The well was covered with a stone block. It was found during construction works at the general renovation of four tenement houses at ul. Kazimierza Wielkiego (two of them have numbers 31 and 33, between the Historical Museum and the Providence Church, and two other in the back wing). This is where the Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Evangelic Centre will be created.
The well was found in the courtyard of the tenement houses, which centuries ago were located in the malt producers', and later merchants' area. It was the city's production base, and houses were built with individual water supplies.
"It's probably the deepest found Renaissance well in Wrocław. And a particularly sturdy one" praises Prof. Rafał Eysymontt, art historian from Wrocław University, who is in charge of the conservation works.
The only so well preserved Renaissance well in Wrocław
The well is ca. 1.5 m in diameter, and ca. 6 m deep. It is covered with characteristic, trapeze tile fittings. Inside, fragments of a well-preserved wooden pipeline are visible. The top is made of well-processed sandstone elements, bearing mason markings, which, as Prof. Rafał Eysymontt stresses, proves its meticulous design. At the bottom of the well there's water. In the few coming days it will become known whether the well has some more surprises in store, as soon as its deepest fragment is examined. It is not yet known what the future fate of the well will be. There are ideas to expose and highlight it.
Valuable historic portals hidden under plaster
The renovated houses are located in the southern side of ul. Kazimierza Wielkiego, which more or less reflects the line of the former inner moat. During works some architectural details from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries were found, which were embedded in walls and served as construction material.
Particularly impressive is a magnificent late Gothic portal from ca. 1500, found at the ground floor. For years it was walled and hidden under a layer of plaster, serving as a passage to the service lift.
Prof. Rafał Eysymontt assesses the portal as "one of the most interesting portals of the period preserved in Wrocław".
The already restored during the renovation were, among others, fragments of a column from the beginning of the 16th century, with well preserved colours. All historical elements discovered will be exhibited in the hall of the now build Pilgrim's House. But that's not all. Interesting are also three staircases, which walls and railings will be restored in their original colours (one of them will have a late Art Nouveau wall décor restored). In the back wing, a unique construction of iron columns was found, supporting the wooden ceiling. The columns were wrapped in mesh and covered with plaster boards.
A 18th c. fresco was also restored on the 2nd floor, with a deer in a forest clearing.
"Its condition was dramatic, because the fresco was walled, and it needed a lot of refills" said Marcin Furykiewicz, an art conservator.
Why the deer was put on the wall of the house is not exactly known. One of the hypotheses says once the Hirsh family lived there, and Hirsh means "deer" in German.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Evangelic Centre
The four restored buildings will house the Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Evangelic Centre. The facility is to include a seniors' home, circuit assistance for families with disabled people, a pilgrim's house with lecture rooms, a bookshop, a café and tourist information.
"Our aim is to make the place available not only for our fellow believers, but also for all residents of Wrocław and tourists" stresses Rev. Marcin Orawski, the vicar of the Holy Providence parish in Wrocław.
The parish assessed the total renovation cost to 5-6 million PLN, including 50,000 PLN of subsidy from the city conservator's office for restoring historic elements. Works are to be completed by the first quarter of 2015.
Text and photo: Jarek Ratajczak
