Residence of the Zbaraski, Jabłonowski and Potocki families. It occupies a plot of the original historical size.

History

The building was merged around 1540 from two Gothic, townhouses built before 1312 and extended in the second half of the 14th century. As a result, a magnificent house was created seating one of the most prosperous people of the Renaissance era, Castellan Wawrzyniec Spytek Jordan of Kraków. After him, or rather after the death of Wawrzyniec’s widow Anna Sieniawska, the residence went into the hand of the Firlej family in 1597. Before 1625 the palace was rebuilt in the Baroque style, probably according to the design of the Flemish architect Henryk van Peene, who also authored the Firlejs’ family residence in Zbarazh. The only reminiscence of that period is the vestibule and partly the two-level arcaded courtyard. After Jerzy Zbaraski’s death (1631), based on his last will, the palace became the ownership of Janusz Wiśniowiecki. Jeremi Wiśniowiecki took over the property in 1641 and took Zbaraski’s sons into care. After becoming of age, Dymitr Jerzy, Janusz’s son and crown commander, became the owner. After his death in 1682, the building was held by Józef Potocki and then his son Stanisław, the voivode of Kiev. Later, the palace belonged to the Wodzicki family (this is when the famous ornithological collection of Count Kazimierz Wodzicki was held here) and the Jabłonowski dukes. At the request of the Jabłonowskis, the building was altered in the years 1774-1777, probably according to the design by Ferdinand Jan Nax. A neoclassical façade was made closed with a triangular tympanum, decorated with allegorical sculptures and two heraldic shields with the Jabłonowski coats of arms. A wing was also added (by attaching another house from the side of ul. Bracka; today no. 2), the loft was remodelled and the entire complex was raised by one floor. On 18 June 1787, King Stanislaus Augustus watched the parade of the Fowler Brotherhood from the house’s windows. Ludwika née Wielopolska, widow of Eliasz Wodzicki, held the building until 1811. Next, it belonged to her daughter Elżbieta, widow of Michał Potulicki. In 1827 it became the property of her children:  Countess Józefa Wielopolska, Countess Urszula Rostworowska, Kasper and Kazimierz Potulicki. When the siblings transferred their property rights to their sister Józefa, her daughter Maria, married to Stanisław Jabłonowski, became the new owner. After her childless death (1870), the house was taken over by her husband, and then by his second wife, Wanda Ossolińska. At the end of the 19th century, the building returned to the Potocki family (during tha time, a portal with the Pilawa coat of arms was added from the side of ul. Bracka).

The years 1896-1898 saw a renovation project carried out by Karol Zaremba. As a follow-up, the interior and the façade were redecorated between 1910 and 1912 (as designed by Ludwik Wojtyczko and Kazimierz Wyczyński). New staircases were installed, and the second floor residential space was altered. The first floor retained its representative character, as emphasised by the pastiches of stylish historical forms. After WW2, the Polish-Soviet Friendship Society moved into the palace. Today, the main tenant is Goethe-Institut.

Description

A spacious, two-storey building with classicist façades from the side of Rynek Główny and ul. Bracka. A five-axis façade from the market square and a six-axis one from ul. Bracka. The building has a balustrade attic. The use of a false portico is particularly interesting. Inside, the stucco and veneer in the first floor have been preserved. The entrance hall has a barrel-shaped, stucco-decorated vault. It leads to the three-level courtyard. An interesting item is the stone water fountain inside the arcaded courtyard. The most recent restoration works were carried out in the years 1974-2000.

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