The house of Uphagen at 12 Długa Street in Gdańsk is the only middle-class tenement house in Poland and one of the few in Europe to offer tours of interior decoration.
Uphagen's family house
Johanes or Jan Uphagen a wealthy city councillor, purchased this tenement in 1775. After numerous reconstructions and changes, which adapted the house to the needs of the wealthy owner, Jan resided at 12 Długa Street until his death in 1802. The tenement proceeded under successive ownerships, but it remained in the possession of one family throughout the entire 19th Century, which was a rare occurrence in those times. At the beginning of the 20th Century, the Uphagen tenement became the home of a museum, which operated until 1944, when the German conservators removed the interior decorations and equipment. The house, much like the city, was destroyed in March 1945.
The tenement was reconstructed less than ten years after the war, which was aimed at restoring its pre-war function. However, it was not until the operations undertaken during the years 1993 -1998 that this was successful.
The building presents its hall, a high interior, a stone tiled floor, and walls and ceilings decorated with stucco. There is a room to the right of the entrance, which was partitioned off to run an office.
Flors of house
The first floor is the location of the salon, which is the most representative interior of the tenement. The room is decorated with white wainscot with tiles presenting antique structures, while the higher sections of the walls are covered with fabrics. There is an original furnace in the corner and the ceiling is decorated with stucco, which was preciously gold plated and colourfully glazed.
The second floor used to house the bedrooms and a small salon, which are currently serving as exhibition rooms.
Uphagen House, photo: Pomorskie Travel
The large dining room is located at the back of the tenement. The dining room walls are dominated by a wainscot decorated with mythological and antique scenery. Damask fabrics hang above.
The side wing hosts three small salons with a wainscot decorated with depictions of insects, flowers and birds. One of them served as the music room.
The annex is home to a small dining room, with a table and chairs originating from the previous furnishings of the house. The ground floor of the annex is occupied by utility rooms, including the kitchen and the pantry. The kitchens of the 18th Century were of the open- fire type.
Uphagen House recalls the former glory of Gdańsk. It once was one of many middle-class tenements; today it is the only one you can enter to see the former spatial and functional arrangement, to see the decoration and equipment of the house from the era of King Stanisław August.
