Theodor Sixt Villa Complex

The Theodor Sixt villa on Mickiewicza Street stands in the Dolne Przedmieście district of Bielsko-Biała. It was built in 1883 in the neo-Renaissance style for the entrepreneur and philanthropist Theodor Karl Sixt. The designer was Carl Korn, the leading Bielsko architect of the day, and the inspiration is said to have been Villa Wartholtz in Reichenau an der Rax.

A house bequeathed to the city

Sixt died childless in 1897. In his will he left the villa to the city on condition that it could never be sold and must always bear the name “Sixt Villa”. His widow could live there until she remarried; she did so in 1904, and the city then took over the house. From 1904 the villa was rented by the manufacturer and politician Gustaw Josephy, who lived here with his family until his death in 1918. Between the wars it housed the public prosecutor's office and lawyers' chambers, and after the war various offices, including the Provincial Conservator of Monuments.

Form and interiors

The two-storey brick building has the plan of a short rectangle, corner projections, a mansard roof and a square corner tower with a hipped roof and a pinnacle. The façade facing 3 Maja Street has a two-storey loggia with three arcades, brick on the ground floor and cast iron on the upper floor. The interiors preserve a central hall with a faceted ceiling, a double-flight staircase with a cast-iron balustrade and a fireplace room with stucco decoration on the upper floor.

Today and the garden

After a major renovation in 2017-2020 the villa is used by the Bielska BWA Gallery, which shows, among other things, a permanent display of works from its contemporary art collection, and by the municipal social welfare centre. The old garden has preserved, among others, a Burgundy oak, lime trees and maples, and a ginkgo that is a natural monument; a rose garden with a pergola has also been created next to the villa.

Nearby

Right next door is the Bielska BWA Gallery, and not far away are the Polish Theatre and the Sułkowski Dukes' Castle.

Practical information

• Address: Adama Mickiewicza 24, Bielsko-Biała.
• Current opening hours of the gallery are given on the Bielska BWA Gallery website.