The structure is one of the unique designs of Walter Gropius (originator of Bauhaus) in the Drawsko Lake District.

History

The granary forming part of the Jankowo property, owned by Erich Gropius, was built in 1906 according to the design by Walter Gropius, who also designed a farm forge, washhouse and residential buildings. It was one of the first designs of the young architect (a kind of “professional practice”), which were implemented in the area of Drawsko Pomorskie. After 1945, the granary was used by the local State Agricultural Farm (PGR) for storing grains and fertilizers. It was not renovated, went out of use, and fell into ruin. In 2004, the structure was taken over by the Commune of Drawsko Pomorskie, secured and partially renovated.

Description

The granary is located in the centre of the village, in the western part of the former farmyard (at the boundary of the park). Now, it is the only surviving historic component of the farm buildings. The multi-purpose granary is reminiscent of the so-called homeland style (Heimatstil) but with modern functional and architectural solutions. The building features an irregular floor plan, fragmented body, basement, and is covered with tall gable and hip roofs with dormers. The granary is built on the floor plan of a rectangle resembling avant-corps with an annex to the south. The body originally served as a floor granary with two storeys, two-level attic and wall dormer above the front avant-corps. The tower (staircase and water tower) has five storeys with an overhanging (chambered) attic storey. The southern part of the ground floor features a wide front entrance; the section originally housed an engine and cleaning room.

The masonry walls are made of silica bricks, on a stone foundation, and are not plastered; the upper storey of the tower and the wall dormer above the avant-corps feature a half-timbered structure. The storeys above the ground floor are covered with wooden ceilings (exposed beams); the basement is topped with segmental ceramic ceilings. The roof rests on a rafter roof truss with straining beams. The roofs are clad with modern beaver tail tiles laid in a “lace” pattern.

The façades of individual sections of the building are characterised by regular axial partitions, divided by pilasters and supported by buttresses. The front façade is accentuated by the half-timbered “drawing” of the wooden framework on the upper storeys of the tower and wall dormer. Individual parts of the buildings consist of one room on each storey; the basement is divided into several resource chambers.

The preserved original fittings include a metal clock face on the front wall of the tower.

The structure can be viewed from the outside, from the adjacent farmyard. Viewing of the interior is only possible by arrangement with the owner, i.e., the Commune of Drawsko Pomorskie.

compiled by Waldemar Witek, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Szczecin, 17-12-2014.

Bibliography

• Choroba T., Między historyzmem a modernizmem. Pomorskie projekty Martina (1824-1880) i Waltera Gropiusa (1883-1969), [w:] Zeszyty Siemczyńsko - Henrykowskie, T. III, red. B. Andziak, Siemczyno 2013, s. 44-55.
• Omilanowska M., Budowle Waltera Gropiusa na Pomorzu Zachodnim, „Spotkania z zabytkami”, nr 6, s. 8-11, 2006.