Villa Maria is one of the most interesting monuments of the town of Reszel, located in Kętrzyn County, Warmia-Masuria Province. It is a building erected at the beginning of the 20th century, currently serving as a multi-family house. It is characterised and distinguished by its multicoloured appearance, interesting use of various plasters and unusual design. Unfortunately, although the villa was entered in the register of monuments in 1995, its glory years are behind it and it is waiting for a renovation that will bring out its true beauty and highlight its unique features.
The house was built in the spirit of Art Nouveau in 1906 by a doctor of the nearby hospital, located opposite the villa. It stood at the intersection of today’s Słowackiego and Kraszewskiego Streets. After the Second World War, it was occupied by a doctor, and then in the 1960s the building was turned into a hotel for nurses. Since 1972, it has been occupied by private owners.
Villa Maria at 10 Słowackiego St. The photo comes from the magazine “Spotkania z Zabytkami” No. 2, 1979
The building was erected on a rectangular plan, with a rectangular risalit to the north and a shorter one added later, now serving as a garage. There is a veranda to the west, and the main entrance is from Slowackiego Street. It is decorated with a wrought-iron balustrade with floral motifs. The house has one storey and is covered by a gable roof with Dutch tiles, raised by a mansard on the north side.
The front elevation is decorated with two oval-shaped panels, which give the illusion of the façade’s ‘fissure’. The wall, rounded at the finial, has a plaque bearing the date 1906, with the inscription VILLA MARIA below. This representative façade is decorated with strips of smooth plaster, panels with exposed masonry and a decoration of coloured tiles arranged in small, asymmetrically arranged patterns. The balustrades of the balconies are made of wood and decorated with decoration of finely carved beams on the edges. The eaves above the entrance are of a similar form.
The building has preserved decorative window and door woodwork with Art Nouveau features and floral motifs with brass handles. In places it is decorated with preserved lambrequins, which is extremely rare today. Inside you can see the original floors and the staircase with embossed and wrought iron railings.
Villa Maria is a unique example of a building brought in the Art Nouveau style and stands out from the surrounding buildings by its unusual form and the excellent state of preservation of many original elements. Although it requires urgent renovation, it is one of the most interesting monuments in Reszel and proves that interesting buildings were built at the beginning of the 20th century not only in big cities.
Source: stotom.wordpress . com, zabytek.pl
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