Jakub Kestenberg's palace, villa in Poland
Jakub Kestenberg's palace is an office building and protected monument villa in Łódz, completed in 1903, presenting itself as a small palace from one street and a villa from another. The two-story structure features a mansard roof with business and shop spaces on the lower floor and residential and administrative rooms upstairs.
Jakub Kestenberg purchased the land in 1893 and constructed a woolen goods factory, while the house was designed by architect Franciszek Chełmiński in 1902 and completed in 1903. The building underwent office adaptation in 1955, and since 2002 the nearby former factory buildings have housed a university.
The palace displays Vienna Secession features that appear in its facade through stylized floral motifs and classical elements, reflecting the taste of wealthy factory owners. These ornaments show how the local industrial elite connected themselves to broader European artistic movements of that era.
The building stands at the corner of two streets in central Łódz and is easily visible from the street with rich facade decoration on both sides. It is accessible for visitors interested in history and architecture who wish to view the details from the sidewalk.
The building presents itself differently depending on which street you view it from: from Seweryna Sterlinga Street it looks like an elegant palace, while from Jaracza Street it appears as a more modest villa. This dual facade was deliberately designed to convey different impressions depending on the vantage point.
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