Palace of Printing

Brief information

The building known as the Palace of the Press was not originally built for newspapers at all. It was erected in 1922 for the trading house “Bazar Polski SA,” and only later became associated with editorial offices: until the beginning of the Second World War, the weekly “Ilustrowany Kuryer Codzienny” operated here, and until 2011, so did “Dziennik Polski.”

Because of this change in function, the building’s name reads as a trace of its later history rather than as a direct description of the original concept. Today the same building is used by the international concern ABB, but its protected status keeps attention focused on the building itself: it is listed in the register of monuments of the Lesser Poland Voivodeship.

What to notice right away

The source text says almost nothing about the outward appearance of the Palace of the Press, so details of the facade, layout, or finishes cannot be discussed with confidence here. It makes sense to focus on something verifiable: this is one and the same building through which three different functions have passed — a trading house, newspaper editorial offices, and modern corporate use.

The name itself can be compared with the building’s early purpose. “Palace of the Press” recalls the editorial offices, but the building was constructed for a trading company. This difference changes how we view the object: before us is not a newspaper palace conceived as such, but a monument whose name fixed one stage of its life. Its protected status is important precisely for this reason: it preserves not an institution, but the material shell that has outlived changes of owners and activities.