Façade decoration at 125/126 Szeroka St.

Technique: sgraffito

Object:

One of the two historicist façades covering a block of flats built as part of the post-war reconstruction of Gdańsk. In 2014, the façade underwent a major refurbishment under the ‘Gdańskie Fasady OdNowa’ project. Its aim was to improve the quality of public spaces in Główne Miasto by adding architectural decoration to existing buildings that were omitted during Gdańsk’s reconstruction.

The decoration of the four-storey corner building is located on the elevation facing Pańska Street and is in the shape of a standing rectangle, spanning between the second and third storeys on the southern part of the elevation. The sgraffito depicts a pre-war plan of Gdańsk. The artist’s aim was to show residents and tourists the changes that have taken place in the urban fabric, not least due to the destruction during the Second World War. The entire building is topped by a pitched roof with two mansard windows. The building’s façade is crowned by an interrupted pediment.

Place:

The building is located in an area designated as a heritage site. It forms part of the historic urban layout of Gdańsk. Szeroka Street was destroyed in 1945 during World War II. Most of the tenement houses were rebuilt without respecting the historical layout. Historic remnants can only be seen in the distinction of the separate façades with gables and in the ridge layout perpendicular to the street. The height and width of the buildings were standardised, and consequently, the historic parcelling was not maintained. Retail and service units were located in the ground floor. Szeroka Street acts as a boundary between the historicising reconstruction and modern development: a place where the two ways of post-war reconstruction intertwine.

Information about the author:

Jan Kołodziej graduated from the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Gdańsk University of Technology. He presented his graduation work in 2009 under the supervision of Professor Piotr Lorens. In 2011, he undertook postgraduate studies in urban spatial development management at the Gdańsk University of Technology. Between 2009 and 2012, he was a design assistant at the Institute of Urban Design in Gdańsk. Since 2012, he has been employed at the City Aesthetics Department at the Municipal Office in Gdańsk. Kołodziej is actively involved in street art and graffiti; he created many individual artistic projects in the public space. He has also taken part in in group and solo exhibitions.

Condition of the object: good

Owner/guardian: Ankra

Author of the entry: Noemi Etush