Look closely at Willa Malutka. It is more than just a building. It is a testament to history and resilience.
Willa Malutka was built in 1910. It was designed by Józef Czajkowski or Romuald Gutt. The villa was commissioned by Dr. Robert Bernhard. He was the president of the Polish Dermatological Society. He also organized the first analytical-bacteriological laboratory. This laboratory was in St. Lazarus Hospital. Today Willa Malutka is part of the Mazowieckie Rehabilitation Center.
The design of Willa Malutka evokes old Polish manor houses. It is a wooden building. Its layout is almost square. The front facade has three sections. It is asymmetrical. A four-column portico supports a balcony. The balcony is topped with a triangular gable. Three small columns support this gable. They rest on a balustrade. The gable’s face is covered with planks. There is a semicircular window. Below this window is the villa’s name.
The ground floor columns have Doric capitals. The columns on the gable have Ionic capitals. The facade is asymmetrical. The window openings vary. They have different shapes and divisions. Some are square. Others are rectangular or oval. These details add to the villa’s picturesque charm.
The building’s layout and decor are noteworthy. It features a two-bay layout. There is a large hall. You can see wooden stairs and floors.
In old times, Mokotów was a village near Warsaw. It was known for the residences of the Lubomirski, Potocki, and Szuster families. Franciszek Szuster and Adolf Szturm owned a paper factory called “Cartonage” on a plot by the Puławska road. The factory failed. Aleksander Szuster, a family descendant, divided the historic estate into plots.
Arpad Chowańczak bought a plot on Puławska Street. He was an industrialist from Orawa. He was known as the “fur king”. He made a fortune with his store on Krakowskie Przedmieście 17. That is another story altogether.
Arpad Chowańczak used the existing buildings for his production. In 1928, he built a grand villa behind them for himself. It was located on the newly created Koraciego Street. It is now Morskie Oko Street. The villa had high roofs. Tuscan columns and Ionic pilasters decorated it. It had a semicircular avant-corps facing the garden. There was also a five-column portico with a balcony above.
The villa survived the Warsaw Uprising. But a sad story is linked to it. According to urban legend, a woman named Hanna sought shelter here. She gathered roses in the garden for a soldier she loved. She was spotted and shot. It is unclear if the shooter was a Polish insurgent or a German soldier.
After the war, the state nationalized the house. It fell into disrepair. In 2002, the former owners’ heirs regained it. They fought to save the dilapidated villa. A developer wanted to build new apartments. In 2005, the villa was listed in the register of monuments. This decision was appealed.
In 2008-2009, the Provincial Administrative Court overturned the decision. Just a month later, on April 15, 2009, a small fire damaged the roof and attic. This caused an uproar. The city referred the matter to the prosecutor’s office. The building deteriorated further.
In January 2012, MyOni Group Andrzej Piliszko bought the villa and plots along Morskie Oko Street. He planned to renovate the villa for his own use. He would build luxury apartments on the rest of the land. The city and conservation officer agreed. They approved Mikołaj Gierych’s design from AP Projekty. They even provided funds to rebuild the roof truss and damp-proof the building.
The main renovation work took place from 2013 to 2015. Today, the villa looks impressive. Take a walk around it. See it from all sides. View it from the front, from Szustrów Park, and from the courtyard through Belgijska Street. Arpad Chowańczak’s villa crowns the new housing estate. It is a matter of taste. Preserving and renovating the historic villa is what truly matters.