The house was owned by the Cellari, Sobieski, and Haller families.

History

The first stone buildings, which were later combined into the present-day house, were built in the late 13th century. They were extended in the 14th century and in the second half of the 15th century. The two buildings were combined at the beginning of the 16th century. From that period, i.e. when the house belonged to the merchant Piotr Kaufman, the coffered ceilings of the first floor have survived.  They are fashioned after Gothic vaults forming triangular coffers. After Kaufman’s death, the house fell into disrepair because it took the heirs 70 years to reach an agreement on the division of the heritage. In 1579, when the house was managed by the pharmacist Mączyński, it was home to the first Jesuits to arrive in Poland, Alois Odescalchi and Basilius Cerinus. Subsequent transformations took place at the turn of the 16th century when the house was owned (1593) by the Cellari family (originally of Milan). The renovation of the façade with its new decoration was made in 1718. Previously, it exhibited an animal emblem, hence its former name, Under the Azure Lion. The Cellaris sold the house to the Kraków castellan, Sanisław Warszycki. According to some unconfirmed records, in the years 1735-1756, the house belonged to Maria Józefa Sobieska née Wessel (1685-1761), the wife of Prince Konstanty, daughter-in-law of John III Sobieski. She rarely stayed here, as she permanently resided in Pilica. Another phase of transformation was the renovation carried out around 1770, when the house was in the hands of the merchant family of Haller. Through marriage, it finally became the property of the Wentzls, wine merchants. The building was upgraded out in two phases: around 1800 and in 1843 (Paweł Gołębiowski’s design). During the fire of Krakow in 1850, the building was spared, even though the neighbouring development burnt down. More than that, the wall of fire was said to stop just before the house. This miracle was attributed to the assistance of the Virgin Mary. In the 19th century, the house was the seat of the Commercial Bank, the Galician Trade Society and the official establishment of the brewery in Żywiec. At the turn of the 19th century, the ground floor was converted into a restaurant known as Under the Painting or The Wentzl’s. Further changes were made during the renovation in 1937 according to the design by Franciszek Mączyński. A thorough conservation project was carried out in the years 1986-1995.

Description

A large, three-storey and five-axis house covered with a mansard roof. A 1718 painting of the Virgin Mary on the simple, almost decoration-free façade. Today, the building houses a hotel and the Wentzl restaurant (hence, the dormers on the roof, dispensable from the composition point of view).

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