Torus, a developer company from Gdańsk, has completed the revitalisation works of Leipziger Palace in Wrocław. The historic building now houses a 5-star hotel – Altus Palace. The restorative work has brought back former glory to the palace, with meticulous architectural decorations and historic stucco back on display. The facility is managed by Grupa Dobry Hotel, and is open to guests as of August 1st.
- We did want to mark our presence in Wrocław. It is a powerful, dynamically developing city, with an amazing potential in the hotel segment, especially in the city centre. When I first saw the building of Leipziger Palace, I imagined how it could look, and it all came true, exceeding my expectations, although the investment itself proved to have been extremely demanding. Difficulties in restoring former glory to the building were greater that we had expected, with the pandemic time making things even more formidable. However, I believe it is currently one of the most interesting choices when it comes to boutique hotels, and not only in Wrocław, but in Poland as well. I am genuinely proud of the result we have achieved within the joint effort with our partners – says Sławomir Gajewski, CEO of Torus, an investor company and general contractor of the building’s revitalisation works.
Former Leipziger Palace
The palace was built in the period of 1872-1874, by Ignatz Leipziger, a Jewish banker. It emerged on a plot of land previously occupied by a horse riding school. At first, it had an access ramp for horse-drawn carriages, most likely a caroche, which the then owner got off, and directly entered a presentable staircase, made in the style of Pompeian painting. Further up, one could find a horse stable to where horses were taken. The building was designed and erected in a truly palace-like style. It has multiple functional solutions, and above all, a richness of patterns and details. It was designed by Karl Schmidt, a renowned architect, who authored numerous vital Wrocław-based projects – e.g. the Wrocław Opera reconstruction, or Wzgórze Partyzantów development. Several years upon erection, Leipziger sold the building to the Poviat Office (Kreisausschuss). Until 1945, the building served administrative functions, and after the WWII, for many years housed the head office of Geological Enterprise Proxima.1, which used it also for office purposes. In 2016, the building was purchased by Torus, a developer company from Gdańsk, which decided to restore it, and adapt it to a modern, five-star hotel.
Multitude of curiosities
The palace carries a great historical value. In the initial stage, archaeological works were conducted, which revealed multiple historical, construction, and architectural curiosities. Throughout the process of basement works, a XVIII-century canal was discovered, whose previous function was to drain water into the former moat. It was properly secured, described, and later covered. Because it was a ‘banker’s palace’, the building also housed a former vault with unique doors and several deposit boxes. In the window zone, there were outdoor, steel roller shutters, which also served a defensive bullet-proof function. Their drums were hidden in the wall, with an additional design developed to be able to lower the shutters diagonally, in order to provide air supply. It was something truly exceptional those times, with the solution being popular more in Italy than in Poland. The shutters were also restored, with most of their mechanisms still in working order.
– The building was greatly advanced technology-wise for those times, with a solid construction which employed the then-latest methods. While conducting foundation works, we discovered a layer of scale stone – it made up the horizontal insulation at that time, thanks to which the walls did not allow any water to go through. To be able to adapt the facility to new, hotel functions, we had to make a strong construction intervention. We reinforced its structure, and laid a new basement, originally not built, under a significant part of the palace – says Marcin Frozyna, Investment Director in Torus.
Inside the building, interesting, originally-made decorations were found, imitating other materials. Wooden railings were painted to look as if they were made of marble, on the other hand, stucco ceilings imitated wood. Upon completing meticulous restorative works, it is again hard to tell these materials apart. The wooden railings were painted in the marmorisation technique, with the application of multi-layer veins in brighter and darker shades, thanks to which, it was possible to obtain the depth imitation of the veins which occur in the natural carrara marble. The glamour of the historic staircase stucco cladding, resembling red marble, has also been restored. In the ballroom, an arc crack was found in the wall plaster, above the fireplace, where, upon the takedown of a larger piece, an original wooden mirror foundation with broken shards of glass was found. The decorative framework did not survive, therefore, while throughout respective restorative works, an ornament from another preserved frame was used – crystal mirror. Thus, the ballroom has now a beautiful new mirror.
New life, former glory
As a result of numerous repair works which the building had undergone, respective mouldings, a granite plinth, or sand bay windows, were covered so much in paints, that originals patters, decorations, and colours were no longer visible. During stratigraphic surveys, successive layers were removed, with the original colour mix of many elements successfully established. As a result of three years of conservation works, beautiful architectural details in the Renaissance and Baroque style were unveiled, and later restored. Precious valuable moulding, marmorized stuccos, and representative stairs have been preserved, along with some historic carpentry, parquet floors inlaid with exotic wood, and wainscotting. A sizeable number of stone façade details were uncovered, chief amongst them, an all-stone bay window of the ballroom on the south façade. Additionally, an original Baroque ceiling, built in the 1920’s, has regained its former glory. Ceilings with stucco decorations were painted monochromatically, and subsequently, the most decorative details were highlighted with a separate colour to underline their form. Throughout a detailed stratigraphic inquest, the places of original gilding were recognized, and then gilded with a great deal of 24-carat gold leaves. The thorough restoration of the building was conducted under the supervision of the Municipal Monument Preservationist. The historic interiors were restored preserving the historical, original elements, with gaps and deficiencies filled in numerous cases. The facility has also been enriched with tastefully selected modern arrangements, giving it a contemporary character. The subtle combination of over 150-year-old architecture with modern décor creates a unique and elegant atmosphere of the hotel.
– We have conducted multiple conservation, restoration, and modernisation works, which allowed us to adapt the building to new functions. Just a few years ago, the building was wasting away, whereas today it makes an incredible impression, which shows the magnitude of the work and effort we made during this investment. It was our first investment realization of such a historic building, conducted under strict preservatory supervision, with the fulfilment of preservationist’s requirements and expectations turning out to be a sizeable challenge – says Edyta Korycka, Investment Planning Director in Torus.
Palace metamorphosis
The building’s restorative architectural design was prepared by Archikon, an architectural studio from Wrocław, with Studio LOFT Magdalena Adamus responsible for the interior designing
- Each work associated with a historic facility is difficult, full of both predictable and unpredictable events that reveal related histories. And in this case, we have a lot of them. We knew the building rested on a former moat, and it turned out it was built in a well thought-through manner, on the-then pole construction which was made up of arches and pillars – a very solid construction which warrants its stability until today. We discovered traces of multiple modernisations, carefully searching for an original look of numerous elements. One of the most significant ones relates to the palace moulding, which, upon detailed restoration, is on full display now – says mgr. inż. Arch. Anna Kościuk, from Archikon studio.
Each preserved stucco apartment interior has been restored, as well as common areas interiors, which was a hard, precision-demanding work, and one that came at a high financial cost.
- The richness of decorations sets it apart, and I believe there is no other hotel facility like this in Wrocław. It was a great challenge to combine the requirements of a 5-star hotel with the monument substance, especially with regard to internal installations. We have also built an underground storey which did not originally feature under this section of the building. Now, there is a spa, while we have also revealed a piece of foundation at one point. On one of the decorative stucco items on the first floor, we discovered fantastic pencil-made graphics, with the ‘Winter in Breslau’ inscription’, authored most likely by one of the labourers working at the palace reconstruction. We concluded it was also a valuable symbol, and a piece of history, therefore, the drawings were exhibited and used among hallway decorations. We have also unexpectedly discovered original tiled floors with boundary lines, which upon reconstruction, yet again decorate the ballroom and apartments – says Anna Kościuk.
The facility has been rebuilt on multiple occasions, so at times, in cooperation with the preservation office, we had to take decisions as to what elements were of a greater historical value. In the area of former tenement houses, traces of a removed stucco façade decorations were found. Based on the discovered relics and archive materials, we were able to restore their original look.
- It was certainly one of the most challenging facilities I had ever worked on; however, it is also the one which has undergone the greatest metamorphosis. It was nearing ruin, in a bad technical condition, and now – one might say – again, it resembles a palace in every respect. A great deal of credit should go to Torus, the company which found a new function that suits the building in a wonderful manner. It was a courageous investment decision, significant effort, and enormous financial outlay, also with respect to all unpredictable categories, everything in order to bring the past glory back to the building. The investor, however, from the very beginning, consistently pursued its goal, the effect of which we can admire today – adds Anna Kościuk.
Guests in palace
Altus Palace is managed by Grupa Dobry Hotel, an experienced operator that owns a network of hotels in various parts of the country. Those visiting the capital of Lower Silesia will be able to stay in one of comfortable suites, and tap into a richness of attractions this place has to offer.
– Lavishly decorated interiors of the building, along with the preserved marble elements, blend ideally into our vision of turning the Palace into a luxury 5-star Altus Palace Hotel – we were dreaming about such a place. We are certain that the thorough revitalisation of the facility, alongside additional amenities, will make this place a frequently visited destination – says Leszek Mięczkowski, CEO and owner of Grupa Dobry Hotel.
The hotel houses eighty-one comfortable rooms and suites, whose historic interiors were combined with modern design. There is also a restaurant, bar, and conference room in the facility. Hotel guests can unwind in a wellness jacuzzi zone, or dry and wet sauna, and take advantage of relaxation and care treatments. Those who want to keep up with their daily workout routines have also been taken care of – they have a well-equipped gym at their disposal.
A superb location is also one of the strengths of the hotel, right next to beautiful Ogród Staromiejski, Old Town, Wrocław Opera, and Teatr Lalek, and just a several-minute walk away from the main railway station.
