The former officers’ casino in the Modlin Fortress impresses anew! So much so that it has just been recognised as one of the top renovations of historic buildings in Mazovia. The City of Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki is responsible for the multi-million dollar investment
A delightful palace-like building from the early 20th century. The city acquired from the Military Property Agency. The first works began in 2017 with the saving of the roof
The casino after renovation. Photo: City Hall in Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki
The representative building, which is the jewel in the crown of the majestic Modlin Fortress, was built around 1905-1906 as a casino for Russian officers. It was built on a T-shaped plan with a covered arcade driveway at the front and a terrace on top. The building was, for the early 20th century, thoroughly modern. It was equipped with electric lighting, installing beautiful chandeliers of rich form in the ballroom and restaurant. The fortress did not yet have a power station at the time. A generator was therefore installed in the building, exclusively for use by the casino. It also had its own boiler room and radiators were installed. It is noteworthy that the boiler room did not pump hot water, but steam, which was a unique phenomenon. A complete novelty was the air-conditioning system, which was based on the supply of fresh, clean air, reflected in the mesh-covered vents and the openwork exhaust coils (in today’s cinema hall), located by the extreme chandeliers, skilfully integrated into the rosettes
Casino in the Modlin Fortress in the early 20th century. Photo: City Hall in Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki
In the interwar and later period the building continued to perform representative and cultural functions. Excellent balls were organised there, and even – in the last years of its operation before renovation – proms and weddings. The local community, with strong ties to the military, has a special fondness for the place. This year saw the completion of a meticulous renovation of the building in close cooperation with the conservation officer. The investment cost PLN 35 million and would not have been possible without the support of the Mazovian local government. The funding obtained came from four separate projects for which four separate agreements were signed as part of the Regional Operational Programme of the Mazovian Voivodeship for 2014-2020 and amounted to around PLN 12 million
The casino in the Modlin Fortress before renovation in 2012 and now. Photo: Rado-NDM/photopolska.eu and the Municipal Office in Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki
The general contractor was Budimpol, which worked, among others, on the reconstruction and renovation of the Branicki Palace in Warsaw. The facility is managed by the Nowodworski Cultural Centre. The official opening will take place in early October. It will then be made available to residents and tourists. As previously announced, educational, socio-therapeutic, cultural and tourist tasks will be carried out in the Casino. There will also be a restaurant inside, which will offer the possibility of hosting private parties. One of the rooms will be used for a cinema, theatre performances and concerts. Space will also be available for hire for organised events such as training courses and conferences. The building will also be open to the public
The investment has just been recognised as one of three renovations in the ‘Renovation of the Year of Mazovian Monuments’ competition
The competition, organised by the Mazovian Voivodeship Self-Government, aims to promote sustainable care for monuments, good conservation, renovation and adaptation practices among owners or holders of immovable monuments located in the Mazovian Voivodeship. In addition, the aim of the competition is to honour people and entities who consciously and respectfully subject objects of material heritage to actions that preserve them for future generations
The jury was composed of
Prof. Małgorzata Rozbicka – Warsaw University of Technology – Chairperson of the Jury,
Prof. Małgorzata Omilanowska-Kiljańczyk – Vice-Chairperson of the Jury,
Prof. Jacek Martusewicz – Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw,
Rafał Rokiciński – Association of Polish Architects,
Jacek Rulewicz – Association of Conservators of Monuments,
Dorota Gołębiewska – Society for the Preservation of Historical Monuments
The jury decided to award
– 1st prize to the Commune of Nadarzyn for carrying out conservation and renovation works of the western outbuilding in the palace-park complex in Młochów
– 2nd prize to the Commune of Stary Lubotyń for the renovation of the wooden cemetery chapel from the second quarter of the 19th century in Stary Lubotyń
– Third prize to the Municipality of Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki for the renovation of the Officers’ Club in the Modlin Fortress. The jury appreciated here the comprehensiveness of the actions carried out, thanks to which the monument retained its integrity and authenticity
Source: City Hall in Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki
Read also: Architecture | Metamorphosis | Renovation | Monument | History
