The revitalization of the building and its designation as the Giller Brothers Municipal Public Library has increased its value to the community and restored its full splendour, historic form and aesthetics.

History of the structure

Opatówek is a small town situated on the Cienia River a short distance east of Kalisz. It was granted municipal rights after 1338 by Casimir the Great. On the initiative of Archbishop of Gniezno Jarosław Skotnicki, coat of arms Bogoria, a castle and a brick one-nave church were erected around 1360. The castle survived until 1817. Its relics have been preserved to this day. The Opatówek estate was owned by the Archbishopric of Gniezno from the 14th century until 1793. After the confiscation it became the property of the Prussian treasury. In 1807 the Opatówek estate became the property of General Józef Zajączek (of the Świnka coat of arms) as a result of a donation made by Napoleon Bonaparte. In 1815-1826 Zajączek was the governor of the Kingdom of Poland. The Opatówek estate covered a significant area, apart from the town there were 36 villages and 7 manor farms. Thanks to gen. Zajączek Opatówek started to develop, a rent and local government reform was carried out. The cloth industry started to develop in the town. In the years 1826-59 the estate was owned by the Radoszewski family, then by Senator Jan Funduklej. From 1878 it belonged to the Schlösser family of factory owners from Ozorków. During the administration of General Zajączek the estate was managed in a truly exemplary way, well built and modernly administered. In 1810, on the site of the former bishop’s castle, a palace was built according to the design of Mikołaj Rouget. He probably also designed the buildings of the farmyard. In the years 1817-1819 the Gothic Church of St. Dorothy was rebuilt, probably according to the design of Chrystian Piotr Aigner. Perhaps the construction of the Gothic House on the northern side of Kościelna Street, opposite the church, should also be associated with Aigner. The architect cooperated with general Zajączek on the conversion of the Czartoryski residence into the Namiestnikowski Palace in Warsaw and stayed in Opatówek in connection with the construction of a church in 1817. Therefore, he could have designed a small garden pavilion, because the entrance to it originally led from the garden. The architect did not repeat provincial patterns, he was well aware of the trends of the epoch and the history of architecture. The Gothic House in Opatówek consisted of four blocks of varying size and height. The corner square part was crowned with pinnacles. The building had large Gothic windows, and on the front wall there was a sandstone coat of arms of the Zajączek family - Świnka. Józef Raciborski in his monograph from 1922 published in the journal “Ziemia” states that in the period 1807-1926 many brick buildings were built in Opatówek, including a stylish gothic house, which was to be used as a confectionery. In 1862, there was an elementary school in the house. This state of affairs lasted until 1870, when a new school was established at Łódzka Street. In 1900, Bronislaw Korejwo, the administrator of the estate, settled there. On his initiative a Voluntary Fire Brigade was established in Opatówek. He was also the one who started a library in the town. Around 1912, after the departure of B. Korejwo reconstruction of the building took place. The most significant change to the appearance of the building was bricking up the Gothic windows. In the interwar period the National Organisation of Women was established in Opatówek. Its chairwoman, Zofia Schlösserowa, made the building of the Confectionery available. From 1923 to 1932, the Gothic House was the site of meetings, courses, lectures, and a kindergarten run by the organization. From 1932 until the outbreak of World War II, a candy factory operated in the building. This is probably where the name Confectionery Shop or Sweet Shop comes from. The name became popular in the postwar period. During World War II, Kazimierz Siwiński practiced medicine in the building. He was shot for his underground activity in 1942. After 1945, the building was occupied by tenants. It had not been renovated for several years and was deteriorating progressively. In 2019, after renovations by the municipal government, it was adapted for use as the Giller Brothers Municipal Public Library. The patrons of the library, born in Opatówek, the sons of Mayor Jan Kanty Giller, a Napoleonic soldier, played a significant and important role in the Polish culture. Agaton Giller (1831-1887) - journalist, writer, conspirator and independence activist, co-founder of the Polish Museum in Raperswil. His brother Stefan Giller (1833-1918), pseud. Stefan from Opatówek - novelist, playwright, poet and translator. In the Gothic House, the so-called Confectionery, a modern facility was created, not only of library character. The cosy interior hosts various meetings and cultural events. The library is visited by all residents, from kindergarten children to seniors.

Description of the structure

The Gothic House called the Confectionery is located in the park, opposite the parish church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. To the west there is a neo-Gothic park gate and fence wall. The front elevation faces south, towards Kościelna Street. The small garden pavilion was built in neo-Gothic style. The nearly 200-year-old building has retained the brick bond characteristic of Gothic, also known as the Polish bond. When used in this form, it gave the neo-Gothic building a serious and ancient look. This way of building had not been used for centuries. Its creator, who in all probability was Chrystian Piotr Aigner, should be credited with a conscious choice. The pavilion was a well-thought-out creation, which was to have the rank of an “ancient” building. The family coat of arms of the Zajączek family, which was placed on the front elevation, received a dignified setting. The building has brick walls and rests on a sectional vaulted basement with lunettes. The building was built on a rectangular floor plan and consists of four blocks with different heights covered with separate low roofs. The south-western, two-storey segment with an extension was originally of a timber-frame construction with buttresses in the corners and topped with plastered pinnacles. The elevations are pierced with pointed windows. In 1912, as a result of rebuilding, rectangular windows were inserted, above which window headers were made. The main entrance to the building is currently on the east side. Originally it led from the garden (park) on the west side. In the middle of the southern elevation, in the ground floor section, the Zajączek family coat of arms, Świnka, is set in sandstone. A new part of the building with a cuboidal form was added to the eastern side. From the north, in place of the farm buildings, an openwork brick wall with pointed-arch passages was built. It features a patio, which is also accessed from the main building. The interior has been adapted to the activities of a modern library.

Visitor access. The building may be viewed from the outside. The interior can be visited during the opening hours of the library.

Author of the note: Teresa Palacz, Regional Branch of the National Institute of Cultural Heritage in Poznań, 27.03.2020

Bibliography

• Katalog Zabytków Sztuki w Polsce, Vol. V, Z. 6: Powiat kaliski, ed. T. Ruszczyńska, A. Sławska, Warsaw 1960.
• Miluśka-Stasiak J., Z dziejów parafii w Opatówku, Opatówek 2012.
• Anders P., Województwo kaliskie, Poznań 1983, p. 277.
• Raciborski J., Monografia Opatówka [in:] “Ziemia” No. 4 (7), Warsaw 1922, pp. 118-126.
• Śmiałowski J., Woźniak K., Aktywność inwestycyjna generała Józefa Zajączka w Opatówku w latach 1807-1826. [in:] “Rocznik Kaliski” 2007, Vol. 33, pp. 49-82.
• Śmiałowski J., Budowniczowie Opatówka z lat 1808-1826, “Opatowianin”, November 1996.