The seat of the City Gallery in Wrocław

The seat of the City Gallery in Wrocław /

The building at 28 Kiełbaśnicza Street, where Wrocław City Gallery is located, was constructed in late 16th century. It was rebuilt in the 18th century and then in 1889, when new windows and architectural ornaments on the façade were added on the third floor of the building. The architectural and structural design made in 1968 by the Municipal Design Office in Wrocław states that at that time the ground floor was occupied by a hat shop and a haberdashery shop with back rooms, while upper floors and the attic housed flats for tenants.

In 1977 a technical design for a major overhaul including modernization of the building was developed. It encompassed changes in the portal in the entrance hallway, richly ornamented in gypsum stuccowork, as well as some other decorative elements. Another mention of a major building renovation dates back to 1979, when the Children’s Art Showroom was designed on the ground floor. It was connected with rooms in the cellar with stairs. Upper floors, in turn, accommodated offices. The renovation involved among others reconstruction of the entrance portal and an overhaul of the façade on the ground floor which included adding new windows. The renovation led to discovering a historic wooden ceiling over the room on the ground floor situated from the side of the courtyard. For this reason and due to functional changes introduced to the building the ceiling structure was changed. The attic structure adjusted to the historic character of the building was developed, too. The architect in charge of this renovation and modernization was G. Białas.

A subsequent reconstruction took place in 1980-1981. The architect Z. Krawat designed interiors of the Children’s Art Showroom and the hat shop, as well as a design for the façade renovation which included reconstruction of damaged plaster and stone ornaments. Until 1990, the ground floor of the building housed service premises, a tailor’s workshop and “Rox” art gallery with stairs connecting it with cellar rooms. The upper floors functioned as an office space.

The ground floor of the building has been home to the City Gallery since 1991. It comprises two exhibition rooms on the ground floor and three in the cellar. The rooms were redeveloped and renovated in 2013. The new entry located where the historic door used to be along with external stairs were designed then. The building has retained its original character despite several renovations. All decorative elements and window frames remained unchanged, as only window and door openings were a variable element.

The building at 28 Kiełbaśnicza Street is a four-storey building with seven axis. The ground floor features a portal with Ionic style columns, topped with beams and two obelisks. The building is crowned with a parapet with decorative architectural elements, ending with a pediment on which two putta are seated. In its centre there is a window framed with two pairs of pilasters. The building has a console roof with a moderate slope and two dormer windows.

Author: Sylwia Łupińska
Proofreading: Katarzyna Zahorska