Art Nouveau in Poznań

One of the most astonishing sites in the downtown districts of Poznań are the façades of tenement houses. Many of them were built at the turn of the 19th and 20th century when Art Nouveau became a fashion in Europe. Art Nouveau artists were inspired by the colourful Japanese art and used subtle floral motifs.

It was at that time that Poznań grew rapidly. Former villages, including Łazarz, Jeżyce and Wilda, were incorporated into the city. Housing construction in these areas became crucial. It was supposed to serve officials, teachers, bankers and industrialists. Fashionable, grand tenement houses were built specifically for them. This is why the most skilled architects were employed.

The majority of Poznań’s Art Nouveau architects were Germans. Some of them came from Poznań or the Wielkopolska Region (like Emil Asmus, Paul Pitt). Others were attracted to the city by construction projects (Oskar Hoffman, Paul Linder, Kaarl Roskam). Both were usually educated at a polytechnic in Charlottenburg, drawing inspiration from Berlin architecture.

Prussian authorities favoured German architects. However, Art Nouveau in Poznań was created also by designers of other nationalities. Among them were Poles, for example Ludwik Frankiewicz and Ryszard Mendelski, Teodor Jaretzki, who had Jewish roots, as well as Anton Küntzel of Czech descent. It should also be borne in mind that it was Polish construction workers who turned their Art Nouveau projects into reality.

An Art Nouveau tenement house belonging to Böhmer & Preul Company, today the New Theatre, photo by Zbigniew Szmidt

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German Böhmer & Preul Company

Many architects working in the 19th and 20th century created copartnerships. It allowed them to share their experience and find customers easier. A company like that was also set up in Poznań by Herman Böhmer and Paul Preul. It operated from 1896 till the outbreak of the First World War, after which the architects sold their shares and left the city.

The German duet designed, for instance, the New Theatre and the tenement houses at Roosevelta Street, which became famous thanks to the series of books by Małgorzata Musierowicz entitled Jeżycjada and set in one of them. What stands out in these buildings are magnificent wrought iron balconies, terraces and roof towers. The façade of the tenement houses is also richly decorated. The entrances are embellished with floral ornaments. There are also genre scenes depicting a young man playing a flute, a small girl playing with hares and a sculpture of a naked woman supporting one of the balconies. All of this was created by an Italian stucco worker, Max Biagini, who collaborated with the company on a permanent basis.

Dekoracja kamienicy w formie płaskorzeźby. Przedstawia nagą kobietę podtrzymującą na wyciągniętych w górę rękach balkon

Dekoracja kamienicy w formie płaskorzeźby. Wokół owalnego okna motywy roślinne oraz twarz brodatego mężczyzny

Dekoracja kamienicy w formie płaskorzeźby. Nagi chłopiec siedzi wśród krzewów i gra na flecie

Decorative moulding on tenement houses at Roosevelt Street by Max Biagini, photo by Łukasz Gdak

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Art Nouveau in Poznań
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