History of the structure

The building was erected at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries on the former Groß-Strehlitzerstraße, which started to develop after 1845, when the Wrocław-Tarnowskie Góry railroad line was brought to Opole. Presumably, it was built for the needs of employees of the developing railroad - it was a typical tenement house. Its owner at the beginning of the 20th century was Józef Kaniuth. Before 1909 it became the property of the Cholew family. In 1910, the building was significantly expanded, giving it its present shape. Ca. 1930, the owner of the building was Klara Schneider. The apartments were rented by railroad workers, teachers, clerks, craftsmen and labourers.

After the end of World War II, the tenement house became the property of the State Treasury. After 1945, minor renovations were made and the apartments were newly divided.

Description of the structure

The tenement house is located in the downtown of Opole, in its south-eastern part. It is a corner building located at the intersection of Armii Krajowej and Dubois Streets. Originally located in a compact development, it is now surrounded by a parking lot. It is located a short distance from the city market and south-west of the Opole Central Railway Station.

The building was erected in eclectic style on a plan similar to the letter “L”. It is a brick, three-storey building with a basement, topped with a flat roof with small roof slopes in the front elevation. Barrel dormers are set within them, with oval windows. The ground floor and rear elevations are plastered, while the higher elevations are faced with white ceramic brick.

The southern (front) elevation is 10-axial, with three slightly protruding false avant-corpse. Additionally, the elevation is articulated by vertical lesene shaped in plaster, separating the avant-corps. The central axis is marked by the main entrance, above which there is a rectangular bay window at the height of the second storey, topped with a brick balustrade of the balcony. Above in the roof slope is a gable with concave-convex arches. Rectangular windows framed by prominent surrounds, store windows with simple glazed spaces within the first floor. The mass of the building is distinguished by a bay window located in the axis of the cut corner, at the height of the second and third storey, topped with a tower covered with a spire and spherical cupola. The western, shorter front elevation is four-axial with two avant-corps and storefronts in the ground floor, and is designed similarly to the elevation from Armii Krajowej Street.

Visitor access: the site is accessible, inhabited

Author: Joanna Banik, Katarzyna Latocha, Regional Branch of the National Institute of Cultural Heritage in Opole, 17.07.2018

Bibliography

• Borkowski M., Opole przełomu wieków XIX/XX, Łódź 2015.
• Hamada A., Architektura Opola wpisana w dzieje miasta, Opole 2008.
• Studium historyczno-urbanistyczne miasta Opola, Katalog zabytków – Opole Wschód, PKZ Wrocław 1990 [in:] resources of the Voivodeship Heritage Protection Office in Opole.
• Karta ewidencyjna zabytków architektury i budownictwa: dom mieszkalny (kamienica) Armii Krajowej 7 w Opolu [Record sheet of architectural and construction monuments: a residential house (tenement house) at 6 Armii Krajowej Str. in Opole], compiled by W. Żurakowski, 1995 [in:] resources of the Voivodeship Heritage Protection Office in Opole.