Franke House in Częstochowa

Franke House is a four-storey eclectic tenement on the corner of Aleja Najświętszej Maryi Panny and ul. Wilsona in Częstochowa. It was built in 1901-1903 for Adolf Franke, director of the “Brass i synowie” factory.

How it came about

Earlier there stood a small manor house from the first half of the 19th century, belonging to August Szlacher. His grandson Adolf Franke bought the plot in 1895 from Wanda Kreczmerowa, Szlacher's daughter, and had the tenement built on the site of the manor house. A single-storey outbuilding from 1865 still stands today.

The fate of the house

Before the war it housed the Victoria hotel, a doctor's surgery, a pharmacy, a wine store, a Chevrolet showroom and shops. During the war the building lay on the edge of the ghetto, and thanks to its two staircases some Jews escaped from the ghetto through it. After the ghetto was liquidated, a German hospital and a military hotel operated here. After the war it was occupied by the motor vehicle office, and then by the School of Visual Arts Technology with a boarding house. The history of the ghetto district is recalled by the Ghetto in Częstochowa.

Today

The ground floor is occupied by service businesses. The tenement is worth seeing on a walk along the Avenues, not far from the Częstochowa Philharmonic.

Practical information

• Address: Aleja Najświętszej Maryi Panny 14, Częstochowa.
• The tenement is viewed from the outside; the interiors are not open to visitors.