History

A brick building was built here in the 15th century. It was expanded in the following century with some Renaissance features. Originally, it was owned by a wealthy merchant, Stanisław Jedwath. His daughter Magdalena married an impoverished gentleman named Ciemowicz. In the 17th century (in 1619 and between 1668 and 1705), the house was upgraded in two phases to accommodate the needs of the Ciemowicz family. The building adopted a Baroque style. The wooden ceilings on the first floor were installed in that time. Mayor Andrzej Ciemowicz and his heirs disposed of the house, which became the ownership of the families of Megliorucci and Reineker. Further renovations were held in the mid-18th century and between 1789 and 1818. In the mid-18th century, the house belonged to Stanisław Sołtyk, the crown deputy chancellor, who sold it to Antoni and Julianna Groner in 1789. Antoni Groner (aka Gruner) passed away in 1808, and the widow, Julianna, daughter of a banker named Lewiński, made generous bequests to the Church. In 1842 the house was purchased by Franciszek and Anna Żelich. The attic, designed by Paweł Barański, was added in 1864. Alteration of the staircase in 1871 and later conversion of the vestibule to accommodate a store (1896) led to the destruction of one of the most beautiful entrance halls in Kraków. The Rococo façade was distorted with the later vertical extension (4th floor). Before 1918, the National Bazaar merchant organisation occupied the house. Partial reconstruction of the interior, re-designed by Edward Skawiński, was carried out in the years 1923-1924. In the 1930s, the store was adapted to Adam Piasecki’s confectionery. The original interior has been preserved to this day: the displays, counters, stained glass windows, wood panelling, flooring and a clock. After WW2, the store was taken over by the state-owned Zakłady Cukiernicze Wawel. The façade that can be still seen today and the store window were designed by Franciszek Mączyński in 1932.

Description

A six-level, three-axis townhouse with a high attic.

The site is partly available: freely from the outside 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 20/04/2016

Bibliography

• Dyba O., Kraków. Zabytki architektury i budownictwa, Warszawa 2007
• 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
• Rożek M., Przewodnik po zabytkach i kulturze Krakowa, Kraków 1993
• Marcinek R., Kraków, Kraków 2001