The history of the MONTOWNIA building dates back to the 1930s. During the Second World War it housed an assembly plant for submarine parts, and during the communist period it served as the main warehouse of the Gdańsk Shipyard.
Now MONTOWNIA has been given another life. Leisure, business and the flavours of the world are located in one place, where modernity combines with the shipyard character. MONTOWNIA is a new quality.
The assembly plant was restored under the watchful eye of a conservationist, and the authentic elements in it were integrated into the new interior. Here you can admire the preserved original artefacts:
In Montownia showcases impressive 3D paintings by Tomasz Krupiński, a renowned painter-sculptor, interior and furniture designer.
The paintings have a spatial structure and weigh up to 300 kg. The works present pure matter and merge freely with the other objects in the building. The paintings are the reverse of living green, a wealth of matter, rhythms and used archetypes, such as black oak extracted from the ground. The abstract landscapes bring the element of nature into the industrial space of the Assembly Room, in a tangible and physical way.
Another amazing element of the site is a group of lamps called “Creature Catcher”. 17 lamps created from shells from the Philippines decorate the building, creating a spectacular lighting effect. The impressive size of the lamps (ranging from 2 to 9 metres) impresses with the combination of shells with materials such as bronze, steel, copper, mother-of-pearl and black oak.
An unusual light constellation, it contrasts with the austerity of the building and corresponds with the wall of greenery. The light objects paired with the green wall create a unique atmosphere of a little sea, a little flying creature.
A green wall, made up of living plants, runs through the entire height of the building. The wall is a beautiful decoration, but also has a positive effect on the microclimate in the common areas by improving air quality and quieting the environment.
The green wall is a symbol of the new life of the former assembly hall, it emphasises the monumental character of the building’s interior and leads the eye through the other floors where the hotel flats are located.
In each of the lofts and lobbies you will find documentary photographs of the shipyard by Michał Szlaga – a graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk. The author is known for his fight to preserve shipyard monuments, his series of photographs documenting the demolition of historic buildings and his portraits of shipyard workers.
On the third floor of the building, we have prepared a special space to relax.
Take advantage of the relaxation area and enjoy in some reading in the reading room.
Montownia was named Award Winner 2021 in the Commercial Redevelopment/Renovation category.
The judges of the competition, comprising members of the House of Lords of the British Parliament, renowned architects, property and design experts, appreciated the scale of the project, the originality of the design and its details, the respect for historic qualities and the way in which the renovated edifice was adapted to its new hotel functions.
“The idea behind the Art in Architecture festival is to promote art in architectural space, introduced at many levels and various stages of conception. The adaptation of the U-boat Assembly Hall of the Gdańsk Shipyard for hotel, conference and catering purposes seeks to intervene minimally in the existing listed monument. Understanding its original fabric, it returns to the original flow of the galleried layout while listening to the rhythm of the reinforced concrete structure. It minimally interferes with the historical substance giving the new function a contemporary thread with subtly introduced art by Tomasz Krupiński. It was from his studio that the spectacularly sized “Creature Catcher” flowed. Armed with an industrial design, the collection of light objects with all the nobility of a shell poetically hovered in the architectural space elevating it to the status of an artistic event.”
Agnieszka Leszczyńska-Mieczkowska
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