The building at 7/8 Kościuszki Square was built between 1912 and 1913 and originally housed the Dresden Bank. Its majestic interior has survived to the present day.
The building at Kościuszki Square was designed by Ernest Schütte. The architect led the team of the building office of the Dresdner Bank. The branch opened in what was then Breslau at Tauentzienplatz 4-5 was one of the most modern in the country. The elegant art déco interior was intended to build customer confidence and give a sense of security for the funds invested.
After the end of hostilities, most of the square’s buildings were destroyed. However, the classicist “Savoy” hotel from 1911, the modernist “Wertheim” department store and the very building of the former bank survived. In the 1950s, the Lower Silesian Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego opened its headquarters in the building, and in 1989 the Bank Zachodni w Wrocławiu (later Bank Zachodni Wielkopolski Bank Kredytowy and Santander).
The bank’s main room impressed visitors. Stone floors, a marble colonnade and ornate heads raised the profile of this interior. The skylight was also an asset. Almost the entire ceiling was made of glass, so that the space was bathed in natural light.
The building that once housed the Dresden Bank had mixed functionality. The lower floors were occupied by the branch and the upper floors were occupied by flats. Today, the building is not in use.
photos: Wrocław – Building investments
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