In the 19th century, the seat of the Potocki family and the centre of social life of the Kraków elite. The legendary literary cabaret Piwnica pod Baranami (Cellar under the Rams) has operated in the underground level of the residence since 1956.

History

The first brick structure on this plot was built at the beginning of the 14th century. It had a main room and a bay window in the corner. In 1346 the house was owned by Paulino Cavall, the manager of Bochnia saltworks. According to tradition, the house also contained an inn. Around the middle of the century, a wing was added from ul. św. Anny. In the 15th century, the buildings (Under the Rams House and Różanki House) were merged to obtain an impressive residence.  Another remodelling took place before 1577. A cloister courtyard was built, which has partially survived to this day. The concept of the change came from Jost Ludwig Dietz, the secretary of King Sigismund I the Old. In 1576 Stephen Bathory bought the house for Kasper Bekiesz, the commander of the Hungarian infantry. Later on, it was home to the printing business of Wolfgang Lerm, Jan Bajer and Jan Thenaud. The Różanki house was built in the 14th century. It was owned by wealthy families, including the Cellaris and the Kraków councillor Stanisław Różanka (1565-1573). The house, which later became part of the palace, operated a well-known wine bar frequented, among others, by Jan Kochanowski, Mikołaj Rej, and Łukasz Górnicki. In 1609 the houses were purchased by the castellan of Kraków, Janusz Ostrogski. The final fusion of the houses (the later addition of a third one, along with interior conversion) took place in the early 17th century. An elegant entrance hall and a three-flight staircase were installed. In the wing from ul. św. Anny, kitchens and bakeries were arranged and, at the back, utility rooms. The stucco decorations by Baltazar Fontana remind of that phase of development. After the Ostrogski family, in the years 1675-1706, the residence was held by the Radziwiłł and Lubomirski families. Marianna née Lubomirska brought it as a dowry when marrying Paweł Karol Sanguszka. Then, the palace was bought by Hieronim Wielopolski, who sold it to Ignacy Przebendowski. Construction projects did not cease in the 18th century, which was challenging for the entire city, and alterations and upgrades continued from about 1750 to 1770. In the last quarter of the 18th century, the palace was renovated according to the design by Franciszek Placidi. The Wielopolski family renovated the palace in the classicist style. It received a new façade and the interiors were decorated in the Louis XVI style. Decorative stuccoes adorned 22 rooms, and fireplaces were installed in 18. The effect must have been impressive, since in 1785 only the Spiski, Krzysztofory, Under the Rams and Margrabski houses were considered palaces among the market square development. In the years 1796-1805 the palace was held by Eustachy Kittel and later by Adam and Łucja Przerembski. Their efforts to maintain the building “were usually limited to whitewashing the rooms, sealing the stoves, and repairing floors and furniture. An exceptional period when larger expenses were made was 1810; this was due to the expected visit of Frederick Augustus, the duke of Warsaw.” The palace did not share the fate of the Krzysztofory or Spiski: in 1799 the Austrian administration intended to purchase it and convert into offices (the idea was abandoned). In 1822 the building was purchased by Zofia née Branicki and Artur Potocki. Restoration works carried out in 1823 and overseen by Artur Potocki’s secretary and painter Jan Wolański were mainly limited to the interior (only the late Baroque cresting was removed from the façade). Six large rooms on the first floor and several studies were arranged according to designs from the Empire period. For example, Claude Percier’s patterns were used with a significant addition of Biedermeier. Also, the remnants from the times of the early classicist conversion were included (Zofia Potocka’s corner bedroom and study on the first floor, known from Willibald Richter’s watercolors from 1827 and 1829). The designed Doric colonnade on the ground floor of the façade was not completed, nor was the ballroom designed by the outstanding Berlin architect Ludwik Persius. The renovated palace became known as a centre of social life and a model of luxury and elegance. Further changes were made in the years 1853-1854 (design by Franciszek Maria Lanci), although the building was spared in the great fire of Kraków in 1850. A marble room, a mirror room, a new dining room, and a library were fitted. The alterations retained the Louis XVI style décor. The façade with the effective balcony was made in that period (the previous wrought iron balcony, installed around 1830, was removed). It rests on pilasters with ram heads. The window framing was also changed - from Baroque to classicist. In the years 1874-1875, a third floor was added according to the design by Jacek Matusiński. The Potocki family collected numerous paintings, antique furniture, porcelain, and robes. The interiors were open to visitors but upon the owners’ consent. In 1890 Emperor Franz Joseph I visited the palace.  During the Great War, the building was used as a military hospital. Subsequent, almost contemporary refurbishments followed in 1939, 1947, and 1960. During WW2, the building housed the offices of the Kraków District and after the war the Soviet military command of the city. In 1947 the building was transferred to the Culture Centre. In 1955 a small Zeiss planetarium opened in the building. In 1956 on the initiative of Piotr Skrzynecki and his friends, the famous Piwnica pod Baranami literary cabaret was inaugurated in the basement. The Potocki family returned as rightful owners in 1990. A fire of the third floor in 1994 forced another renovation. Today, apart from the literary cabaret, the palace houses numerous offices, cafés and a restaurant on the ground floor. A plaque in honour of the Hungarian Renaissance poet, Balint Balassi, has been placed on the façade from the side of ul. św. Anny.

Description

The house took its name from the emblem above the entrance hall. The author of the bas-relief depicting three ram heads was Francisco Maria Lanci. The four-storey, eight-axis (from the market square) façade has a balcony above the double entrance to the hall. The portal is placed on the axis of the market square façade. The staircases and the courtyard in the German classicism style are the remains of the German reconstruction after 1939 aimed to adapt the building to the offices of Otto Wachter, the head of the Kraków District. The Gothic cellars are a relic of mediaeval times. Despite numerous alterations, a Gothic room has survived on the ground floor (rib vault); this style is also visible in the façades of the lower level of the courtyard. Traces of Baroque decorations from the 18th century can be recognised on the façade. The interior décor comes from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries.

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
• Komorowski W., Pałace miejskie Krakowa 1. połowy XIX w., “Teki Krakowskie”, vol. XIII
• Rożek M., Przewodnik po zabytkach i kulturze Krakowa, Kraków 1993
• Marcinek R., Kraków, Kraków 2001