History

The first development on the plot goes back to the 13th century. The front building was built at the beginning of the following century and, over time, took the shape typical of Gothic townhouses. In the 16th century it was held by the famous Boner family. The forefather of the family was Jan (died 1523), the royal salt mine manager of Kraków. He settled in Kraków in 1483 and married into the Morsztyn family to enter the local society. He lent money to Polish kings: John Olbracht, Alexander, or Sigismund I. In 1514 he was knighted and held many prestigious office: burgrave of the Kraków castle, Kraków salt mine manager, starost of Rabsztyn and Ojców, and governor of Kraków. In 1513 he began rebuilding the house to transform it into a residence that would match his wealth and position. His nephew, Seweryn Boner (1486–1549), who ran Poland-largest banking institution, continued the work. Owing to his enormous fortune, he joined the aristocratic circles. Before 1520 he was ennobled, and in 1532 he became the castellan of Żarnów, in 1535 the castellan of Biecz, and in 1547 the castellan of Sącz. The house at the market square was merged with the building at ul. Stolarska 9, thus creating a “walkway”, today known as Bielak Arcade. Ca. 1560, the next owner, Jan Boner, the castellan of Biecz, had the building re-designed for Italian roofs with an attic and, most probably, arcaded cloisters in the courtyard. The reconstruction project was continued by the next owner, the Firlej family, and after 1667 by the Opaliński family. When Jan Firlej married a crown chamberlain, Barbara Mniszek, in 1574, in this house, his son Henry was baptised with King Henry Valois participating as his godfather. In 1605, during the wedding of Maryna Mniszek and False Dmitry, the house hosted the Muscovite legation, which welcomed King Sigismund III Vasa in front of the gate. In the years 1719-1723, Franciszek Toriani rebuilt the house again upon the commission of Zofia Sieniawska née Lubomirska. The portal in the façade is a remnant of that work. After 1730 the house passed into the hands of the bourgeois families of Mittman, then Haller (after 1779), and Bochenek (after 1820). The latter decided to upgrade the building in 1822 and removed the grand attic with Mannerist, gilded cupolas. In the years 1907-1908, the aforesaid Bielak Arcade was built, connecting the market square with ul. Stolarska. During the works, many decorative details were removed.

Description

The four-storey and three-axis façade stands out owing to its impressive nine-metre attic. Missing after the demolition in 1822, it clearly left a gap in the local skyline. In 1916 Zygmunt Hendel proposed a project to restore it and the building. However, the idea materialised no earlier than in the years 1962-1963. The attic was rebuilt using the original decorative elements stored in a lapidarium in Pusłowski Palace. In the years 1973-1975, Bielak Arcade was renovated. The early-Renaissance window framing in the first floor are particularly impressive. Unfortunately, most of them were reconstructed in 1943 based on preserved fragments.

The site is partly available: freely from the outside (including Bielak Arcade) but inside only during the working hours of the stores and institutions.

Author of the note Roman Marcinek, Regional Branch of the National Institute of Cultural Heritage in Kraków 20/07/2017

Bibliography

• Encyklopedia Krakowa, Warszawa – Kraków 2000. 
• Fabiański M., Purchla J., Historia architektury Krakowa w zarysie, Kraków 2001
• Komorowski W., Sudacka A., Rynek Główny w Krakowie, Ossolineum 2008
• Łuszczkiewicz W., Sukiennice krakowskie. Dzieje gmachu i jego obecnej przebudowy, Kraków 1899
• Rożek M., Przewodnik po zabytkach i kulturze Krakowa, Kraków 1993