Before the war, the building at 18 Długi Targ caught the eye with its tall, ornate gable and the small balcony beneath it. Following the destruction of 1945, the tenement house was restored to the city in a completely different form. This is one of dozens of examples of how Gdańsk was rebuilt after the war, a process during which streets were rarely restored to their pre-1939 state.
The tenement house at 18 Długi Targ – its history
Before the tenement house at number 18 became the headquarters of the Union of Poles in the Free City of Gdańsk, it was used for commercial and banking activities. Around 1885, Lesser Giełdziński, a Jewish merchant and collector from Włocławek, took up residence here. As early as May of the following year, he opened part of his collection to the public, which included antique furniture and artistic crafts. Towards the end of the 19th century, the building housed the offices of the banking firm Baum & Liepmann, and in the 1920s, the Discount Bank – Kreditinstitut. In 1933, the Union of Poles moved into the tenement. The organisation carried out educational and social work, helped the unemployed and poor families, and represented the interests of Poles in the Free City of Gdańsk. In 1936, the association had over 8,000 members, making it one of the most important Polish organisations in the city. It operated independently until 1937, when, together with the Polish Community, it formed a joint organisation called the Polish Community – Union of Poles, which remained active until the outbreak of the Second World War.
Długi Targ 18 – pre-war façade
Until 1939 and the destruction caused by the Second World War, the tenement retained the appearance it had been given during its reconstruction in the early 20th century. As late as the second half of the 19th century, it had four storeys and a fairly simple façade, typical of Gdańsk’s architecture from that period. The new, richly decorated façade, dating from around 1900, featured rows of windows on each storey, surmounted by a small balcony with a decorative balustrade. The whole structure was dominated by a stepped gable with small pinnacles and ornamentation. The lower part of the building, in turn, was asymmetrical – the narrow entrance, set within a decorative frame, was flanked by a huge, arched glazed section. A small kiosk stood by the pavement. In 1945, the Russians entered Gdańsk and reduced this beautiful city to ruins.
The new façade and ceramic knights
Following its destruction in 1945, the building at 18 Nowy Targ was restored to its modest five-storey façade with a simple, horizontal cornice – similar to the one it had in the 19th century. The tall gable, the balcony and the large arch in the lower part of the façade were not reconstructed. In 1954, Hanna Główczewska adorned the building with mosaics and ceramic decorations. Beneath the upper cornice, the artist placed a frieze featuring two pairs of two-legged dragons, or wyverns. The ceramic heads of knights above the first floor were intended to bear the features of, amongst others, the painter Jacek Żuławski and the architect Włodzimierz Podlewski. The architecture was much more modest than that from before the outbreak of the war, yet it was characterised by a wealth of detail.
The post-war reconstruction of Gdańsk
The fate of the tenement house at 18 Nowy Targ provides a good illustration of the post-war reconstruction of Gdańsk’s Main Town, which began on a larger scale in 1948. Efforts were made to reconstruct the most valuable historic buildings as faithfully as possible to the originals, whilst other houses were given new façades inspired by the architecture of the past. Often, the decision was made not to restore later alterations, favouring forms associated with Gdańsk’s heyday and its ties to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Behind the historicist frontages, comfortable, modern flats and more open courtyards were created, all at the expense of the outbuildings. There were also instances of certain historic elements being ‘relocated’; for example, the porch at 7 Długi Targ originates from 33 Szeroka Street, whilst the slabs of the porch at tenement no. 5 were moved from the Ferber family’s house at 29 Długa Street. Today’s centre of Gdańsk is therefore a mosaic of preserved surviving fragments, faithful reconstructions and the creative visions of post-war architects and artists.
Source: gedanopedia.pl
See also:Architecture in Poland|Metamorphosis|Renovation|History|Gdańsk
