Kamienica Pod Złotym Psem
Budynek obecnie. Jacek Halicki, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Golden Dog House in Wrocław – reconstruction after 49 years

The bourgeois tenement house Pod Złotym Psem is one of the most representative buildings standing at Wrocław’s Market Square. It is interesting to note that the building is less than …. 30 years old. It was destroyed during World War II and was only rebuilt in 1994. It was an exemplary reconstruction of the last of the market tenements

The first brick building on the property was erected in the 13th century. It was extended and modernised over the following centuries. Around 1680, the building was given a rich Baroque appearance. In 1713, the building was enriched with a wooden pentagonal oriel covering the two central window axes and other elements that gave the building an even more representative appearance. At that time, a dog figure appeared on the façade, which became the emblem of the house. Between 1880 and 1884, the wooden bay window was replaced by a brick one. Further minor renovations to the building took place in 1897 and in 1914

The tenement at the beginning of the 20th century. Source: The Old Town in Wrocław PWN Publishing House 1985

During the warfare in 1945, over 60% of the market square buildings were destroyed; only seventeen buildings survived. In 1953, a decision was made to rebuild. This work was based on studies created under the direction of Emil Kaliski of the Municipal Spatial Planning Office. Their premise was to rebuild or refurbish the old buildings for mainly residential use, with services in the ground floor

The Louis Lewy Department Store and the Pod Złotym Psem tenement, 1926 and the same site in 1980. Sources: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons and Old Town in Wrocław PWN Publishing 1985

The tenement house in the early 20th century and today. Sources: Old Town in Wrocław PWN Publishing 1985 and Stepet49, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The building Under the Golden Dog (German: Haus Zum Goldenen Hund) was also damaged. The building was severely damaged and demolished in the following years. Only the cellars and one portal survived, which was transferred to the Museum of Architecture. The empty plot was not built on until 1993-1994, 49 years after the building was destroyed. The building was constructed according to a design by Maciej Małachowicz, on the basis of preserved plans and photographs referring to the 18th century appearance, before the bay window was added. On the side of Wita Stwosza Street, part of the building has been given a contemporary appearance. Currently, the tenement houses the Złoty Pies restaurant brewery

Source: wroclawskiefakty.pl

Read also: Architecture | Tenement house | History | Wrocław | Interestingfacts

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