History

The house was built after a fire in 1598, on the site formerly occupied by a wooden or wattle-and-daub dwelling, similarly as the neighbouring tenement houses no. 2 and 4. In 1685 a fire destroyed the roof and interior of the building. Its reconstruction was completed in 1689. Subsequent renovations did not alter the interior layout, appearance of the building and facade decorations. The owners of the building are unknown. However, it is certain that they belonged to the local patrician families, which is indicated by the location of the structure and its lavish facade decorations. In 1945, the building was abandoned and remained unused for many years. Complete renovation of the building was completed in 1967. In 1975 the tenement house was adapted for museum purposes. In 2012, as part of the revitalisation of the Old Town, the facades of tenement house no. 3 and two neighbouring buildings underwent renovation. Currently, the tenement house is the seat of the Promotion and Development Department of the Office of the Town and Commune of Wschowa.

Description

The house is situated in the Old Town, within the ramparts, on the southern side of Zamkowy Square, in a densely built-up area. It is an example of the Renaissance residential buildings. It was built of brick, has multiple storeys, a usable loft and a basement. The structure features an elongated rectangular floor plan. Its compact body is covered with a gable roof made of ceramic tiles. The basements and ground floor are topped with groin and barrel vaults; the rooms on the first floor and one room on the ground floor with beamed ceilings, in the Baroque style. The interior layout features two and a half bay with a wide hallway. The most representative component of the building is the front facade topped with a lavishly decorated gable end, which consists of three axes, featuring an entrance opening on the central axis. Ornamented with architectural detail in the form of window surrounds adorned with side sections, cornices, panels, pilasters and volutes flanking the two-storey section of the gable. The narrow panel beneath the crowning cornice bears the inscription ‘HONETSE VIVERE NOMINEM LAEDERE UNICUIQUE SUUM TRIBUERE DISCE’.

Limited access to the monument.

Compiled by Marta Kłaczkowska, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Zielona Góra, 18-09-2014 r.

Bibliography

• Kowalski S., Zabytki architektury województwa lubuskiego, Zielona Góra 2010, s. 416.