The building retains its original silhouette and façade décor and remains inseparably linked to the nearby 18th-century church.

History

The rectory is believed to have been erected in the early 19th century, as evidenced by its architectural form, the type of timber framing used as well as the contents of a historical inventory dating back to the year 1812. During the 19th century, the building was partially redesigned; the changes extended mostly to its interior (including the replacement of partition walls, chimney system and the modification of interior layout), although the exterior of the structure saw certain alterations as well, including the new plaster finish applied to the formerly exposed timber-framed walls. Initially conceived as the local pastor’s residence, after 1945 the building became the seat of the parish of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Following the restoration which took place in the year 2000, the timber-framed structure of the front façade was exposed once again.

Description

The rectory is located in the eastern part of the village of Trzebież, on Rybacka street, on the western side of the church. The building is devoid of any features pointing towards a particular architectural style; despite the passage of time, it has retained much of its original appearance. The building was designed on a rectangular floor plan, measuring 24.1 by 11.2 metres. Its front faces the east. A small porch adjoins the rear façade. The entrances into the building are positioned in the middle of the two longer walls thereof. The rectory was designed as a single-storey building with a basement underneath parts of its structure, covered with a tall half-hip roof with a front wall dormer and a spacious attic. The walls feature a half-timbered structure with brick infills, concealed beneath a layer of plaster with the exception of the front wall. All peripheral walls are positioned on a tall wall base made of brick and stone. The basement level features vaulted ceilings of the barrel type, with wooden beamed ceilings used for the ground floor level. The roof is clad with ceramic beaver-tail tiles forming a “lace” pattern. The window and door joinery, although replaced at a later date, strives to reflect the historical forms and divisions of the original. The front double door features a tall transom light. The windows are of the casement type, with two pairs of casements hinged at the sides, one pair opening inward, the other swinging outward - an arrangement sometimes referred to as the “Polish window”; the windows feature a cruciform arrangement of mullions and transoms dividing each window into four rectangular lights, which are in turn divided into two smaller panes by horizontal muntin bars. The front façade follows a symmetrical, nine-axial layout and is crowned with a single-axial wall dormer. The front façade is accentuated by the rhythmic arrangement of wooden posts and beams as well as by the repetitive window design. The western façade follows an eight-axial layout with a central porch, while the gable-end façades follow a single-axial and two-axial layout respectively, exhibiting no period features whatsoever. The interior mostly retains its original, two-bay layout, with a vestibule (hallway) positioned alongside the shorter axis of the building.

The building can be viewed from the outside.

compiled by Waldemar Witek, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Szczecin, 28-01-2015.

Bibliography

• Witek M., Zabudowa wiejska i małomiasteczkowa na terenie polskiej części Puszczy Wkrzańskiej. [in:] IV Polsko-Niemiecka Konferencja Architektura Ryglowa - wspólne dziedzictwo, M. Opęchowski (ed.), Szczecin 2003, pp. 295-306.