Theatre square in Bydgoszcz
| Polish: Plac Teatralny w Bydgoszczy | |
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View from Brda river
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| 300px
Location in Bydgoszcz
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| Type | Square |
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| Owner | City of Bydgoszcz |
| Location | Dowtown Bydgoszcz |
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Contents
Location
Theatre Square is located in the heart of Bydgoszcz: it is delimitated by the following streets:
- Karmelicka, to the West,
- Ferdinand Foch to the North,
- Mostowa to the East
and Brda river to the South.
It is situated on the northern edge of Bydgoszcz Old Town, and acts as linkage with Bydgoszcz Downtown district, located to north of the river. On the eastern frontage of the square are located urban houses built between the late 19th centuries and the beginning of the 20th century.
History
The first buildings in the area of the current Theatre Square appeared at the end of the 14th century: it was St. Mary's Church of the Carmelites and their monastic buildings.
In the middle of the 16th century, both the monastery and church have been rebuilt using bricks, the convent was surrounded by a wall part of the defense system of the city. The road leading to the Baltic harbour of Gdansk was controlled by the now gone "Gate of Dantzig" (north of the actual square). Secularization ordered in 1816 by Prussian authorities reshuffled this layout.
In 1822 the church of the Carmelites was razed, and on the place was built the first theatre building. Since then, the area has always borne the actual name, Theatre Square ("Plac Teatralny").
The building had a chaotic life: destroyed by a fire in 1835, it has been rebuilt and burned again in 1890. In 1895, finally, has been erected the Municipal Theatre, designed by Berlin architect Heinrich Seeling. During this construction, the last relic of the Carmelite monastery -a Gothic tower- has been demolished.
In 1888 the square witnessed the first horsecar: 2 lines joined there. In 1896, a railway network was established to run powered trams. In the beginning of 1901, a 3rd line was added: the Square became the largest interchange in Bydgoszcz. On the eve of World War II, four tram lines were running through the place on daily basis. It lost its importance in 1953 when a new interchange in the district of Babia Wieś was set up. Rail tracks from the north-south lines have been liquidated in 1974, since then, trams run through the square on an east-west axis, along its northern frontage (Ferdinand Foch Street).
In the garden along the banks of the Brda river was a popular café called "Theatre" ((Polish) "Teatralną"). In a nearby square, on 18 October 1910, has been unveiled the sculpture The Archer ((Polish) Łuczniczka) by Berliner Ferdinand Lepcke, considered as one of the symbols of Bydgoszcz. After WWII, the masterpiece has been moved to a public garden nearby Gdanska street.
The reconstruction of the Municipal Theatre has been an opportunity of a modernization of the square. The eastern frontage was rebuilt in 1893-1912, with Neo-Baroque and Modern houses, and a partial modernization also was performed along facades onto Mostowa Street and Focha.
During interwar period, Theatre Square was one of the most important and most prominent in Bromberg, and it would be displayed on many postcards and in works of local artists. In 1937-1938, the square underwent another renovation.
In 1945, during the battle for the liberation of the city, the Municipal Theatre has been was hit by shells its interiors burned down.[1] Municipal authorities, mistakenly associating the Theatre with German culture, had it demolished. Since then, Theatre Square lacks the building from which it derives its name.
Eventually, after demolition, the area has been planted with grass and in 1959-1961 the square was extended and it took its current shape, moving out The Archer sculpture further north in Gdanska Street.
Denomination
The square had the following names:[2]
- 1872-1920- Theater-Platz
- 1920-1939- Theater Square
- 1939-1945- Theater-Platz
- 1945-1949- Theater Square
- 1950-1956- Plac Wyzwolenia (Liberation Square)
- 1956-1990- Plac Zjednoczenia (Unity Square)
- 1990- Theatre Square
Current status
The Square is partially used in the western part (parking lot), and in the eastern part (linking with Mostowa Street). The lawned area, as one of the most exposed places in downtown Bydgoszcz is still waiting for development. City authorities are planning new buildings of high architectural value. In July 19, 2013 two fogging pergolas have been set up.
Buildings of interest
Theatre square 2
Erection dates: 1893-1905
Style: Neo-Baroque
Architect: Joseph Święcicki
Heritage list: N°601409, Reg. A/1141, May 6, 1992
The corner house at Stary Port Street 1-3 has been built according by Joseph Święcicki in 1893 for Julius Rosenthal's heirs, a businessman. The aim was to house a Department store, "Hohenzollern" and an apartment. The building was completed in 1894, with its Neo-Baroque décor, trademark of Bromberg architect. In 1910, the northern end was razed to build a modern Department store designed by Fritz Weidner.
In the 1930s, gables were demolished and decoration moved on the top of the cornice.[3] In 2011 a thorough refurbishing has been performed on the facade, exposing its initial splendor.[4]
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Bydgoszcz,eklektyczna kamienica Stary Port1-3.JPG
View of the corner
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Bdg StaryPort1 17 12-2013.jpg
Facade onto Theatre square
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Kamienia w stylu eklektycznym z przewagą form neobarokowych.JPG
Facade onto Brda river
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Bdg StaryPort1 3 12-2013.jpg
Detail of the facade ornament
Theatre square 4
Erection dates: 28th Feb. 1911[5]
Architect: Fritz Weidner
The building realized according to the design of Fritz Weidner, was at its time the second modern Department store in the city, after Jedynak on Gdanska Street. The client was Mas Zweininger,[7] owner of a famous hat manufactory who was living on Focha street 2. The edifice is now the headquarters of Bank Pekao SA.
The impressive and modern facade has survived till today, in spite of some minor changes: it is reminiscing of its original features.
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Plac teatralny 1917.jpg
Facades of buildings at N° 4 and 6 in 1917
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Bdg plTeatralny i 05-2013.jpg
View from the square
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Kamienica Plac Teatralny 4.jpg
Frontage onto the square
Theatre square 6
Erection dates: 1913
Style: Modernism
Architect: Heinrich Gross,
This tenement stands at the corner of Jagiellonian Street and Theatre Square. From 1789 to 1800, on the place were a storehouse and stable. In 1853, a new building was erected, it survived until 1912. This year, a new edifice has been built by Rudolf Kern following a design of architect Heinrich Gross: the client was Otto Pfefferkorn, owner of a successful furniture factory.[7][8] Minor works have been performed in 1922-1923. In 1940, arcades designed by Jan Kossowski have been added at ground level at the request of the Nazi authorities: the project comprised also the opposite building with the same features.
The address has housed for a long time the Alliance Française offices of Bydgoszcz. Today, the place is famous for the night club "Savoy" that occupies a whole floor.[9]
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Savoy 1902.jpg
Theatre Square N°6 ca. 1902. Notice the old corner house.
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Bdg Savoy 5 07-2013.jpg
View from Gdanska Street
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Bdg plTeatralny 24 07-2013.jpg
View from the Square
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Bdg plTeatralny 9 07-2013.jpg
Detail of topping rotunda
Foch Street N°2
Erection dates: 1901-1902
Style: Vienna Secession, Eclecticism
Architect: Karl Bergner
The house was built between 1901 and 1902 for Max Zweininger, the owner of a famous hat manufactory in Bromberg,[10][11] living at Elisabethstraße 55, now Śniadecki Street N°4. The building was designed by Bydgoszcz architect Karl Bergner on the site of an earlier building originating from the first half of the 19th century. On the ground floor were established shops, including hats and furs retailers.
In 1940, a ground floor arcade has been added, designed by Jan Kossowski,[12] as he did at the same period on opposite building (Theatre square 6).
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Bydgoszcz Kamienica Focha 2.jpg
View from Jagellonska street
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Focha-Gdanska detail.jpg
Detail of corner ornament
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Focha2 details.jpg
Detail of the gable
Foch Street N°4
Erection dates: 1901-1902
Style: Vienna Secession, Eclecticism
Architect: Karl Bergner
Heritage list: N°601292, Reg. A/849, 22nd Apr. 1996
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Bydgoszcz kamienica Focha 4.jpg
View from Theatre Square
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Bdg plTeatralny 13 07-2013.jpg
Detail of gable
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Bdg plTeatralny 14 07-2013.jpg
Facade detail
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Bdg plTeatralny 15 07-2013.jpg
Facade detail
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Bdg plTeatralny 18 07-2013.jpg
Facade detail
Foch Street N°6, 8, 10, 12
Focha N°6, Neoclassical architecture.
Original building from the 2nd half of the 19th century, like the house at Gdanska Street N°40.
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Focha 6 Bydg.jpg
View from Theatre Square
Focha N°8, Neoclassical architecture.
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Focha 8 Bydg.jpg
View from Theatre Square
Focha N°10, Vienna Secession, Eclecticism.
Erected in the 2nd half of the 19th century, the facade is ornamented with many bay windows.
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Bdg Focha10 3 12-2013.jpg
View from Theatre Square
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Bdg Focha10 5 12-2013.jpg
Detail of a gable
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Bdg Focha10 6 12-2013.jpg
Detail of a gable
Focha N°12, Eclecticism, Neo-Renaissance.
Erected in the 2nd half of the 19th century, the facade is ornamented with bay windows.
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Bdg Focha 8 07-2013.jpg
View from Theatre Square
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Bdg Focha12 7 12-2013.jpg
Detail of a bay window
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Bdg Focha12 6 12-2013.jpg
Detail of a the ornamented gate
Foch Street N°18
Erection dates: 1885
Style: Eclecticism, Neo-Renaissance
Architect: A. Berndt
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Focha 18 Bydg a.jpg
View from Theatre Square
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Bdg Focha noc 5 07-2013.jpg
By night
Foch Street N°20
Erection dates: 1884
Style: German Historicism
Building has been renovated in 2007. Since 2015, it has been converted into a four-star hotel with a panoramic terrace on the roof.[13]
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Focha 20 Bydg.jpg
View from Theatre Square
Foch Street N°24
Erection dates: 1876
Style: Eclecticism, French and northern European Neo-Renaissance
Architect: C. Stamphel
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Focha 24 Bydg a.jpg
View from Theatre Square
Miscellaneous
In the western part of the Theatre Square grow specimens of trees and shrubs that are registered as Polish Natural Monuments:
- Four yews,[14]
- A London planetree with a 350 cm circumference trunk.[15]
The 18° East Meridian runs through the Theatre Square.
See also
- Gdańska Street in Bydgoszcz
- Mill Island in Bydgoszcz
- Marshal Ferdinand Foch Street in Bydgoszcz
- Former Municipal Theatre in Bydgoszcz
External links
Bibliography
- (Polish) Czachorowski Antoni red. Atlas historyczny miast polskich. Tom II Kujawy. Zeszyt 1. Bydgoszcz. Toruń: Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika, 1997
- (Polish) Derenda Jerzy. Piękna stara Bydgoszcz – tom I z serii Bydgoszcz miasto na Kujawach. Praca zbiorowa. Towarzystwo Miłośników Miasta Bydgoszczy. Bydgoszcz 2006
- (Polish) Kaja Renata. Bydgoskie pomniki przyrody. Instytut Wydawniczy "Świadectwo". Bydgoszcz 1995
- (Polish) Umiński Janusz: Bydgoszcz. Przewodnik: Bydgoszcz: Regionalny Oddział PTTK "Szlak Brdy", 1996
References
- ↑ Soviet soldiers billeted in the building might have set fire
- ↑ Atlas historyczny miast polskich. Tom II Kujawy. Zeszyt 1. Bydgoszcz: red. Antoni Czachorowski: Toruń: Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika, 1997
- ↑ http://www.swiecicki.bydgoszcz.pl/ dostęp 16-09-2010
- ↑ Aleksandra Lewińska "Estetyczna rewolucja w okolicach Mostowej. Będą remonty"
- ↑ MATERIAŁY DO DZIEJOW KULTURY I SZTUKI I BYDGOSZCZY I REGIONU N°5, p.43. ISSN 1427-5465
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Adressbuch nebst allgemeinem Geschäfts-Anzeiger von Bromberg und dessen Vororten für das Jahr 1911: auf Grund amtlicher und privater Unterlagen,p.169
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- ↑ Express Bydgoski 2.01.2015
- ↑ Rozporządzenie nr 36/95 Wojewody Bydgoskiego z 14.02.1995
- ↑ Rozporządzenie nr 11/91 Wojewody Bydgoskiego z 1.07.1991
