The history of Sopot's "Little Castle"

• In 1877, the construction of the dream villa of Freidrich Wilhelm Jüncke, a merchant and owner of wine warehouses in Gdansk, began. He was also the owner of the Ratskeller restaurant, located in the basement of the Artus Court in Gdansk, and an art collector.
• As a wine connoisseur, a special wine cellar was designed in the “Little Castle”. Moreover, on the basement level there was a kitchen, a pantry, a coal storage room and servants’ rooms.
• The main entrance from the yard led to the representative hall, from where you could go to the dining room, living room and living room. The first floor was only a private space, here were the bedrooms of the master and mistress of the house, the daughter’s room connected to the governess’s room, a dressing room, a study and bathrooms.

Where does this name come from?

The attic was used as a drying room, and there were also rooms for servants. The four-story tower with a spire was a characteristic element of this estate, which is why it began to be called the Tower House or the Castle. Wooden terraces and balconies added charm to this residence, which was surrounded by a two-hectare park. A pond, an orangery, a winery, a gardener’s outbuilding, and a carriage house were the owner’s further investments.

The fate of Jüncke’s Villa

• 1877-1903 family residence. After Freiderich’s death, his widow Amanda lived there with her adopted daughter Elise Pauline. From 1922, the ground floor of the villa was rented by Herald Koch, consul of the Free City of Gdansk. The years 1941-1942 marked a dark episode in the history of this characteristic building – at that time the villa belonged to the NSDAP. For a change, in the period 1945-1957 there was a nursery here, then the entire building was intended for municipal apartments. Years later, the villa was thoroughly renovated, including the reconstruction of the original interior and architectural elements. At the entrance to the property, in the place of the former carriage house, a library was opened.
• In 2019, the cultural institution Goyki 3 Art Incubator was established. An institution that is responsible for the dissemination of culture, cultural education and support for creative communities, both local, national and foreign.
• From 2021, the Incubator has its permanent headquarters here.

Events at Goyki 3

At Goyki 3 – are organized, among others: Sopot Literary Festival, guided tour of the villa, debates, meetings with authors, creative workshops. There are art studios here, as well as office and multi-functional rooms – made available to artists during the implementation of their projects. In the reading room you can read books about art, culture and the press. The ground floor is intended for exhibition halls and exhibition spaces, and the basement will house screen printing studios.

Detailed information about the events taking place here can be found on the Goyki 3 Art. Incubator website.