View of the Beyersdorf hall (18th century AD) by unknown Dutch workshopCity Museum of Wrocław
Beyersdorf Hall
One of the chambers of the Royal Palace in Wrocław is lined with blue Dutch tiles from the 17th century. How did they get there? Learn about the remarkable history of this blue room.
Tye tiles come from the tenement house at 19 Solny Square, which belonged to Adrien Bögel, (b. 1674). He was a textile merchant from Hamburg who moved to Wrocław and got married there to Sabina Eleonora.
He most likely brought the tiles from his hometown of Hamburg or Gdańsk, following the European fashion for tiling residential rooms.
We do not know exactly why he brought them. Maybe they brought him closer to his home, reminded him of his memories, or maybe they were just a costly extravagance.
Adrian Bögel adapted the tenement house to his needs. On the ground floor, there was a store with facilities, a staircase leading to the living rooms occupying the 1st and 2nd floor and probably the attic was adjacent to the inner courtyard.
The room with ceramic tiles occupied one of the three rooms on the first floor. The Beyersdorf family acquired the tenement house by inheritance around the mid-nineteenth century. On June 6, 1868, they were listed as owners of the building.
Tile with a shepherd's scene motif (18th century AD) by unknown Dutch workshopCity Museum of Wrocław
In 1898, Adelheid Beyersdorf donated all the room equipment (tiles and pictures) to the Das Schlesische Museums für Kunstgewerbe und Altertümer.
Tile with a biblical motif - Jonah (18th century AD) by unknown Dutch workshopCity Museum of Wrocław
The very idea of completely stripping the walls of the room in the existing building is quite intriguing.
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The solution to the puzzle is simple
In 1896, the Beyersdorf family sold the tenement house to Rudolf and Ernst Weichenhan, who also bought the adjoining tenement house at number 17/18. The gentlemen rebuilt both houses into a 5-story department store.
Tile with a biblical theme (18th century AD) by unknown Dutch workshopCity Museum of Wrocław
The Beyersdorfs probably had to reserve upon sale the return of the equipment of the room, which, dismantled during the reconstruction, was sent to the museum.
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Some of the tiles have been placed in the exhibition hall of the newly opened museum. Eventually, in 1940, the whole thing went to its present place in the Palace.
Tile with a biblical theme - Cain kills Abel (18th century AD) by unknown Dutch workshopCity Museum of Wrocław
Paradoxically, it was this turbulent history that saved the entire collection. The tenement house in Solny Square was destroyed during the war, and so was the building of the museum. The Palace with the Beyersdorf Hall has, luckily, survived.
Tile with a biblical theme - Adam and Eve (18th century AD) by unknown Dutch workshopCity Museum of Wrocław
As you can see, fate can be unfathomable. Sometimes a seemingly trivial event has far-reaching consequences.
Tile with a biblical motif - Moses (18th century AD) by unknown Dutch workshopCity Museum of Wrocław
This was exactly the case with this captivating blue room. We have a chance to admire this magical blue world thanks to the prudence of its former owner and a series of seemingly insignificant coincidences.
View of the Beyersdorf hall (18th century AD) by unknown Dutch workshopCity Museum of Wrocław
Fate allowed these blue ornaments to escape from further demolition and destruction and let it happily sit on the walls of a safe museum harbor so that today it can please the eyes of visitors.
Magdalena Szmida-Półbratek
