The residence of the Rutkowski family in Bronowice

Formerly near Krakow, and now Krakow, Bronowice is undoubtedly associated with Stanisław Wyspiański's Wedding, and therefore with charming manor houses: Tetmajerówka and Rydlówka. Only a few people know that there are more equally charming manor houses here. During the Heritage Days, we encourage you to visit the Rutkowski Manor House - normally closed to visitors. It was designed by Józef Gałęzowski, one of the leading, although forgotten, architects of the interwar period. We also suggest a walk to the nearby - no less charming - Fischer-Benis palace. 

Residence style.

The idea of a Polish house referred to the tradition of a noble residence. It was popularized at the international architectural exhibition in Rome in 1911 by Romuald Gutt and Józef Czajkowski. It was widely used throughout almost the entire interwar period. However, a special demand for new architectural designs began to appear along with the need to rebuild villages and towns destroyed after the passing of the front. Regaining independence made people more willing to use native, historical, pre-partition forms - those born from nostalgia for the nobility and even mythical Sarmatian tradition. And even today, a manor-style house does not lose its popularity, although unfortunately it most often lacks aesthetic values. One of the architects developing the program for the reconstruction of Polish lands (during World War I) is Józef Gałęzowski (1877-1963). Until 1910, he was a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, and from 1911, almost until his death, at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. Together with Adolf Szyszko-Bohusz, in 1923 they began to create the department of architecture at the university, which operated independently in the years 1924-1927. Gałęzowski is the author of the important work Reconstruction of a Polish town published in 1916. He created many houses in the "manor" style, but he also used functionalist forms. His works include, for example, the Balneological Institute at Focha 33 Street, seat of the Higher School of Commerce at Sienkiewicza 5 Street, an unrealized project of the State Agricultural Bank at the corner of Dunajewskiego and Basztowa Streets (all buildings for Krakow), Marian Żebrowski's guesthouse in Bukowina or the no longer existing Grand Hotel cafe at Senatorska 29 Street in Warsaw. In the same trend, he has, among others, a manor house in Bronowice near Krakow, designed in 1926. It was most likely built as a summer residence for a friend, Maksymilian Rutkowski. Many of Józef Gałęzowski's designs can be found in the collections of the National Museum in Krakow. His works are also kept by the Wrocław Museum of Architecture.

A residence for a surgeon

Maksymilian Rutkowski (1867-1947) was born into a noble family with strong insurgent traditions. His father was imprisoned in the Kufstein fortress for participating in the Hungarian uprising in 1848. In turn, Rutkowski's uncle died in the heroic defense of the residence in Glanów during the uprising in 1863. He was extradited to the Russians by the Austrians and exiled as a punishment to the Caucasus. He returned to the country, already a retired soldier, and bought an estate in Wielka Wieś near Olkusz. From his relationship with Kazimiera née Leńczowska, a son was born there - Maksymilian, also from his father. Did Maximilian refer to the noble family tradition when building the residence? Possible. He accomplished it at a mature age. He purchased the plot from the Harajewicz family, who, in turn, purchased the plot for the construction of the villa from the Fischer family - the same one from the palace. There was also an exchange of land between friend and neighbor Edward Łepkowski and the professor. Later, he commissioned the construction of the villa and the interior design (including furniture design) by Gałęzowski. Unfortunately, it was not possible to find furniture designs for Rutkowski, but for comparison it is worth taking a look at furniture for other interiors. Thanks to the memories of Edward Łepkowski, we know that the construction was really expensive. Rutkowski was even forced to sell his forests in Szumin near Brzesko, where he so eagerly hunted with his friends. Wielki Max Maksymilian Rutkowski graduated from the Faculty of Medicine of the Jagiellonian University and initially worked in the surgical ward of St. John's Hospital. Łazarz, and later at the Surgical Clinic of the Jagiellonian University. From 1904, he also ran a private clinic at the corner of Siemiradzki Street and Łobzowska Street. There he supervised, among others, dying Stanisław Wyspiański. Rutkowski was a widely respected doctor and a liked man. He performed many masterful surgeries. These include, for example, the world's first cystoplasty (performed on May 12, 1898) using a loop of the small intestine. He laid the foundations for the development of orthopedics, oncology, urology, neurosurgery and surgical treatment of tuberculosis. He obtained the title of full professor of surgery at the Jagiellonian University in 1918, and extraordinary professor in 1920. At the Faculty of Medicine of the Jagiellonian University he is still remembered as Big Max, which refers both to his achievements and his stature and large hands.

"Rutkowski Group"

When World War I began, Rutkowski and a team of trusted nurses and doctors went to the front to help the wounded and dying. The group moved from Congress Poland to the Carpathians. Coming closer and closer to the front line and extraordinary results in treating the wounded made this team of specialists famous. They were commonly called "Rutkowski's group". It included many outstanding figures, including: Jan Glacel, Maria Epstein, Mary Cardezza, Zygmunt Drobniewicz. In 1916, the group returned to Krakow.

Lady in the residence

In 1934, at the age of 67, Rutkowski married Ada from Sarns. She was a doctor and midwife, an activist of the Polish Socialist Party and the Women's League at the Supreme National Committee, the widow of Zygmunt Marek, councilor of Krakow and deputy speaker of the Sejm in the Second Polish Republic. She completed her studies in Zurich with the dissertation Beitrag zur Casuistik des Gallensteinileus, published in 1909. During World War I she worked as a military surgeon in Opava and Kraków. Later, she became the head and professor of the School of Midwives and the gynecological and obstetrics department of St. John's Hospital in Krakow. Lazarus. It seems that not all of Rutkowski's friends liked her decisive character. This is how Edward Łepkowski remembers it: As our closest neighbors and friends, we often visited Professor Rutkowski's house, where we were always warmly welcomed. Everything changed when he got married. The old hospitality disappeared and there was some embarrassment about the savings introduced by the professor. […] Professor Rutkowski also asked me to arrange his collections. He had a lot of very good paintings and valuable furniture, but also gifts from grateful patients, sometimes in terrible taste. I sorted it all out, put the rubbish into the storage room, and everyone thought the house was beautifully decorated. A few years later, the professor found the storeroom, admired the treasures found there, and all the napkins, figurines and screens were placed in their places of honor and everything changed. Could Łepkowski be jealous of his playmate?

Villa Chair Today

After the war, the Medicinal Plants Research Station of the Polish Academy of Sciences was established in the residence, which was then transformed into the Medicinal Plants Research Branch of the Institute of Pharmacology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, and from 1974 into the Institute of Pharmacology of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Today, the residence houses the Phytochemistry Department, where the properties of substances found in plants are examined.