The Social House “Copernicus”
Object's description
Thanks to Felix Szrajber, who at the end of the 19th century was a curate at St James’s Church, the construction of a social club began. The house “Copernicus” was built in the years 1888-1889 on a plot of land belonging to the parish, mainly thanks to the donations of the Catholic population of Warmia.
The stately, two-story building was built of red brick originally in a neo-Gothic style. The central part is decorated with a decorative projection. Formerly, the interiors housed an auditorium with a stage, a reading room, a hotel, a restaurant and five residential apartments. The building also seated the headquarters of the Catholic Society (Towarzystwo Czeladzi Katolickiej) founded by Felix Szrajber. The priest himself was not only the initiator of the project, but also helped with the construction. Sadly, he died before the work was finished due to the physical overload of his work.
In the mid-20th century “Copernicus” went through a complete renovation and its walls plastered. Then, in the years 1954-1990, there was a restaurant “Pod Żaglami”. Currently the renovated building is the seat of the bishop’s curia.