Landmarks

Town Hall in Szczytno

The town hall in Szczytno stands out among Polish town halls for its construction and date: it is a reinforced-concrete building erected in 1936–1937 to a design by the Königsberg architect Kurt Frick, raised partly on the ruins of the former castle. The modernist building with a tower referring to defensive architecture combines the history of the site with pre-war modernity in a single structure.

A tower above the former castle

The building stands on a quadrilateral plan with a courtyard designed inside. On the south-eastern corner rises a 46-metre tower — its defensive character was a requirement of the town authorities, who wanted to emphasise continuity between the history of the place and modernity. This solution gives the town hall an exceptional pedigree: concrete and iron grow out of the walls of the former residence.

The museum and Sienkiewicz

Since 1991 the town hall has been listed in the register of monuments. In the basement and on the ground floor of the eastern and southern wings operates the Mazurian Museum, while the rest of the building houses the municipal authorities. At the entrance to the courtyard stands a bust of Henryk Sienkiewicz by Jacek Puget — the writer visited Szczytno in 1908, staying then at the home of editor Kazimierz Jaroszyk.

Practical information

It is best to approach the building from the courtyard side: only from there can you see the enclosed composition of the quadrilateral and the full height of the tower.