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History of the building

History of the building

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History of the building

Augustyn Schoeps, the owner of the tenement house in the 18th century, was a highly regarded 18th century sculptor and interior decorator from Poznań, working in wood and stone. In 1758 Schoeps was commissioned to build the Proserpine fountain under a contract for 210 ducats. The works were completed in 1766.

In the years 1785-1787 Schoeps was a contractor finishing the interior of the All Saints' Church, which was being constructed at that time. The tower porch features a sculpture of Moses from 1787. In the Court Room of the City Hall there is a statue of King Stanisław August, made by Augustyn Schoeps in 1791. Interestingly, it is the only well-known statue of the king, most probably funded by the local authorities "to commemorate the Constitution of 3 May".
The attic of the Guardhouse is crowned with stone sculptures made in light grey sandstone from the area of Śmiłów near Szydłowiec. It is believed that the sculptures were created by Jan Chrystian Kamsetzer or Augustyn Schoeps. One of Schoeps’ most monumental achievements is a decoration on the main altar of the Poznań Cathedral entitled "Giving the Keys to St. Peter". Unfortunately, after the Second World War, it was decided to re-gothicise the cathedral and, although the altar survived the occupation in quite good condition, it had to be demolished.

Thanks to the help of the Poznań Municipal Office, we received a link to a database of Poznań’s residents in 1792, based on a city property inventory prepared by Adam Bieniaszewski. The data comes from the city books, but since plot numbers were changed several times within a short time (there were no address numbers yet), identification of buildings is not always possible. Based on Rzepecki’s description from the first half of the 18th century, which specified the location of buildings, two tenement houses (present Kramarska 7 and 9) were included in Wroniecka Street, because Kramarska did not exist at that time – there was only an access road to the properties fronting the Market Square (so-called rear road). The small tenement no. 9 was a rear house of tenement no. 7, which fronted Wroniecka Street. Adam Bieniaszewski referred to it as Wroniecka 359 – owned by Augustyn Schoeps.

History of Kramarska street

In the Middle Ages it started at the mill on the Bogdanka river (by the Castle Hill) and continued towards the present Wroniecka Street. It did not have a specified name at the time – it was described as the small street “near Bogdanka” (maybe also “Zatylna”, meaning “Rear Road”).

In the second half of the 15th century it was extended towards the Dominican Church and named “Złota”, meaning “Golden”, because of its large number of goldsmiths’ stalls. The name “Kramarska” (Krämergasse) – was first used as late as the 19th century.

This is where the greatest treasure in the history of the city was discovered in 1975. Nearly 8000 (20 kg) of silver coins were found in a clay jug in the basement of one of the tenement houses. The person who hid them centuries ago had to be one of the richest people in the country. This amount was enough to purchase, for example, 1/3 of the Poznań voytship.

History of the renovation

The tenement resisted renovation with her entire being – like an elderly person who does not care about life any more, who has already experienced and seen everything, and whose numerous diseases have exhausted them so much that they just want to live their last days in peace. So she rebelled as much as she could against all renovation efforts. Against all those who suddenly started disturbing her quiet existence. As much as she could, she made life difficult for the construction crews who dared weaken her already fragile substance with pneumatic hammers, taking away what was hers for so many centuries. Not without resistance, she gave up over 100 tons of rubble, waste, floors, and old cladding. She fiercely defended the old roof, calling on the forces of nature for help – they responded, sending months of rain onto the roofers. She also did not want anyone tampering with her wet basement walls. When everything was finally dried, she used a street water supply failure to completely flood all the surrounding tenement houses.

However, very slowly, she gave in to the persistence of the new owners, appreciating their diligence and, above all, the heart they put into the renovation. She finally believed that she had not experienced everything yet. New installations, new woodwork, an elevator, smooth gypsum plasters, and beautiful floors smelling of larch changed her completely. Refined wall graphics, new furniture, and designer details adorned her like jewellery, accumulating good energy for the next, we hope, centuries of her existence.

She also appreciated that the new owners were not indifferent to her previous rich life and that they respected and preserved the medieval foundation stones and hand-formed bricks in its basement walls. They also did not forget about the most eminent resident of the tenement – the eighteenth-century sculptor Augustyn Schoeps. She reciprocated by revealing one of her many secrets – the present basement is the ground floor from almost half a millennium ago.

The new sign “Schoeps Residence” is the next life of a centuries-old tenement house. A new, bright page in its colourful history.

People

ANDRZEJ KONIECZNY – project manager

In his professional career in construction he has mainly focused on commercial buildings. He co-created the foundations of success for the largest Polish retail chains – “Biedronka” and “Żabka”. At the same time, out of love for old architecture, he gave new life to several interesting buildings, rebuilding them almost from ruins. Schoeps Residence is one such undertaking. The building with its interesting history deserved revitalization, which will preserve its colourful past and, at the same time, bring a touch of freshness and modern feel to help it last for hundreds of years to come.

JAKUB JACUŃSKI – architect

“Kramarska 9 has ten unique apartments, located on four floors, and a space for meetings – a unique wine-bar. Our intention during the design process was to create an intimate space where guests can feel special and want to return to. It was a challenge to meet the modern requirements using the existing historical fabric. Kramarska 9 is a place where culture and tradition meet art and modernity. It is where business and art, work and leisure intertwine in a traditional setting of the stone walls of a tenement house.“