Apartments of wealthy bourgeoisie, German consulate, music school, departments of physics, mathematics and archaeology, as well as doctor’s and dentist’s offices, bank branch, carpenter’s shop and a small buffet – all of these have functioned for over 100 years within the walls of an Art Nouveau tenement house at Zwierzyniecka 20 Street. Since February 2020, within Future Labs of Poznań Supercomputing and Networking Center (PSNC), located in this very tenement house, the project “Memory Lane – Z20” becomes reality.
We want to find, write down, scan and restore the glow of memories associated with the functioning of this building in the urban space. We have already managed to reach the protagonists who told us fascinating stories, such as how the unforgettable singer Anna Jantar studied in this building, how the Shah of Iran was greeted from the balcony on the second floor, how one of the first neon signs in the city was installed on top of the building. Furthermore, we also have archival records of the tenants of this building since the 1930s, plans and maps of German authorities who wanted to demolish this tenement house. In our archives, we have also collected many photographs. However, there are still many stories hidden within these walls that we have not found yet.
Therefore, if you want to share your memories of the building, if you studied there, worked there, treated there, or if you know something else about it, if you have unique photos or maybe movies, please contact us at the telephone number (61) 858-50-54. Memories, which we ultimately hope to publish as an album, can also be sent to magdabar@man.poznan.pl.
Posnania Town Publishing House is a partner of the project and volunteers from ‘Marcinek’ and ‘Dwójka’ are also involved in the action.
Zwierzyniecka 20 will have no secrets from us! We will uncover all the dusty stories, we will reach the oldest witnesses, and we will find photos and documents damaged by time. And all this together with Jeżyce residents, seniors and young people who will support us in these activities!
Social project “Memory lane – Z20” is happening in Poznań in the period from February 2020 to October 2022. The final result of the project will be: the publication of an album prepared from collected photographs, reports, a leaflet with the most important information about Z20, as well as a “Memory Picnic” for residents and a conference summarizing the action for students of schools in Jeżyce combined with a lecture on Art Nouveau. We have a few more surprises in store, which for now we will not disclose!
After the music lovers moved out, the building was occupied by lecturers and students from the Faculty of Physics of the A. Mickiewicz University. It also housed the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences. For years, scientists shared the hallways with the university clinic.
— We were afraid to go out onto the balconies because they were in bad shape, and we were afraid they might collapse. But it was a good place to work — says Prof. Michał Kobusiewicz, a world-famous archaeologist and former long-time head of the Institute.
In the 50s, 60s, and at the beginning of the 70s, the Henryk Wieniawski State Elementary School of Music was located here. — There was a piano in every room and a grand piano in the lecture hall. Instruments had to be carried up the stairs because there was no elevator in the building then. — Krystyna Saturnowa, deputy director of the school and a piano teacher, who remembers the names of her students very well, recalls. Among her students was Anna Jantar, a famous singer who tragically died in 1980. Also, Zbigniew Górny, musician and composer, the most famous conductor of the Biesiada Songs Gala studied in this school!
