Weichmann Textile House

The Weichmann Textile House at ulica Zwycięstwa 37 in Gliwice was built in 1921-1922 to one of the first designs by Erich Mendelsohn. It is counted among the important buildings of German Modernism in Poland and is listed in the heritage register.

For whom and when

The construction was initiated by Erwin Weichmann, a local merchant with several textile shops. The house was put into use on 22 January 1922. As early as 1923 it was shown at the Bauhaus exhibition in Weimar, and in 1926 at the Zachęta in Warsaw. In 1932 Weichmann emigrated with his family to America. After the Second World War the building housed the seat of the Society for Polish-Soviet Friendship (TPPR), with a bookshop on the ground floor.

Architecture

The building is an early example of reinforced-concrete construction supplemented with brick. It has two floors and a small additional storey, a flat roof and simple façades cut by cornices. Characteristic are the ribbon windows and the fourth storey rising like a tower above the roof. The commercial part occupied the ground floor and first floor, and the residential part the upper floors.

Practical information

• Address: ulica Zwycięstwa 37, Gliwice, in the city centre, near Villa Caro.
• The building is in everyday use and is viewed mainly from the outside.