Student house “Pancernik” at the disposal of refugees from Ukraine
250 beds in 64 rooms are waiting for refugees from Ukraine in the “Pancernik” student house on ul. Tramwajowa in Wrocław. Shortly after the start of the war in Ukraine, the University of Wrocław put the available buildings at the disposal of the governor, and the preparation of the building for use was handled by the Wrocław Integration Centre. The premises were prepared jointly by the WCI charges, but also by the staff, students and doctoral students of the University of Wrocław. Additionally, renovation work was carried out by, among others, the staff of Wrocławskie Mieszkania. A well-known Wrocław graphic artist and illustrator – Andrzej Tylkowski – pro bono prepared a graphic design for the playroom. The building has a playroom for children, a psychologist and medical assistance (volunteer doctors).
In 1929, a building designed by Adolf Reding was erected in Wrocław, at the present ul. Tramwajowa 2b, as an element of a model experimental housing estate accompanying the WuWA exhibition, Housing Exhibition WUWa (WuWa, German. Wohnungs- und Werkraumausstellung = Apartment and Workplace Exhibition) organised by the Deutscher Werkbund. It was a request to create an ideal modernist multi-family house.
The high-rise rental house was to realise the idea of a house-community. Each resident was to take part in its life and organisation. In addition to flats, the building also included communal spaces: shops, studios, reading rooms, laundry rooms. An atelier and terraces-gardens were placed on the roof.
Within the building, 8 flats with an area of 57 m2 were created on each floor. The residential floors were laid out in an H-shape with a central staircase, lift shaft and corridor on the axis of the building. The two- and three-room flats could be combined vertically and horizontally.
The tenants of the new housing estate were mostly employees of the Academy of Art, artists and freelancers. Well-known artists such as the sculptor Robert Bednorz, professor at the Academy in Wrocław, Georg Muche, one of the first abstract painters in Germany, Johannes Molzahn, painter, graphic artist and photographer, and Gerhard Neumann, an abstract painter, lived in the former House No. 7 before 1945. In the 1930s two changes were made to the interior of the building. In 1931 a project was made to establish a Waldorf school on the ground floor with two classrooms and sanitary facilities [16]. However, already in 1935, three additional flats were arranged in its place. The authors of the latter project were Paul Heim and Albert Kempter.
During the siege of Wrocław in spring 1945, the house was severely damaged, the facade was shot at, especially from the east, and the interior was completely burnt. However, the structure was not damaged and it was possible to rebuild it. In the 1950s, the house was used as a student house. It underwent a general overhaul which, in connection with its adaptation to the new function, also involved significant interior reconstruction. It was also decided to enlarge the usable area by extending the house. As a result, the body of the house underwent far-reaching changes. In the following years, the house underwent several more renovations. The last one was at the beginning of the 21st century, during which insulation was made with foamed polystyrene panels covered with textured plaster in light pink colour and PVC windows were installed. The “Pancernik” student house has been open continuously since the 1950s, initially as a female’s student house and later as a place for married couples. It ceased operating in 2012.
photo: press materials of the Press Office of the Wrocław City Hall