Town Square House, Rynek 25

The Stein & Koslowski department store was built in the Art Nouveau style in 1906. According to the plans made by the architect Alvin Wedemann, the building erected on a narrow and deep plot was to be compensated by a proportionally designed five-storey façade. All of the ground floor is decorated with expressive low reliefs representing profile images of eagles and pelicans, and the central part of the roof is fitted with an oval window flanked by sculptures representing boys with laurel garlands. The building survived World War II in an almost intact state. In the 1970s the interiors of the tenement have been redesigned, with the addition of new stairs that fanned out to connect the departments on the ground floor with those situated on the first floor. At the onset of the 21st century a renovation of the façade was carried out. For over 60 years the building was the property of the Polish national clothing brand Moda Polska and hosted its prestigious department store. Since 2016 the Town Square House belongs to the city. It hosts events organized within the confines of the European Capital of Culture, such as the exhibition of the contemporary Ukrainian art organized as part of the Lviv Month or the project of the artists from Gdansk entitled Friends from the Seaside organized as part of the Coalition of Cities for Culture. After the planned renovation, the ground floor of the building will offer a restaurant space.

Based on: Atlas architektury Wrocławia, ed. by Jan Harasimowicz. Wydawnictwo Dolnośląskie 1997.