Steffens House

Steffens House
The Steffens House in 2015
General information
Architectural styleRenaissance
Addressul. Długi Targ 41/42
Śródmieście, Gdańsk
Coordinates54°20′55″N 18°39′14″E / 54.3486°N 18.6538°E / 54.3486; 18.6538
Year(s) built1609–1618
Completed1618
OwnerGdynia Maritime University

The Steffens House (Polish: Dom Steffensów), also known as the Golden House (Polish: Złota Kamienica) or Speimann's House (Polish: Dom Speimanna), is an historic 17th-century townhouse located beside the Long Market in central Gdańsk. It is on the regional heritage list.[1]

Characteristics and architecture

The Steffens House is located at ul. Długi Targ 41/42, beside the Long Market, within close proximity to locations such as the Main City Hall and Artus Court. Primarily built in a Renaissance style with some influences from Mannerism, its façade displays strong Neoclassical features, being decorated with several rows and columns of frescos; atop the façade are statues of Cleopatra, Oedipus, Achilles, and Antigone, whilst the rest of it is decorated with detailed bas-reliefs of mythological scenes. A central tourist attraction in the city centre, its appearance has made it an important sight.[2][3]

History

The earliest known record of a person owning a townhouse where the Steffens House is today comes from 1367. It was owned by several people from 1367 until it was bought by Johann Speimann in 1601, who, in 1609, requested Abraham van den Blocke to build a new townhouse on his land, completed in 1618. Even during Speimann's time, the tenement was a cabinet of curiosities being used to show various collections of his. In 1786, its owner became the merchant Carl Gottlieb Steffens, and it would remain in the hands of the Steffens family until 1918, when it was bought by the city government of Danzig.[2][4]

In 1924, the townhouse was renovated and, from that year forward, owned by a bank, Sparkasse der Stadt Danzig. The following year, it was further restored by the architect Friedrich Fischer. In 1938, part of the collections of the State Natural and Prehistory Museum of the Free City of Danzig were moved to the townhouse's ground floor, disappearing after the end of World War II. During the Siege of Danzig, almost the entirety of the Steffens House was destroyed aside from the façade, being rebuilt from 1950 to 1955.[4]

The Steffens House was then occupied by the Gdańsk Sea Institute. Ownership of the building itself has not changed, but the Sea Institute itself was acquired by the Gdynia Maritime University, which announced in December 2024 that it would be putting the Steffens House up for sale.[5][6][7] The sale began in April 2025,[8][9] but as of August 2025, no bid for the House has been successful.[10]

References

  1. ^ "Zestawienia zabytków nieruchomych - woj. pomorskie" (PDF). nid.pl. National Institute of Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  2. ^ a b Babnis, Krystyna (24 October 2014). "Złota Kamienica". zabytek.pl. National Institute of Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  3. ^ Markowski, Mateusz (27 February 2024). "Złota Kamienica – perła w koronie gdańskiej architektury". whitemad.pl. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  4. ^ a b Duchnowski, Tomasz. "ZŁOTA KAMIENICZKA". gdansk.gedanopedia.pl. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  5. ^ Brancewicz, Michał (18 December 2024). "Złota Kamieniczka na Długim Targu trafi na sprzedaż". trojmiasto.pl. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  6. ^ Miłosz, Alicja (31 December 2024). "Symbol Gdańska zostanie sprzedany. Turyści uwielbiają to miejsce". podroze.wprost.pl. Wprost. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  7. ^ Dembek, Joanna (29 January 2025). "To jedna z najpiękniejszych kamienic w Polsce. Teraz trafiła na sprzedaż". eska.pl. Radio Eska. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  8. ^ Stąporek, Michał (3 April 2025). "Słynna Złota Kamienica do kupienia za 20 mln". trojmiasto.pl. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  9. ^ "Słynna Złota Kamieniczka w Gdańsku jest na sprzedaż. Cena zaskakuje". podroze.onet.pl. Onet.pl. 3 April 2025. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  10. ^ Stąporek, Michał (3 July 2025). "Astronomiczna oferta za Złotą Kamienicę w Gdańsku". trojmiasto.pl. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
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