Willa Fryderyka Wilhelma Jüncke, Residential villa in Dolny Sopot, Poland.
Willa Fryderyka Wilhelma Jüncke is a residential complex in Dolny Sopot featuring a main house with a three-story tower, along with a hunting lodge and coach house set on approximately two hectares of grounds. Since its renovation from 2019 to 2021, the property now houses artist studios, recording facilities, and a children's public library called Miniteka.
Friedrich Wilhelm Jüncke (1842–1897), an art collector who traded in imported wine and ran the Ratskeller restaurant in the cellars of Gdańsk's Artus Court, commissioned the complex. Architect Karl Hofacker designed it, and the Gdańsk building firm of Heinrich Prochnow carried out construction in stages from 1877 to 1903 on what was then Rickertstraße. Jüncke died while work was under way and his wife took ownership. From 1922 to 1936 it was the residence of Harald Koch (1878–1936), Danish consul in Gdańsk, rented to him as an eleven-room flat for 500 guilders a month; in 1942 the heirs handed it to the local NSDAP office and a bunker was built on the grounds.
The building preserves ceiling paintings by artists of the Sopot School, including an underwater scene in one of the rooms. These artworks reflect the strong connection between the house and the local artistic tradition of that era.
The grounds are easily accessible and offer visitors the chance to explore the various buildings and rooms on the property. Plan enough time to see the artist spaces and children's library, as well as to notice the ceiling paintings throughout the structure.
In 1942 the heirs handed the villa to the local NSDAP office (Gauschutzamt), and a bunker was built on the grounds during that period. The building later passed to the city's housing stock in 1957. Look for the surviving fragments of paintings by artists of the so-called Sopot School inside.
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