Chodkiewicza street is one of the most important arteries of Bydgoszcz centre, enabling to cross the city on an east–west axis. Many buildings along this axis undeniably carry historic importance, some are registered on the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship Heritage list.
Location Located in the northern part of Bydgoszcz, the avenue runs through Bocianowo and Bielawy districts, together with the tram line Nr.4 following its path. Chodkiewicza street starts on its western side at the crossing with Gdańska Street and ends in the east when intercepting the urban portion of the S5 expressway.
History
In the 1870s, the northern extension of Gdańska Street reached today's intersection with Chodkiewicza street. The area in the east delineated by present-day Gdańska, Krasińskiego, Ogiński and Chodkiewicza streets was then purchased by municipal authorities. This domain, so-called Hempelscher Felde from the name of a previous landlord, was divided at the end of the 19th century and mapped out to draft streets.
The first houses on Chodkiewicza street date back to the beginning of the 20th century, mostly located on the western part of the street, close to the main axis of the city that was (and still is) Gdańska street. This section comprised low tenement houses with front gardens: one can still appreciate instances of these buildings at Nos. 2,5,4-6 or 8.
Before 1920, the eastern section of Chodkiewicza street was situated beyond Bydgoszcz city limits, in the rural commune of Bleichfelde (). In the early 20th century, the avenue was the main street of the village, concentrating the majority of the existing buildings.
On June 13, 1890, German railway officials found Beamten – Wohnungsverein GmbH (Official Housing Association), a global housing cooperative. In 1902, the Bromberg seat, ancestor of today's Bydgoszcz Housing Cooperative () used loans from the Prussian government to build in a -area, north of Bleichfelder Strasse (previous name of Chodkiewicza), a real estate project of two-story, single-family brick houses called Villen Kolonie. The ensemble was completed in two years and caused a serious crisis on the real estate market of Bromberg center: as a result, the city refused to connect the Villenkolonie Bleichfelde to the municipal water supply and energy infrastructure until 1920.
Several factories set up along the northern side of then Bleichfelder Weg during the end of the Prussian period (1900–1920): a municipal brick factory (at 8/16 Bleichfelder), active from the 1910s to the outset of WW II; Hermann Boettcher factory of metalwork and steel structures (at 17/18 Bleichfelder Weg), from the 1890s till the 1910s; Ludwig Kolwitz industries of metal and steel, from 1905 (at 19/21 Bleichfelder). Kolwitz expanded the premises by purchasing the abutting Boetcher warehouse at the beginning of WWI; Agriculture union warehouse (at 1/2 Kurfürsten straße). Most of these facilities were linked to the city railway network, using a branch (now gone) extending to southern urban facilities, such as the city gasworks and the city slaughterhouse.
After 1945, a tramway line is created, running from the main train station to Bielawy district. Its path, still active, follows Chodkiewicza street, including the end-of-line loop.
Since 2010, several investments have been realized nearby: a project for the new building of the Bydgoszcz Music Academy, at 9-11 Chodkiewicza; new residential ensemble are planned to replace disused 19th century factories, e.g. Botaniq at 19 Chodkiewicza, Sens at 9-11 Chodkiewicza or City Park, completed in 2019 at 19 Chodkiewicza.
In 2016, the street underwent a major refurbishment involving the removal of many old chestnut trees.
For a long time, the axis consisted of two separate streets, divided by today's Ogiński street, which marked city limits until 1920. Hence the avenue bore two distinctive names, until the Second World War when both sections were merged into one street, Albrecht Dürer straße. After 1945, a resolution of the Municipal National Council (Nr.VIII/45) endorsed the path to carry a unique name. However, until 1945, Chodkiewicza street bore the following names: In the late 19th century, the street was considered as a continuation of the Sedan Straße in the west of Danzigerstaße; Beginning 20th century, Bleichfelder Weg (Bleachfield street) (in Bromberg) / Hauptweg (Main street) (out of Bromberg); 1906 to 1920, Bleichfelder Weg (in Bromberg) / Kurfürsten straße (Electors street) (out of Bromberg); 1920–1933, Ulica Chodkiewicza (west) / ulica Senatorska (east); 1933–1939, Ulica Chodkiewicza (west) / ulica Bronisława Pierackiego (east); 1939–1945, Albrecht Dürer straße; Since 1945, ulica Chodkiewicza.
Current naming refers to Jan Karol Chodkiewicz (1561–1621), a military commander of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth army, Field Hetman of Lithuania, Grand Hetman of Lithuania and one of the most prominent noblemen and military commanders of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth of his time.
Main areas and edifices
Adam Wysocki Tenement at 100 Gdańska Street, corner with Chodkiewicza street Built in the 1930s by Paweł Wawrzon
Modern architecture
Adam Wysocki, running a business of chimney sweeping, commissioned the building in the early 1930s. Local architect was Paweł Wawrzon, from Bydgoszcz, living at 6 Kościuszki street.
Geometric features of the facades recall contemporary realizations in the city, especially those designed by Jan Kossowski or Bolesław Polakiewicz.
Tenement at 2, corner with 98 Gdańska Street Built 1932–1933 by Józef Grodzki
Modern architecture
This functionalist tenement, together with the opposite one at 100 Gdańska street, strongly contrasts with the ancient buildings of the main downtown thoroughfare. Renovated in the late 2010s, part of the original decor (door carpentry, metal balcony balustrades, ceramic tiles) is still preserved.
Villa at 2A 1909–1910 presumably by Rudolf Kern
Landhaus style
Built well before the building at today's corner with Gdańska street, the house bore for a long time the address 120 Dantziger straße.
The villa, renovated in 2019, boasts early modern architecture style, with a bow window framed by geometric vertical lines. On a side wall, the construction date, Erbau im Jahre 1909–10, is inscribed inside a stuccoed coat of arms adorned by festoons.
Villa at 4 1909–1910, by Erich Lindenburger
Landhaus style
The first landlord was Richard Von Colbe, a rentier. He lived there till the outbreak of WWII. in 1915, one of the tenants was Major General von Kundel, commander of the Brigade in Bromberg.
The house, though damaged, exhibits landhaus style, altered by early modern architecture: vertical plastered lines close the openings; a corner bay window is topped by a simile-roof; the roofing is marked by a 4-part gambrel roof.
House at 5 End of the 19th century
Landhaus style
One of the earliest building erected in the street, located at the time at 26 Sedan straße. The first owner was August Hempel who lived at 6 Peterson straße (today's Obrońców Bydgoszczy street). At the time, one of the tenant was the director of the abutting municipal brick factory (dismantled after the second world war).
The villa, renovated in 2019, displays nice characteristics of late Art Nouveau-early modern architecture. One can appreciate inside painted wallpapers characteristic for Bydgoszcz and a staircase adorned with mosaic. Outside, one can highlight the original metal and woodworking on the facade, as well as the preserved bartizan.
Villa at 6 1909–1910, by Erich Lindenburger
Landhaus style
Karl Magdaliński, a land owner, was the first proprietor of the house.
Erich Lindenburger designed the villa as a different version of the one at Nr.4: a larger gambrel roof, a small bow window on the ground floor and still some late-Art Nouveau/early modern architecture features.
Tenement at 7 Beginning of the 20th century
Art Nouveau
The plot owned by Albert Jahnke, a merchand, has been "under construction" for several years at the turn of the 20th century. In the late 1900s, Albert Jahnke has the edifice erected and put for rental. In the following years, the tenement moved under the property of Ludwig Kolwitz, the entrepreneur of the neighbouring metalwork industry. From 1909 on, the building housed Hermann Boetcher, also owner of a neighbouring metalwork industry. More recently, the local seat of the Alliance française moved in the tenement.
One can underlight in this large edifice the hip roofing, a corner bay window garnished with a stylized mascaron together with a vegetal stuccoed motif on top of one of the facades.
Villa at 8 1911, by Alfred Schleusener
Late Art Nouveau-early modern architecture
The commissioner of the villa was Rudolf Kaufmann, a merchand. In the middle of the 1930s, one of the tenant was Jan Montowski, a gynecology surgeon at the Hospital for Infectious Diseases in Bydgoszcz (then called Szpital Św. Floriana Zgromadzenia Sióstr Miłosierdzia św. Wincentego a Paulo) on Świętego Floriana street. Jan Montowski soon became the director of the hospital before the war. Arrested by the Gestapo, he died in an unknown place and was pronounced dead on September 30, 1939. During WWII, the house was occupied by the Gestapo. In 1945, it was taken over by the NKVD and then by the Ministry of Public Security, better known as UB. This office arranged there a Police departement for children in the end of the 1970s, which closed in 2010. In January 2017, the city authorities decided to sell the facility: however, the case is still to be decided by the court since the owners opposed the municipal decision. The site has been entered in the city register of monuments.
The villa is in a bad state, waiting to be taken over by official proprietors. Alfred Schleusener designed a house with Art Nouveau hints (round corners roof, light stucco on facade pillars), but his mind was well oriented towards the then nascent trend of modern architecture.
Tenement at 14, corner with 26 20 Stycznia 1920 Street Registered on Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship heritage list, Nr.A/1384 (September 16, 2008)Załącznik do uchwały Nr XXXIV/601/13 Sejmiku Województwa Kujawsko-Pomorskiego z dnia 20 maja 2013 r.
1907, by Rudolf Kern
Art Nouveau
The first landlord and building commissioner was Friedrich Fiedler, a merchant.
Nicely refurbished in 2016–2017, the tenement exhibits leasing Art Nouveau details with rosettes and mouldings. A superb round gable overlooking the terrace on top of the avant-corps is adorned with representative Art Nouveau motifs: a figure head, flanked by vegetal festoons. Likewise, the transom light over the entrance door is surrounded by a moulding with Art Nouveau features.
Tenement at 16 1910–1911, by Johannes Cornelius
Art Nouveau
Friedrich Fiedler, merchand, owner of the abutting building at Nr.14, contracted another local architect for this project. Johannes Cornelius, at the time, had already designed two notable houses at 7 Józef Weyssenhoff Square in 1909–1910 and at 25 20 January 1920 street 1910. At the time, address was 37 Bleichfelde Weg. In the early 1920s, one of the tenants was Zakaria Bakradze, a Georgian officer who became a brigadier general of the Polish Army during the Second Polish Republic.
The tenement, refurbished in 2017, boasts plethora of Art Nouveau motifs. The facade teems with stuccoed forms and decoration, in particular in cartouches and on the transom over the entrance door.
Tenement at 18 1911–1912, by Alfred Mielke
Art Nouveau
The first landlord, Paul Krüger, was a hair dresser by trade.
Restored in 2007, the building displays Art Nouveau style with floral and vegetal motifs placed on the wall as well as on the two bay windows. One can highlight the delicate stuccos (with a putto) above the main entrance and the wrought iron grille of the street entrance.
Buildings at 19 1910s
Industrial architecture