Façade decoration at 11/12 Ogarna Street

Object: The façades cover a residential block constructed as part of Gdańsk’s post-war reconstruction. In 2013, they underwent a complete renovation as part of the ‘Gdańskie Fasady OdNowa’ project, aimed at improving the quality of public spaces in the Main Town by adding architectural decorations to buildings that had been overlooked during Gdańsk’s reconstruction.

The joint decoration of the two façades of the building draws inspiration from the historical architecture that once occupied this site, which before World War II was home to a large tenement house. The artistic intervention involves filling the spaces between the windows with plaster panels adorned with Gothic script text, written in Schwabacher font, narrating a Gdańsk legend about the Stolem in Polish. Due to the composition of the panels, the text is difficult to read and functions more as ornamentation than as a clear narrative of the legend. Moreover, the arrangement of the panels does not follow the sequential flow of the story. The text is taken from Legends of St. Mary’s by Stanisław Bogdanowicz. On the panel between the second and third storeys of the eastern three-bay façade, the artist’s signature is visible.

Below is the transcription of the text, along with the location of each panel, arranged according to the sequence of the legend:

1. Three-bay eastern façade, panel between the third and fourth storeys:

‘Long, long ago, on the land of Kashubia, there lived a large family of Stolems. Although they were giants – about a hundred times bigger than humans – they lived peacefully with people, often helping them. Over time, however, as the number of people increased, the Stolems, who required a lot of space due to their size, began to feel cramped. Theosone’.

2. Eastern three-bay façade, panel between the second and third storeys:

‘So they moved to distant Scandinavia, north of Stavanger. For some time, they lived there peacefully, but soon they had to flee even further north, all the way to Nordkapp. At the same time, their numbers continued to dwindle, until only one Stolem remained in the world’.

3. Three-bay eastern façade, panel between the fourth and fifth storeys:

‘Meanwhile, the Stolem had already arrived [in Gdańsk] in the Main Town. When he saw the new tower of St. Mary’s Church, he laughed and said: What a nice little stool these tiny creatures have built. It could be a bit wider, but I’m tired from my long journey’.

4. Two-bay western façade, panel surrounding the fifth-storey window and extending between the fourth and fifth storeys:

‘He covered the top of the tower with his enormous coat and sat down comfortably. The tower creaked under him and even cracked in one place—which is still visible today—but ultimately withstood the enormous weight’.

5. Two-bay western façade, panel between the third and fourth storeys:
   ‘The Stolem rested peacefully for a while, then called out in his booming voice:
   – Hey people! Mayor! Gentlemen councillors! Come out of your hiding places! I mean no harm’.
6. Two-bay western façade, panel between the second and third storeys:

‘I just wanted to visit the land of my ancestors. –
Here, the Stolem became very emotional […]and shed a tear, which rolled towards Stare Przedmieście, creating Żabie Bajorko (the Frog Pond)’.

7. Two-bay western façade, panel between the first and second storeys: ‘Dear and honourable Stolem—on behalf of the people of Gdańsk […]We sincerely thank you for such marvellous gifts. […] We wish […] for your […]toys to adorn the peaks of our tenements. Ogarna 2.0’.

Location: The buildings are in an area designated as a heritage site. They form part of the historic urban layout of the city of Gdańsk. Ogarna Street was destroyed in 1945 during the war. It was rebuilt on the basis of the so-called Zachwatowicz plan that envisaged the reconstruction of historical forms, which was only feasible in the form of a workers’ housing estate. The erected block of flats was covered by a historicist façade screen. The buildings thus created were the result of combining two houses into a complex with a common staircase, an entrance from the courtyard and an even top line of windows emphasising the block-like nature of the premise. The elevations were not completed with architectural decoration.

Information about the author: Adam Romuald ‘Theosone’ Kłodecki graduated from the Faculty of Design and Interior Design at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk. He is the co-founder of the ATAK group and holder of numerous awards, who took part in several exhibitions. Theosone represents the calligraffiti style.

Condition of the object: good

Owner/guardian: ‘Attyka’ real estate management

Author of the entry: Noemi Etush