500 thousand zlotys - this is the amount to be paid by the National Cooperative Council, owner of the historic Dom pod Orłami in Warsaw, which allowed one of its tenants to carry out construction work on the premises without the consent of the conservator.
The case concerns the historic building, commonly known as the House under the Eagles, which is located at 1 Jasna Street in Warsaw. It has been listed in the register of historical monuments since 1968, which means, among other things, that no construction work can be carried out on its grounds without receiving official permission from the conservation officer.
The building is owned by the National Cooperative Council, which currently leases part of the space of the House under the Eagles to, among others, the Piaseczno-based company Grupa CK. The company decided to arrange the rented space into a banquet and event venue. However, no one, neither the owner nor the tenants, thought to ask for permission from the conservationist before starting the renovation.
On July 29, the office of the Mazovian Regional Historic Pres ervation Officer announced that Prof. Jakub Lewicki, had fined the owner of the building 500 thousand zlotys. The reason was said to be "carrying out construction work in the so-called Operation Room without a conservation permit."
As the information reads, the owner of the House under the Eagles "without permission from the monument protection authority, dismantled the counters with stone pedestals, carpeting, parquet flooring and poured self-leveling screed. The construction work carried out led to the irretrievable loss of the original historic substance of an object of great historical value. A conservation permit was required for the work carried out."
The owner of the building has already filed an appeal against the decision of the Mazovian Regional Monument Conservator.
Poland's first modern building, a pearl of modernism
The House under the Eagles was entered in the register of monuments in 1968. However, it was not the original version of the building. It was damaged during World War II and later rebuilt. It is considered one of the first modern buildings in Poland. It was built between 1912 and 1917 as the result of a project by arch. Jan Heurich, who was tempted to use the then innovative reinforced concrete structure in it. Recognizable elements of the building are eagle statues by Zygmunt Otto and bas-reliefs depicting farmers by Jan Antoni Biernacki.
correction to the article
The editors of the Architektura&Biznes portal have published a corrigendum to the article "Half a million fine from the provincial conservator of historical monuments for illegal renovations in the historic House under the Eagles," which contained vague, not fully verified information, by which the content of the article put the National Cooperative Council in a hypocritical light, suggesting that as the owner of the historic House under the Eagles, it is obliged to pay the fine that the Mazovian Provincial Conservator of Historical Monuments imposed on one of the tenants of the premises. The correction can be read here.
elaborated: Katarzyna Domagała
