, image = Main Post Office in Bydgoszcz (4).jpg , image_size = 300px , image_alt = Building from

Brda river The Brda (; german: Brahe) is a river in northern Poland, a tributary of the Vistula. It has a total length of 245 km and a catchment area (all within Poland) of 4,665 km2.Brda river The Brda (; german: Brahe) is a river in northern Poland, a tributary of the Vistula. It has a total length of 245 km and a catchment area (all within Poland) of 4,665 km2.Bydgoszcz Bydgoszcz ( , , ; german: Bromberg) is a city in northern Poland, straddling the meeting of the River Vistula with its left-bank tributary, the Brda. With a city population of 339,053 as of December 2021 and an urban agglomeration with more ...

, building_type =

Post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

, architectural_style = Neo-Gothic , classification = Nr.601347-Reg.A/749 (December 15, 1971) , location = Jagiellońska Street 6,

Bydgoszcz Bydgoszcz ( , , ; german: Bromberg) is a city in northern Poland, straddling the meeting of the River Vistula with its left-bank tributary, the Brda. With a city population of 339,053 as of December 2021 and an urban agglomeration with more ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

, client = Poczta Polska , groundbreaking_date = , completion_date = 1883 , renovation_date = 1899 , material =

brick A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...

, size = , floor_count = 4 , architect = Boettger, Kleinfeldt, Neumann , website
Bydgoszcz-poczta-glowna
The Main Post Office in Bydgoszcz is a complex of historical post buildings, owned by

Polish Post Poczta Polska ( lit. ''Polish Post'') is the state postal administration of Poland, initially founded in 1558. It is the largest mail-handling company in the country, which additionally provides courier, banking, insurance and logistics servi ...

services Office in

. Buildings have been registered on the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship Heritage List.

Location

Buildings stand on a plot delimitated by the following streets: Jagiellońska, Stary Port, Pocztowa and

Franciszek Ksawery Drucki-Lubecki Prince Franciszek Ksawery Drucki-Lubecki ('' en, Francis Xavier Drucki-Lubecki''; 4 January 1778–10 May 1846) was an important Polish politician, freemason and diplomat of the first half of the 19th century. He served as the minister of the ...

. They have been erected on the northern bank of the

Brda river The Brda (; german: Brahe) is a river in northern Poland, a tributary of the Vistula. It has a total length of 245 km and a catchment area (all within Poland) of 4,665 km2.Bydgoszcz Bydgoszcz ( , , ; german: Bromberg) is a city in northern Poland, straddling the meeting of the River Vistula with its left-bank tributary, the Brda. With a city population of 339,053 as of December 2021 and an urban agglomeration with more ...

dates back to the first half of 18th century, as confirmed by postal statutes of the Crown General Post in 1733, 1754 and 1766. In 1751, the post office in Bydgoszcz was in a bourgeois building on the corner of Niedźwiedzia and Stefan Batory Streets near the Old Marketplace. After the First Partition of Poland, the post office moved to a building in current Długa street. The Bydgoszcz mail office has been planned to migrate from the streets adjacent to the Old Market to the other side of the

Brda river The Brda (; german: Brahe) is a river in northern Poland, a tributary of the Vistula. It has a total length of 245 km and a catchment area (all within Poland) of 4,665 km2. have been built in September 1773. The casern was billeting the city-stationed squadron of the 7th Hussars regiment led by General Paweł Józef Małachowski. Initially a massive one-storey building, it was later on expanded with further floors and a number of other buildings associated with needs of the army (barracks, stables, coach house). Since the end of the 18th century, a mail office has been standing in the complex.

First post office building

In 1815 Prussian authorities assigned the former stables to the needs of Royal Prussian Post Office Directorate in Bydgoszcz. The new post office was then located in the corner of the streets Jagiellońska and

. The ensemble had not yet a representative character, but it was sufficient for the needs of the mail Directorate. The former stables of the 7th Hussars regiment, unused, were demolished in 1896. Gottfried Groschke, longtime director (1815-1847), had been designated in 1840 "Honorary Citizen of

Bromberg Bydgoszcz ( , , ; german: Bromberg) is a city in northern Poland, straddling the meeting of the River Vistula with its left-bank tributary, the Brda. With a city population of 339,053 as of December 2021 and an urban agglomeration with more ...

: under his rule, post office staff doubled, and in the mid-19th century postal stations in the district were supported by 145 postillions looking after more than 400 horses, regular connections (by

stagecoach A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...

and postal vans) linking

with, among others, Torun,

Gdańsk Gdańsk ( , also ; ; csb, Gduńsk;Stefan Ramułt, ''Słownik języka pomorskiego, czyli kaszubskiego'', Kraków 1893, Gdańsk 2003, ISBN 83-87408-64-6. , Johann Georg Theodor Grässe, ''Orbis latinus oder Verzeichniss der lateinischen Benen ...

, Poznan, Inowrocław,

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

and Konigsberg.

Second post office building

Upon the establishment of a Higher Directorate of Post in Bydgoszcz, the initial edifice on Jagiellońska street could no longer fully meet the needs of a new, enlarged administration coordinating the mail work in the city and throughout the Bydgoszcz region: there was a real need to get a building that could manage both activities, mail and

telegraphy Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...

. By the end of the 1850s, on-site stables and coach houses were built according to the design of building inspector Bannenschmidt. The construction standing in the corner of Jagiellońska and Pocztowa streets displayed

Neo-Classicist Neoclassicism (also spelled Neo-classicism) was a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassicism w ...

features. In 1859, the post office also housed the activities of the Municipal Central Tax Office ( ger, Hauptsteueramt). The new post office building consisted of two wings: a massive body on Jagiellońska street and lower wing along Pocztowa street. The ensemble, only seat of Bydgoszcz mail, was demolished in 1896.

Third post office building

After 1871's victory during Franco-Prussian War and the improved financial condition of

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Re ...

, Prussian authorities decided to expand the mail institution network across the country. In this context, it has been planned to erect a new building designed for offices, mail and telegraph on a plot along the

Brda river The Brda (; german: Brahe) is a river in northern Poland, a tributary of the Vistula. It has a total length of 245 km and a catchment area (all within Poland) of 4,665 km2.guardhouse had been liquidated, but other buildings were still standing, like a residential and

wattle and daub Wattle and daub is a composite building method used for making walls and buildings, in which a woven lattice of wooden strips called wattle is daubed with a sticky material usually made of some combination of wet soil, clay, sand, animal dung a ...

fire station. In 1879, the area was purchased to construct the new post edifice, which was unveiled on September 1, 1885. Plans and drawings were the work of several authors, including Mr Boettger, government building master. The architectural design was dictated by Prussian parliament rules, such as Neo-Gothic bricks, considered as a Prussian national style, the use of rooms and courtyards, the height of premises fences over 4 m, etc.

Clinker brick Clinker bricks are partially-vitrified bricks used in the construction of buildings. Clinker bricks are produced when wet clay bricks are exposed to excessive heat during the firing process, sintering the surface of the brick and forming a shin ...

s for the construction have been brought from

Malbork Malbork; ; * la, Mariaeburgum, ''Mariae castrum'', ''Marianopolis'', ''Civitas Beatae Virginis'' * Kashubian: ''Malbórg'' * Old Prussian: ''Algemin'' is a town in the Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland. It is the seat of Malbork County and has a ...

's Brick and Ceramic Factory. On the first floor were the telegraph machinery, the telephone room and the battery storage. The

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expres ...

along the Brda river were dedicated for housing allowances for postal workers. The main entrance to the courtyard stood on river side and its ornated gate survived preserved till today.

Fourth post office building

After 10 years of activity of the post office building, a need appears for a new one dedicated entirely to the Imperial Directorate of Posts, with its constantly expanding amount of offices works (mail, telegraph and phone), and a multitude of civil servants. Another plot was acquired, with land and buildings between Jagiellońska and

streets, belonging to the Customs Office. After demolition of an old classicist building standing there, the construction of the new edifice started in 1896, according to the design of a team of architects led by Kleinfeldt and L. Neumann from Konigsberg. Building progress was overseen by inspector Wolff, on behalf of postal officials Döhring and Schwerkotting. The building was completed in 1900, the masonry work has been mainly led by

master bricklayer Paul Bohm from Bydgoszcz, and the joinery by A. Busse from Eberswalde. The building is realized in the Neo-Gothic style, referring to the office building of Post and Telegraph facing Brda riverside. The premises were thus contained between four streets: Jagiellońska, Stary Port, Pocztowa and

, the fourth side facing the Brda river. The postal building ensemble has survived in its 1899 initial shape almost unchanged to this day with its original windows and doors, its massive frame structures in the hallways, the cross vaulted corridors and staircases, the original metal railings and some ceramic floors. Only interior spaces have been transformed to fit a modern and functional activity. The building continues to serve as the Main Post Office of

Architecture

Main Post Office buildings complex is built in the so-called "Prussian national style", which was in force in the last decades of the 19th century, and required for every new official buildings in the

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

. It alludes to the Northern German Neo-Gothic style, which, however, also refers to other styles such as Italian and German

Neo-Renaissance Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range o ...

, Neo-Romanesque, Round-arch style -invoking the Romanesque and Byzantine architecture- and Spitzbogenstil -with scrolling Dutch and Gothic elements.

Old building ( Stary Port Street Wing)

The building is brick-made, with one storey, an

attic An attic (sometimes referred to as a '' loft'') is a space found directly below the pitched roof of a house or other building; an attic may also be called a ''sky parlor'' or a garret. Because attics fill the space between the ceiling of the ...

and a basement. It has two wings with slight

avant-corps An ''avant-corps'' ( it, avancorpo or , plural , german: Risalit, pl, ryzalit), a French term literally meaning "fore-body", is a part of a building, such as a porch or pavilion, that juts out from the ''corps de logis'', often taller than othe ...

: one is parallel to the river, the other one covers half the length of Pocztowa street. The pentagonal

tower A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...

in the courtyard shelters a staircase. The bare briked facades are, in places, supplemented with greenish or maroon glazed ones, displaying a more decorative nature. Glazed details draw attention to the regular friezes,

pinnacle A pinnacle is an architectural element originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire. It was mainly ...

traceries Tracery is an architectural device by which windows (or screens, panels, and vaults) are divided into sections of various proportions by stone ''bars'' or ''ribs'' of moulding. Most commonly, it refers to the stonework elements that support the ...

on the one hand and the geometric pattern thread embedded in the wall on the other hand.The richness of ceramics detail, wrought iron decorative elements are also remarkable. The facades on the riverside present biforium and

triforium A triforium is an interior gallery, opening onto the tall central space of a building at an upper level. In a church, it opens onto the nave from above the side aisles; it may occur at the level of the clerestory windows, or it may be locate ...

windows. Acute overhead arch windows are decorated with an alternating arrangement of red and glazed bricks. Horizontal divisions are set by a brick

cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a ...

cordons. On Pocztowa street, massive

windows are used on the ground floor and biforium ones on the first floor. Corner decorative

portal Portal often refers to: * Portal (architecture), an opening in a wall of a building, gate or fortification, or the extremities (ends) of a tunnel Portal may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Gaming * ''Portal'' (series), two video games ...

topped with triangular

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

s display a clock on both sides of which are placed original ceramic coats of arms (with mail and

telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...

symbols). The roof exposes

finial A finial (from '' la, finis'', end) or hip-knob is an element marking the top or end of some object, often formed to be a decorative feature. In architecture, it is a small decorative device, employed to emphasize the Apex (geometry), apex of a d ...

and densely ornate

dormer A dormer is a roofed structure, often containing a window, that projects vertically beyond the plane of a pitched roof. A dormer window (also called ''dormer'') is a form of roof window. Dormers are commonly used to increase the usable space ...

s made up of profiled planks. The view of the rear façade is alike the front but in a more simplified and devoid of color friezes or glazed details. The passage of time, acts of war and inappropriate reconstruction work resulted in the loss of part of the decoration on the facades of the building. In the corner is preserved a surviving metal frame structure where was mounted the cable network of telegraph and telephone, topped with an ornate

flèche Flèche or Fleche may refer to: *Flèche (architecture), a type of church spire *Flèche (cycling), a team cycling competition *Flèche (fencing), an aggressive offensive fencing technique *Flèche (fortification) A flèche ( Fr. for "arrow") is ...

from the date of construction of the facility "1885".

New building ( Jagiellońska street Wing)

This building has a "U" shape with a massive body giving onto Jagiellońska street, and a high tower in the north-western corner. This younger edifice is bigger and taller than the building on the riverside. The transition from the old to the new happens at half the length of Pocztowa street. The construction has three-storey, with an attic and a basement. Prominent

are noticeable from Jagiellońska street, lowerones are present on Pocztowa's facade. The ensemble is covered by a

roof with embedded

s. The decoration of the facade is simplified in comparaison with the older building, but the same decorative repertoire is partly repeated. It uses wimpergs,

s, pointed arches, arched windows and

s, along with a diverse combination of brick

, iron

rose window Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. The windows are divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery. The term ''rose window'' w ...

and color friezes with rhythmically repetitive arrangements of red and green glazed bricks. Buildings have been registered on the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship Heritage List Nr.601347 Reg.A/749, on December 15, 1971.

Gallery

File:Main Post Office in Bydgoszcz (3).jpg, View from the

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

File:Poczta Główna (16).JPG, Facade onto Jagiellońska St. File:Bydgoszcz Poczta Gł z rogu.jpg, View from the river bank File:SM Bydg 2012e.jpg, Bird eye view File:Bydgoszcz Poczta Główna 03.JPG, Tower on Jagiellońska st. File:Poczta Główna szczyt.jpg, Gable roof on the old building File:Post Office (2).JPG, Detail on the arched portal (notice the inscription "Eingang 3") File:Bdg MainPost1 01-2015.jpg, Detail of adorned roofs File:Bdg PocztaGl Jagiellonska 10 07-2013.jpg, Glazed mosaic File:Bdg PocztaGl Jagiellonska 1 07-2013.jpg, Portal File:Poczta Główna (7).JPG, By night