Tomaszów Mazowiecki Municipal Cultural Centre

On plac Kościuszki in Tomaszów Mazowiecki stands an eclectic factory owner's tenement of the Knothe family, today the seat of the Municipal Cultural Centre and a children and youth branch of the Municipal Public Library.

Who built the tenement

The building was erected in the 1820s by Fryderyk Tobiasz Knothe, a weaver who arrived in Tomaszów from Görlitz in 1823 and became one of the co-founders of the local cloth industry. Knothe also co-created the "Knothe Brothers" works, one of the most important textile firms in nineteenth-century Tomaszów.

Renovation by the factory owner's son

In 1896 the founder's son, Edmund Knothe, rebuilt the tenement according to a design by architect Dawid Lande. The building was enlarged from a single storey and given an eclectic façade, which can be seen to this day. The square where the tenement stands was then called plac Świętego Józefa [St Joseph's Square].

Shops, court and other functions

During the occupation, the tenement housed shops and apartments, including those of greengrocer Jan Syka and vinegar merchant Jan Hałbiński. In the Polish People's Republic era, the building served as the seat of the district court.

Culture today and surroundings

Today the historic Knothe tenement houses the cultural centre and a children and youth library branch. Right next to the same square stands the Evangelical Church of the Holy Trinity.

It is a short walk from here to the Town Hall.

Nearby, in the former Ostrowski palace, operates the Museum named after Anthony Count Ostrowski.

This venue is one of three branches of the Municipal Cultural Centre in Tomaszów, alongside MCK Tkacz on ulica Niebrowska [Niebrowska Street].

The third branch, MCK Browarna, is located in Park Miejski "Solidarność" [Solidarity Municipal Park].

Practical information

• Address: plac Kościuszki, Tomaszów Mazowiecki
• Access: city centre, on plac Kościuszki
• What to expect: historic eclectic façade, currently home to a cultural centre and library, interiors accessible through the activities of these institutions