years of social action initiated by the Bono Serviamus Association and the Society for the Care of Monuments. Interestingly, the structure does not stand in exactly the same place as the original. The new manhole had to be reconstructed slightly further east, as it would have interfered with the entrance to the hospital grounds.
The total cost of the reconstruction was PLN 2 million.
Source: UM Poznań
See also: Architecture in Poland | Monument | Metamorphosis | Poznań | whiteMAD on Instagram
