The Wielopolski Palace in
Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...
, Poland, is the location of the
Kraków City Council and the office of the President of Kraków. The palace and the courtyard buildings are located between the All Saints 3–4 Square (''Plac Wszystkich Świętych'') and the Deputies 8–12 Street (''ul. Poselska''), which is the official address of the City Hall.
History
The Wielopolski Palace was built in 1535–1560 for
Hetman
( uk, гетьман, translit=het'man) is a political title from Central and Eastern Europe, historically assigned to military commanders.
Used by the Czechs in Bohemia since the 15th century. It was the title of the second-highest military co ...
Jan Tarnowski
Jan Amor Tarnowski (Latin: Joannes Tarnovius; 1488 – 16 May 1561) was a Polish nobleman, knight, military commander, military theoretician, and statesman of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland. He was Grand Crown Hetman from 1527, and was ...
. After the death of Tarnowski in 1561 the palace passed into the hands of
Ostrogski
The House of Ostrogski ( pl, Ostrogscy, lt, Ostrogiškiai, ua, Острозькі - ''Ostroz'ki'') was one of the more prominent families in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The fa ...
and
Zamoyski
The House of Zamoyski (plural: Zamoyscy) is the name of an important Polish noble (szlachta) family, which used the Jelita coat of arms. It is the Polish term for "de Zamość" (Polish "z Zamościa"), the name they originally held as lords of Z ...
families. Between the mid-17th century and the mid-19th century, the building remained in the hands of
Wielopolski
The House of Wielopolski (plural: Wielopolscy, feminine form: Wielopolska) was a Polish szlachta family, magnates in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Coat of arms
The Wielopolski family used the Starykoń coat of arms.
Notable members
* Elżbiet ...
family. Part of the palace was made available by the owners for various societal and public purposes. There were theatre productions held at the auditoriums and art exhibitions organized including painting studio gallery of
Piotr Michałowski
Piotr Michałowski (July 2, 1800 – June 9, 1855) was a Polish painter of the Romantic period, especially known for his many portraits, and oil studies of horses. Broadly educated, he was also a social activist, legal advocate, city administr ...
, one of the greatest Polish painters of the Romantic period. The palace was severely damaged during
the fire of Krakow in 1850; the Wielkopolskis decided to sell the burned-out building.
The new owner of the palace, surgeon Wojciech Kowalski, made the necessary repairs and in 1857 leased the palace to a Viennese profiteer Ferdinand von Winter, who operated the café Winter there. The interiors were remodelled for masquerade balls, and musical evenings. His cafe was elegant and rather popular, one of the first in the city. Later, rooms were leased to Ignacy Mażka and Napoleon Gross photo studio.
[
]
Town Hall (1864)
In 1864 the palace was purchased by the Municipality of Kraków. According to Resolution of the City Council the building restoration was carried out based on design by architect Paweł Barański from 1865 to 1868. In the second floor renovations, a brand new Council Chamber was created for the City. Furniture was designed by architect Filip Pokutyński. The upper parts of the walls of the hall were decorated with carved busts of the Polish kings. A new gallery of portraits of presidents of the city was launched, placing them on the walls of the hall. Municipal offices and the office of Mayor were located on the first floor.[
File:Palac wielopolskich 1836.jpg, Engraving of the Palace from 1836
File:Palac Wielkopolskich.jpg, View at the end of the 19th century
File:Magistrat krakowski (noc).jpg, Wielopolski Palace in winter, today
]
References
* M. Rożek, ''Przewodnik po zabytkach Krakowa. Urbs celeberrima'', wyd. II uaktualnione, Wydawnictwo WAM, Kraków 2010, s. 244–246, .
* ''Pałac Wielopolskich'' :''Encyklopedia Krakowa PWN'', Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN
Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN (''Polish Scientific Publishers PWN''; until 1991 ''Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe'' - ''National Scientific Publishers PWN'', PWN) is a Polish book publisher, founded in 1951, when it split from the Wydawnictwa Szkolne i ...
, Warszawa-Kraków 2000, s. 728–729.
Lokalizacja Pałacu Wielopolskich na WikiMapia
(dostęp: 2011-03-03)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Local government in Krakow
City councils in Poland
Palaces in Kraków