Former postal station building

The former postal station building stands in Łowicz at 3 Maja 13, in a neoclassical building erected in 1828–1829. It was built as a first-class horse-drawn postal station on the route leading to Warsaw, and despite nearly two hundred years, it still serves a postal function: it houses the Łowicz 1 Post Office.

Construction and architecture

The building was constructed in 1828–1829 as a brick neoclassical first-class postal station. It was built according to a standard design for a first-class postal station prepared by Jan Nerkowski, a builder at the Postal Department. The form and detail correspond to typical solutions used at that time on the main routes of the Kingdom of Poland, which made it easier for travellers to recognise such facilities.

Function of the horse-drawn postal station

As a first-class facility, the postal station in Łowicz supervised other postal stations in the region. On site, 24 postal horses were maintained, used to harness carriages and wagons serving the route to Warsaw. Such a communication hub was an important point on the map of the 19th-century postal network of the Kingdom of Poland, where teams were changed and horses rested before continuing their journey.

Monument protection

The building is listed in both the heritage register and the heritage inventory. The neoclassical form and original spatial layout have survived to the present day, although the interiors have been adapted to contemporary service needs. On the outside, the building has retained a clear, calm rhythm of windows and modest detail typical of public utility architecture of that period.

The post office today

Since June 2016, Łowicz 1 Post Office has operated in the building. The facility reopened after more than two months of renovation, during which the interior arrangement was changed: traditional service windows were replaced with service desks, and the decor was supplemented with the Polish Post logo. The office provides a full range of postal services, from sending parcels to transfers, bank account services and insurance policy sales.

The building is located near the city centre, next to Pałacyk Klickiego and Muzeum w Łowiczu, so it is easy to combine a visit to the office with a walk around the area, including the Stary Rynek.

Practical information

• address: 3 Maja 13, Łowicz
• getting there: on foot from Łowicz city centre and Stary Rynek, the building stands on the main 3 Maja Street
• what to expect: an active post office in a heritage neoclassical building; it is worth checking opening hours before your visit