On a scaffold more than two meters above the ground conservators have been working since July revealing patiently, millimetre by millimetre, what has been plastered and covered with paint for the last 400 years on today's most valuable Wroclaw portal of the late Renaissance.
'The big problem is that the portal was once painted in three colours. Later, the whole surface was covered with cement wash so that it turned grey. Now, the cement needs to be chiselled off,' explains conservator Danuta Harodyska-Jaskulak. The work draws the attention of passers-by, she added. Having paused in work for a moment, she explains her work: 'With temperatures such as the present, everything dries up quickly and you can't take long breaks.
Danuta Harodyska-Jaskulak, restorer, photo: Jarek Ratajczak
Portal moved from the Market Square
The portal's history is quite interesting. It dates back to approx. 1580 and was made of sandstone in the style of Italian and Dutch Mannerism. Currently, it is the most valuable object of this type in Wroclaw.
'There is by far no other portal in Wroclaw so richly carved with decoration in the style of Mannerism,' says Sławomir Bujak from the Office of the Municipal Heritage Conservator in Wroclaw.
photo: Tomasz Walków
The portal was originally a part of the tenement at 12 Market Square. It was demolished in the early twentieth century. (probably in 1903) and then the portal was integrated into the façade of the building at ul. Wita Stwosza 16 facing ul. Biskupia. From then on, the stonework was a part of a Classical town that remembered the times of Napoleon. During this period, the town house at Market Square 12 and ul. Wita Stwosza 16 belonged to the family Philippi.
'It was a very common practice in Wroclaw. At reconstruction, valuable items such as portals, ceilings and fittings were moved,' says Katarzyna Hawrylak-Brzezowska, city conservator.
photo: Tomasz Walków
Portal as the icing on the cake
The portal is located at the façade of the house, which now belongs to the Cooperative Medical Rehabilitation Centre 'Resurs.'
'The historic portal is like icing on the cake. Its renewal will mark the close of revitalization of our building,' says Alina Siuda, economic and administrative director of the Cooperative Medical Rehabilitation Centre 'Resurs.'
The investor allocated 48 000 PLN for the renovation of the portal. 70 percent of the amount, i.e. 33 600 PLN is the subsidy of Wroclaw municipality. The project is scheduled for the end of the year, but the effect of the conservators' efforts will be seen at the end of August.
The town palace that dates back to the times of Napoleon is quite impressive
Revitalization of the building lasted 15 years and ended in November last year. It is a unique tenement, as it was preserved in its original condition. The staircase is Wroclaw-unique, because it is wooden, with a helical structure.
'We started the overhaul of the south wing in 1999. The work has been a bit forced by the press. An article was published concerning the disastrous condition of the building, and the photographs were captioned 'Is this Sarajevo, or the centre of Wroclaw?' We had no choice and we started the works,' Jerzy Kowalew, chairman of the board Cooperative Medical Rehabilitation Centre 'Resurs' in Wroclaw said at the closing of the revitalization.
Works on the renewal of the entire building cost approx. 11 million PLN. The municipality of Wroclaw contributed some of the money under the program to save historic buildings (in 2012 nearly half a million was allotted to restoration of the antique staircase, and this year 48 000 to the renovation of the building's façade).
