History

The process of development of individual zones and streets of the suburbs of Zielona Góra began as early as in the 14th century. The growing town needed land for residential, commercial and craft development. The area where the villa is located has evolved behind defensive walls quiet late, only in the 17th century. This suburban area, known as the ‘Lower’ (‘Dolny’), is visible on the map dating from 1784. The map shows the current al. Niepodległości, which was an unpaved road intersecting fields and public gardens at that time. Only when Zielona Góra was connected to a railway line in 1871, the road was regulated and plots of land were demarcated for future development, which was shaped mainly in the late 19th century and the early 1970s. No archival records on the villa exist; therefore, the exact date of construction of the building and the name of its designer or contractor employed to build it are unknown. The villa was probably built at the turn of the 19th and 20th century. In 1933, the building was owned by Samuel Laskau. Hostilities of the Second World War did not lead to major damage to the building. After the war, the State Treasury took ownership of the villa, currently the building is owned by the local government and houses Municipal Kindergarten No 3. In the 1980s the structure underwent complete renovation. In the 1990s the roof cladding was replaced and gas heating was installed. In 2005 windows were replaced. No major alterations have been made to the structure. The structure is one of the most representative buildings in the city.

Description

The building is free-standing and is located in the north-eastern part of the city, on the outskirts of the old town, in Niepodległości Avenue, on a large plot surrounded with a wire fence, framed by rectangular quarters. A strip of grass and a pavement is in front of the facade, and to the rear there is a spacious yard with an earthen surface. The entrance is located along the western facade. The villa was built of brick on an irregular floor plan which approximates the shape of a square. The building’s walls are covered with plaster on both sides. The structure is situated with its roof ridge parallel to the street. It has one-and-a-half storeys in the western part, two storeys in the eastern part and two-and-a-half storeys in the southern part. Individual parts of the structure are covered with separate gable roofs with a shallow roof pitch. A basement extends under the whole building. The facade features a terrace surrounded by a spindled balustrade, with one-flight stairs directly from the street. In front of the main entrance there is a wooden veranda. The second entrance is located on the outermost axis of the rear facade. The facades are adorned with string courses and crowning cornices supported on corbels, window surrounds, segments of profiled cornices crowning window openings, rustication and pilasters. Large rectangular windows, varying in size and proportions, framed by wide surrounds, are the main component of the facade. Part of the original window and door woodwork has been preserved. The body of the building has been preserved in its original state without major changes. The disposition of the interior of the building has been slightly altered due to the addition of washroom facilities. Some rooms feature the original decorations as well as fixtures and fittings. Historical interior decorations and fixtures and fittings include, among others, wall cladding of the vestibule, floor in the vestibule and the lobby, stairs in the lobby, stucco decorations in two rooms on the ground floor, fireplace in a room on the ground floor, stairs leading to the loft. The villa is an interesting example of Renaissance Revival architecture from the turn of the 19th and 20th century.

Limited access to the monument.

Compiled by Krzysztof Słowiński, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Zielona Góra, 08-07-2014 r.

Bibliography

• B. Bielinis-Kopeć (red.), Zabytki Zielonej Góry, Zielona Góra 2007.
• Bujakiewicz Z., Krajobraz materialny i społeczny Zielonej Góry od końca XVIII do połowy XX wieku, Zielona Góra 2003.
• Janowska W., Zielona Góra. Wytyczne konserwatorskie do miejscowych planów zagospodarowania przestrzennego, Zielona Góra 2004.
• Kaczmarczyk Z., Wędzki A. (red.), Studia na początkami i rozplanowaniem miast nad środkową Odrą i dolną Wartą, Zielona Góra 1970.
• Kowalski S., Zabytki Środkowego Nadodrza, Zielona Góra 1976.
• Strzyżewski Wojciech (red.), Historia Zielonej Góry. Dzieje miasta do końca XVIII wieku, t. 1, Zielona Góra 2011.