A Children’s Home
From the barracks we go along Błogocka street and turn right into Ogrodowa street. We go down to J.I. Kraszewskiego street where there is A Children’s Home 2 Józefa Ignacego Kraszewskiego street
When the fiftieth anniversary of the reign of the Emperor Franz Joseph I was approaching (in 1898) the Cieszyn Savings Bank (Teschner Sparcasse), i.e. a bank institution which was set up by the Cieszyn town in 1859, decided to celebrate the event with due respect. For a long time it had been known that the current orphanage at Cselesty street (today’s Kochanowskiego) was too small to accommodate the growing number of orphan children from the town that was developing rapidly at the end of the 19th century. Therefore a decision was made to erect a new orphanage and dedicate it to the Emperor and the memory of the Empress Elisabeth who had died a tragic death on September 10th of that year. Spacious and comfortable, the building was erected in 1898 in a then new, residential district of the town at Willowa street (today J.I. Kraszewskiego). The front of the two-storey rectangular building of classicist features faces the street. Formerly the moulding that topped the building had the following inscription: ’Kaiser Franz Josef I und Kaiserin Elisabeth Waisenstiftung’ (‘The Orphan Foundation of the Emperor Franz Joseph I and the Empress Elisabeth’). The Children’s Home is separated from the street by a massive fence with a wrought iron gate and grating. In a corner of the property there is a valuable specimen of a purple beech tree that was planted there during the opening ceremony. Behind the building a small park spreads with a playground for children. It adjoins Lasek Miejski (The Municipal Woodland). In the hall, decorated with stucco work, a plaque made of black marble was replaced a few years ago. The comprehensive inscription in German tells a detailed history of the building and it enumerates the people: the architects and the builders who were engaged in the process of its construction: ‘Wohlthtige Bürger der Stadt Teschen haben im Jahre 1848 zur Zeit des Regierungs antrittes des Kaiser Franz Joseph I, das alte Waisenhaus Nr. 336 Obervorstadt gegründet. Zur Feier des 50 jährigen Regierungs-Jubiläums des Kaisers Franz Joseph I erbaute die Teschner Sparcasse das neue Waisenhaus welches die Stadtgemeinde Teschen am Jubiläumstage, den 2. Dezember 1898, in ihre fernere Obsorge übernommen hat. Ausgeführt wurde der Bau unter der Amtswirksamkeit des landesfürstl. Commisärs und k.k. Bezirkshauptmannes Carl Dobrowski, R.v. Donnerschild, des Direktions-Vorstandes J.U.Dr. Rudolf Bukowski, des Vorsitzenden des Verwaltungs- Ausschusses und Bürgermeisters J.U.Dr Leonhard Demel, R.v. Elswehr, der Direktionsmitglieder Carl Holler, Johann Hoschek und Carl Scholtis, der Verwaltungs-Ausschuss Mitglieder Simon Altmann, Carl Bernatzik, J.U.Dr Leopold Drössler, Ferdinand Fixek, Eduard Flooh, Alois Gratza, Carl Hirnczirs, Anton Jonkisch, Fritz Kutzer, Robert Pawelek, Joseph Pustelnik, Eduard Raschka, Eduard Seemann, Jakob Skrobanek, Ferdinand Turek und des Sparcasse –Kanzlei-Vorstehers Thomas Lenoch. Mit der Planverfassung und Bauleitung war Stadtingenieur Markus Dalf, mit der Bauausführung Baumeister Ludwig Kametz betraut.’ (‘In 1848, i.e. the year when the Emperor Franz Joseph I started his rule, the benevolent citizens of the Cieszyn town set up an old orphanage in the house number 336 in Górne Przedmieście. To honour the 50th anniversary of the Emperor Franz Joseph I’s reign, the Cieszyn Savings Bank built a new orphanage. The town parish of Cieszyn took that house under their permanent care on the day of the anniversary, i.e. December 2nd 1898. The building was erected under the official supervision of The Duke’s commissioner and the imperial District Starosta Carl Dobrowski, knight von Donnerschild, Director and doctor of law Rudolf Bukowski, Head of the Municipal Government and Mayor, doctor of law Leonhard Demel, knight von Elswehr, members of board of directors: Carl Holler, Johann Hoschek and Carl Scholtis, members of Municipal Government Commission: Simon Altmann, Carl Bernatzik, doctor of law Leopold Drössler, Ferdinand Fixek, Eduard Flooh, Alois Gratza, Carl Hirnczirs, Anton Jonkisch, Fritz Kutzer, Robert Pawelek, Joseph Pustelnik, Eduard Raschka, Eduard Seemann, Jakob Skrobanek, Ferdinand Turek and The Head of The Savings Bank Office - Thomas Lenoch. Markus Dalf, the town engineer, was entrusted with the task of making the plans and the management of the building process, while the architect Ludwig Kametz – with the building supervision.’).
Photographs: Dominik Dubiel, Paweł Halama, Daniel Hryciuk, Magdalena Jańczuk, Renata Karpińska, Mariusz Makowski, Joanna Rzepka-Dziedzic, Anna Szostok-Fedrizzi, Henryk Tesarczyk
Translation from Polish: Lucyna Krzanowska and John Whitewood
Reproductions of exhibits, documents and photographs from the collections of:
- Museum of Cieszyn Silesia in Cieszyn,
- Cieszyn Historical Library,
- Cieszyn Branch of the State Archive in Katowice,
- Cieszyn Town Council,
- Museum of Beskidy in Frýdek-Mistek,
- private collection of Mariusz Makowski
- H. Wawreczka, J. Spyra, M. Makowski, ‘Cieszyn i Czeski Cieszyn na starych widokówkach i fotografiach’, WART, Nebory 1999