The stone mosaic adorning the grand hall of the former Maria Przeździecka Palace at 10 Foksal Street in Warsaw has been officially listed as a historic monument. The decision was taken by Marcin Dawidowicz, the Mazovian Provincial Conservator of Monuments, who highlighted its high artistic value, unique character and significance for the history of post-war monumental decoration in Poland.
The mosaic covers the walls of the main hall on the ground floor of the building, extending from the floor up to the lower edge of the beams at a height of 425 cm. It also covers sections of the walls by the staircase. It is made of natural stone slabs in shades of beige, grey, brown, green and purple. The materials used include marbles, limestones, serpentines, keratophyre greens and charoite.
A unique composition
The composition is based on repeating vertical segments that form a backdrop for figurative and symbolic motifs. The slabs come in various formats and shapes, including elements cut to the contours of the designs. The whole has been laid on cement mortar in modules measuring approximately 60 × 70 cm, with coloured joints matching the colour scheme of the stone.
The conservator emphasised that the decoration represents a high artistic and compositional standard, and its style draws on monumental works from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, whilst also drawing on the tradition of the early Russian avant-garde. The figurative representations – of workers, farmers, cosmonauts, engineers, architects, a philosopher, musicians and writers – form a rich symbolic programme relating to work, science and culture. Such a combination is universal in nature today.
The history of the palace at 10 Foksal Street
The building housing the mosaic was constructed in 1890 as the residence of Countess Maria Przeździecka, née Czapski. During the interwar period, it housed the Japanese Legation, and from 1937, the Japanese Embassy. During the Second World War, the building was damaged, and its partial reconstruction was carried out in 1950 to serve as the Polish-Soviet Institute.
In the following decades, the building became the headquarters of the Soviet Cultural Centre, later the House of Soviet Culture and Science, which ceased operations in the 1990s. Since then, the building has served as office and commercial space, whilst retaining a significant part of its post-war interior, including the monumental mosaic.
Entry in the register of monuments means that the mosaic is covered by legal protection, which safeguards it against destruction, alteration or dismantling. The conservator emphasised that its value stems not only from its artistic quality, but also from the role it played in the aestheticisation of public space during the period of post-war modernism.
The administrative proceedings were initiated at the request of the “Miasto Jest Nasze” Association. The decision confirms that post-war artistic works also constitute an important part of the city’s history and deserve protection.
source: Mazovian Provincial Conservator of Monuments
photos: WUOZ in Warsaw
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