Villa Colonia, Historic villa in Krzyki district, Wrocław, Poland.
Villa Colonia is a two-storey villa with a basement and a two-storey attic at Rapackiego 14 (formerly Kaiser Wilhelm Strasse) in Wrocław's Krzyki district. It has 590 m² of floor space and was built as the last house southward in the regulation of the Krietern boundaries. Some of its fittings date from before the war.
This location was where the capitulation of Fortress Breslau was signed in 1945. The event marked the end of German military control over the city.
The villa's name is not documented; Wrocław legends linked it to Cologne water, while it most likely denoted a peripheral settlement at the edge of the built-up area. A plaque marking the 1945 capitulation was set into the house in 1975, replaced by a metal one in the 1990s and moved to a more visible spot.
The building offers multiple points of access from different sides, including main and service entrances. Visitors can approach from either the street or garden direction.
The site of the signing was kept secret for 25 years; it was assumed the act had been signed in Pszenno near Świdnica. Professor Karol Jonca identified the villa in the early 1960s and published the finding in his book "Upadek Festung Breslau", which the Russians confirmed. A plaque unveiled in 1975 marks the event.
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