The devastation of the Second World War was something never seen before in many Polish cities. Bombardments and street fighting turned whole quarters of buildings, often priceless, into dust. Poznań was no different. The destruction in the Old Town reached tragic proportions, and estimates speak of the loss of up to 80 per cent of the historic fabric. Of the dozens of tenement houses surrounding the Old Market Square, only a dozen survived the war. Among them was the one standing at Stary Rynek 75. Today, the building remains one of the best-preserved buildings in the area, both in terms of its architecture and the function it has fulfilled for more than two centuries.
The medieval roots of the building
The original walls of the tenement were built back in the Middle Ages, as confirmed by relics of the cellars and perimeter walls. Over the following centuries, the building changed hands. In the 18th century, it belonged to, among others, the president of Poznan Nadalinski, and later to Rotmistrz Ignacy Kołaczkowski. The breakthrough for the property came in 1793, when it was purchased by the Czech builder Antoni Höhne and modernised in the spirit of classicism. The façade was then given pilasters, a high gable and a balanced composition. At the same time, the Renaissance battlements in the vestibule were preserved, thus protecting the centuries-old history of the site.
Old Market Square 75 – reconstruction at the beginning of the 20th century
At the beginning of the 20th century, the tenement standing at the address Stary Rynek 75 underwent a major reconstruction according to a design by the architect Teubner. The result was a three-storey building with an annexe on the courtyard side. The narrow front elevation was accentuated with deep loggias on two levels, finished with white plaster pilasters. The stucco decoration, such as laurel wreaths, festoons and a balcony with an openwork balustrade, was intended to emphasise the elegance of the market architecture. The interiors of the building were furnished in keeping with the spirit of the period. There were parquet floors, stuccoed ceilings, decorative tiles in the common areas and a beautifully decorated tiled cooker in the owner’s living room. The use of the Klein system ceilings and an attic adapted for residential purposes demonstrates the modern approach to building of the time.
The “Pod Złotym Lwem” pharmacy with a centuries-old history
The ‘Pod Złotym Lwem’ pharmacy, which until recently operated on the ground floor, began operating at 75 Stary Rynek (Old Market Square) in 1804, although its traditions go back even earlier, to the early 18th century. It was then that Filip Jakub Tobien moved it from Wielka Street after a fire in 1803. In 1720, however, it is mentioned in a royal privilege that allowed Kazimierz Kupiszewski to run a pharmacy. Over the following decades, the pharmacy changed owners, continuing its mission. Among them were pharmacists of various origins, including German, Greek, Jewish and Polish. During the Wielkopolska Uprising, the then owners, who were Marian and Klara Dalscy, donated a Polish banner to the insurgents. This was then hung on the tower of Poznań Town Hall. On the 90th anniversary of the uprising, a commemorative plaque was unveiled on the wall of the building.
War damage and reconstruction
The tenement house number 75 survived the war without much damage. The main damage was broken windows, damaged woodwork and plastering, which required repair work. These were carried out between 1946 and 1948. During the occupation, the building served various functions. Among other things, it housed a sanitary post for the German administration. Despite the post-war nationalisation of the building, the pharmacy has survived and continues to operate uninterruptedly to this day. During the reconstruction of the Old Market Square, the idea was put forward to replace the eclectic façade of the building with a classicist reconstruction, but these plans were never realised.
75 Old Market Square: heritage and continuity
Since 1991, “Pod Złotym Lwem” has been run by Konstancja and Jan Majewski together with their daughter Anna Maria Kielak, continuing a centuries-old tradition of pharmaceutical care and herbal medicine. Their activities were recognised by the people of Poznań in 2013, when the shop took second place in a poll by Głos Wielkopolski for the region’s friendliest pharmacy. In 2022, the family-run business was moved to another location, but this did not spell the end for the Old Market premises. It still serves the same function, only under a different name.
Source: zabytek.pl, aptekapodzlotymlwem.com.pl
