The gigantic basket is one of the most recognizable contemporary symbols of the town. It has a shape of the emblem of Nowy Tomyśl, namely of a boat, and with the material it is made of, it refers to the several century long tradition of wicker cultivation and basketry. The first basket was made in the year 2000 to celebrate the turn of the millennium. The author of the project was Mrs. Maria Gawron, an artist from the Nowy Tomyśl Culture Centre, and the design was developed by a Poznań artist, Mr. Jędrzej Stępak. The works were supervised by a basket maker from Nowy Tomyśl, Mr. Andrzej Pawlak. Basket 2000 was joint work of fifty basket makers, representing 15 basketry companies. It was made in a record time, after 55 hours of continuous work. The work began on 28 September at 12:00 and finished on 30 September at 7:00 p.m. 8 tons of wicker were used for its construction. With its impressive proportions – 17.29 m long, 9.46 m wide, and 7.71 m high it was awarded with an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records. The interior of the basket was planted with various species of trees and shrubs, creating a peculiar form of planter. With time the necessity of building a new basket emerged, because the old one did not stand against the elements. In August 2006 the same team wove a new, even larger object. The current gigantic basket is now 19.80 m long, 9.53 m wide and 8.98 m high. For its construction 12 tons of wicker and 11 tons of metal pipes were used. The bushes planted in it in 2000 flourished. Due to the application of various species of leaf trees and bushes, as well as conifers characterised by different vegetation periods, the inside of the basket is evergreen. In May 2012 the gigantic basket underwent thorough conservatory works which consisted of exchanging the destroyed wicker with the new one.
Located in the centre of Niepodległości Square, the City Hall is the third building of the town administration found on this spot. The first seat of the town administration was build here around 1806. The place was chosen purposeful, not far from the route connecting today’s Mickiewicza and Zbąszyńska streets. The second City Hall was built in 1865. The building standing here today was built in 1979. At the time, right after its construction, it was the seat of the town administration, magistrate court and custody. Until the end of the 1980’s, the city hall was the seat of local administration. It also housed magistrate court, music school, registrar, as well as Headquarters of the Polish Scouting and Guiding Association ZHP. In 2003 District Court opened its offices in the building. The City Hall of Nowy Tomyśl is an eclectic two-storey building with neoclassical details. The central entrance to the edifice has a richly decorated classical portal resting on two columns. Above the doorway arch the city crest is carved in the cartouche edged with flags and military symbols and the date 1879. The cartouche is supported by two female sculptures clad in antique robes, carrying symbols of power and justice – a sword and balancing scales. On the front elevation of the building there is a sign attached on January 27, 1984 in remembrance of the victims held prisoner here during the Nazi occupation.
The Weinerts house was built at the end of the 19th century as a private villa and was used as one until 1945. The building along with the opposite city hall create a stylistic leitmotif of the market square architecture. The eclectic façade of the two-storey villa was fashioned with some decorative classicistic elements, i.e. window frames and cornices. Originally next to the main door there was a gateway leading to the backyard. The building witnessed an event that turned out to be crucial for the history of pre-war Nowy Tomyśl, as well as for the whole region. On July 10, 1938, on the market square in front of the residence representatives of the Polish Army were bestowed with equipment purchased with funds raised among people by the so-called FON – The National Defense Fund. The military was represented by: general Kazimierz Sosnkowski, general Edmund Knoll-Kownacki and the 1 Rifle Company of Karol II, King of Romania Infantry Regiment. This gift expressed sincere patriotism of the people of Nowy Tomysl border region. General Sosnkowski was made an honorary citizen of Nowy Tomysl. Between 1945 and the beginning of the1990’s the building housed the seat of The Polish United Workers’ Party – PZPR. Today it houses the seat of the District Sanitary and Epidemiological Station SANEPID.
The no longer existing steam mill, originally localized next to Niepodległości Square, was built in 1848/1849. At the time of operation it became a symbol of modernity and development of milling craft, since it was one of the first steam mills in Wielkopolska. It was built in the place of the former post mill. Mechanisms of this innovatory installation used to grind grain into flour and were powered by steam engine instead of wind. The constructor and the first owner of this plant was Alexander Maennel, who came from a great and notable family which became an inseparable part of history of Nowy Tomyśl. The Maennel family came to Nowy Tomyśl in 1797 and started to trade, initially in spoons. They supported the creation of the city hall, post office and corner tenement house, between today’s Mickiewicza Street and Chopin Square. Today Café Agatka operates in the building. For many years some of the Maennel family were members of the city council and founders of the Evangelical – (Old) Lutheran congregation. The mill was in operation until 1940s. After the WWII its meaning gradually decreased and it fell into ruin. In the 1990s the building of the mill was demolished.
Built in the years 1900-1902, this villa is associated with Carl Gustav Eduard Goldmann, a distinguished citizen of Nowy Tomyśl who was born on 25th July 1863. As a career he ran a forwarding company established in 1857, however for the local community Carl Goldmann was known for his passion for the study of and research on the history of his hometown and its vicinity. He was reported to have picked up every stone he stumbled over. He wrote down numerous accounts related to the history of Nowy Tomyśl, including, among others, a collection of seals of the Dutch settlements and nearby windmills and watermills. He died on 19th February 1937 and was buried at the evangelical cemetery on today’s Komunalna Street. Well-preserved to this day, the architecture of the Goldman house attracts your attention with its symmetrical eclectic facade featuring classicistic decor.
This is the only preserved example of a residential building, characteristic for the former development of the town. It has features specific for this type of household, i.e. slung front dormer over the entrance located on the axis of the building, and the front door set in a shallow vestibule plunged. It is estimated that this building was erected shortly after the founding of the town in the 18th century and the localization of New Market Square (today: Niepodległości Square). At the beginning of the 19th century most of the buildings surrounding New Market Square were two-storey or single-storey constructions. Such a development reflected the former character of the town of artisans and farmers. Over time, due to a convenient location and numerous transport links, particularly rail, the little town of New Tomyśl slowly developed. This transformation left its stamp on the town buildings as single-storey houses were gradually replaced with two- or more storey detached residential houses.
Nowy Tomyśl complex pipe network originally consisted of two tanks of gas produced in the years 1905 – 1910, and an administrative building. The water tower with the height of 30.80 m, and with the tank with 100 m3 capacity, was built between 1913 to 1914 on the basis of a draft of Carl Francke from Bremen. The water tower is a part of the town waterworks and as such is used as hydrostat. Water in the storage tank is treated and chlorinated. Initially, the water tower was roofed with stone tiles which, however, were replaced at the beginning of the 1960’s with metal roofing. In the adjacent building there was a pumping satiation powered with natural gas from the town natural gas pipelines. The building was in operation until 1993. Today the water tower houses technical facilities on the ground floor, and conference room on the upper storey. In 1994 a new water storage was put into operation. Its capacity amounts to 1500 m3. The new 42 meter high water tower was built in the vicinity of its predecessor.
In 1835 in Nowy Tomyśl an old-Lutheran parish was founded. Old Lutherans were a fraction of the then Protestant Church . The founders of the new religious community were the master miller, Johann Georg Reisch, a shoemaker Johann Christian Schupelius of Sątopy, Menzel from Borui and a mill owner, Alexander Maennel. In 1383 a pharmacist Friedrich August Otto Kliche joined them. Initially celebrations were held in the house of the king’s surgeon Carl Heiniricha Stellmacher, however, the building burnt down in 1858. Then the community has taken steps to build their own temple. On November 15, 1858 a new church was consecrated. In 1871, the community purchased a house with a garden, located in front of the church and allocated there the reverent of the congregation. According to the church statistics from the year 1875, there were 872 members of the parish, however, this number increased up to 1000 followers until the WWI. After 1919, the number of members of the community dropped by half. After 1945, the building housed the church furniture warehouse that burned down in the mid-70s of the twentieth century. After the fire the temple was demolished.
The Jewish community was thriving in Nowy Tomyśl for over a century. What is interesting, there is a document dated 1833, originating from the then mayor of the city, Georg Fridrich Hartmann, which stated that no Jews were allowed to settle down in Nowy Tomyśl. The synagogue of Nowy Tomyśl was built in 1861 and was used by the Jewish community until the WWII. In 1891 215 Jews (43 families) lived in Nowy Tomyśl. Nevertheless, in the subsequent years the number of people of the Jewish faith was systematically decreasing. During the interwar period there were only around 35 Jews still living in the town and the synagogue was used by them until the outbreak of the WWII. During the Nazi German occupation there was the NSKK (The National Socialist Motor Corps), a paramilitary organization training drivers for the needs of the German army. After the Second World War, the building was owned initially by the agricultural cooperative society Spółdzielnia Rolnik, and then, until 1990’s, by the PZGS (Regional Association of Communal Cooperative Societies). Today the building of the former synagogue is rented to a private person. Although the Jewish community of Nowy Tomyśl was not particularly big, it gathered many famous and significant families for the town, such as Wittkowscy, Hiller, Marcus, Walter, Cohn, Lippmann, Aronfeld, and above all Joseph Jakob Flatau (1812-1887). Even though he lived in Berlin, he was made an honorary citizen of Nowy Tomyśl to distinguish his efforts to promote hop cultivation in the area of Nowy Tomyśl and promote Nowy Tomyśl itself as Hopfenstadt – city of hop.
An impressive two-storey corner building was built in the second half of the 19th century. The architecture of the building is distinguished by an elevation of the eclectic and classicizing form, with elements of neo-Renaissance. Of note there are two figures of muses in ancient costumes, which are placed in niches of the facade. These sculptures have dimensions similar to the natural human size. Today in the building there is a restaurant maintaining the couple century old tradition of this place. Before the town of Nowy Tomyśl was founded, in 1782 there had been a tavern in the exact location. The inn was opened and run by the owner of the surrounding properties, Feliks Szołdrski, who then handed it over to his servant. From that time to the present day the place fitted some dining options such as a tavern, an inn, a restaurant or a hotel. Before the outbreak of the WW1 in the building there was a hotel „Under the Black Eagle”, and during the interwar period a hotel „Under the Golden Eagle”.
The property was built in 1900, designed by Berlin architect Konblaucha. It is a successful example of a nineteenth century building performing a public function. Originally, the building had two dominant features: a front bay window of the main entrance, highlighted by an elegant tower helmet and – in the west elevation – a shallow bay finished top of the run-off. The latter has not survived; in its place another building was erected. The building is decorated with decorative elements referring to forms of neo-Renaissance. In the past, the object was surrounded by a wrought, steel fence. In 1848 the seat of the administration of the Buk county was moved to Nowy Tomyśl. After the administration reform, from October 1, 1887, the county was named after the town of Nowy Tomyśl and did not change its name until 1975. During that period the building was the seat of county administration. Today it houses the City Hall of Nowy Tomyśl.
New Tomyśl Hospital was built between 1912 – 1913 on the basis of a draft of Mohr und Weidner of Charlottenburg. Then it was designed for 36 beds, expandable to 56. In 1962 he built another pavilion, and from 1984 to 1985 a link between the old and new hospital was built. In 1962 another pavilion was added to the main building, and in 1984-1985 the old and new part of the hospital were connected. In 1990 a new block with a modern operation theater was put into operation. In 2008-2011 the biggest project in the history of the hospital ever was implemented. The development of the facility embraced the creation of a dialysis station, CT department and department of orthopaedics. One of the notable persons whose life is inseparably connected with the hospital is doctor Kazimierz Hołoga, after whom the facility was named in 2008.
Kazimierz Hołoga was born on January 18, 1913 in Poznań. He became a doctor during the WWII. Then he worked as a medic in the 2nd Army of the Polish Armed Forces and as a surgeon in Poznań. He moved to Nowy Tomyśl in 1951 and soon after he took the office of the hospital director. While holding the office of the director, he conducted a renovation of hospital buildings and hired more medical staff. Doctor Kazimierz Hołoga planned to develop the facility. His premature death after a several month-long illness crossed his plans. Kazimierz Hołoga died on September 12, 1958. He became well-known not only for his skills as a great surgeon, but most of all for being a great man.
History of the Cock Fraternity of Nowy Tomyśl is inseparably connected with the building of the shooting range. The Fraternity was founded due to the charter of July 8, 1789, granted by the owner of this property, Feliks Szołdrski. In 1861, under the guidance of August Hoffbauer, one of the members of the Fraternity, the construction of the shooting range began. August Hoffbauer was also the founder of the property, on which the building was placed. Beforehand shooting competitions took place on the grounds behind the no more existing synagogue, in the city park (then Karl Witte Square) and on the fields opposite to the administration building. From the origin of the shooting range on, the Cock Fraternity of Nowy Tomyśl began to develop. In 1859 Joseph Jakob Flatau was made an honorary member of the organization in reward for founding a decorative silver chain for the Fraternity. The organization was thriving between 1970 and the middle of the 80’s of the ninetieth century. Two most important events in the history of the organization was the consecration of the banner in 1883 and a shooting competition in 1914 organized to celebrate 125th anniversary of the Fraternity’s foundation. The most celebrated tradition of the Cock Fraternity was an annual shooting competition for the title of the “King of the Fraternity”. The winner of the competition was awarded with the title and as a sign of the honour being a King of the Fraternity, was handed with a silver chain with an eagle on it to keep it until next competition. The second best shooter of the competition was also awarded with a title and a chain, this one, however, with the title of a marshal. From the founding of the Fraternity on, the organization, both before WWI and during the interwar period, gathered some of the most notable residents of the town of Nowy Tomyśl, i.e. Roman Nitsche, Jan Listewnik, Kazimierz Kańduła, Eryk Sokołowski, Wojciech Mania, Ignacy Patalas, Adam Pohl, Stanisław Koza, Maksymilian Adamczyk.
The park of Nowy Tomyśl was constructed in the years 1972-1980. It was during that period that paths were marked out, ponds were dug, a miniature windmill was erected, as well as the now no longer standing concert stage, a miniature Chojnik Castle which was made of sandstone, a fairy tale castle and a hunting manor were built. In 1974 a zoo was established within the park area, while in 1985 a Museum of Wickerwork and Hop-growing was opened. Nowadays Feliks Park covers an area of 34 hectares. In recent years it has been enriched with new elements: the Wigloo, a living pergola made of wicker, and the Birds’ Island, also made of wicker and situated close to the pond shore. Until 2016 the park was known as the Park of Culture and Leisure. However, as that year coincided with the 230th anniversary of municipal rights being bestowed on Nowy Tomyśl, the Town Council voted a resolution which changed the name to Feliks Szołdrski Park. In this way the founder of the town was commemorated. In 2018 a revitalization project was commenced in the park. Today the park of Nowy Tomyśl is a venue for numerous sports, artistic and cultural events out of which worth mentioning are the Hop & Wicker Fair and the World Festival of Wicker and Wickerwork.
Zoo in Nowy Tomyśl was opened in 1974. The Social Committee for the Creation of the Culture and Recreation Park, which was called into being in 1971, was charged with the task of its creation. The ZOO was opened due to voluntary work and engagement of numerous residents of the town of Nowy Tomyśl. The garden was initially opened on 3.4 ha. Some of the first animals which moved in were two brown bears from one of the circuses from Warsaw. Other animals appeared as a result of the liquidation of zoos in Zielona Gora, Śrem and Września. At that time the ZOO was the home to wolves, lions and the North Chinese leopard. Currently in the ZOO there are no large predator species. They were replaced with monkeys: baboons, grivets and rhesus macaques. In the ZOO there are mainly species that could be effortlessly provided with adequate living conditions. In the previous years some of enclosures and rooms for animals were thoroughly modernized and refitted. On the site there are two species under the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP), namely Przewalski’s horse and Hartmann’s mountain zebra. Currently the ZOO covers an area of more than 5 hectares and the exhibition consists of about 200 animals in 48 species.
The Museum of Basketry and Hop Growing is the only one of its kind in Poland. It constitutes a branch of the National Museum of Agriculture und Agricultural-Food Industry in Szreniawa. It was opened in May 1985. The main seat of the museum is located in an antique, reconstructed building of a Dutch settler. Inside there are three permanent exhibitions: The history of weaving and basketry in Poland, Varieties of wicker and weaving raw materials and other materials and The history of hop cultivation in Poland. The other museum building is the Dutch barn built in 2006. Inside there are two permanent exhibitions – Baskets back then and today – 100 years of the Polish wicker design art and Artistic and functional wicker forms. Among the numerous exhibits one can see wicker furniture, baskets and other items of daily use, artistic forms, as well as tools used in the wicker workshop and equipment used in hop cultivation. An addition to the exhibits is the salicarium located next to the museum, presenting varieties of willow and a hop field presenting hop cultivation, an outdoor botanical exposition with models presenting the use of willow in areas of human life other than basketry, and machines and tools used in willow cultivation and processing, exhibition of artistic spatial forms of willow. It is also worth looking at a decoration entitled Przystań II [Haven] by Jędrzej Stępak. The sculpture was unveiled in 2011 at the 2nd World Festival of Wicker and Basketry. The Museum organizes: museum lessons, weaving demonstrations, workshops, wickerwork, and every year, two outdoor events: National Basketry Workshops and Young Basketmakers’ Meetings.
Wigloo is a wicker representative pavilion resembling the shape of an igloo. Its name – Wigloo – refers to the material the gazebo it is made of. This unique piece of special art was created on the initiative of the National Basketmakers’ Association in the year 2008. The initiator of the project was Andrzej Pawlak. In its construction not only basket makers, but also carpenters, locksmiths, bricklayers, and pavers participated. For the wigloo a total amount of 5 tons of willow stick were used. In effect a 12 m long, 5 m high construction of 9 m in diameter was made. The Wicker igloo was one of the highlights of the first World Festival of Wicker and wickerwork, held in Nowy Tomyśl in 2008. Nearby Wigloo one can see a unique structure formed of wicker. It is a living wicker gazebo, which was founded in 2011. For its creation 12 tons of wicker were used. It is 18 meters long, 9 meters in diameter and 4.5 meters in height.
Neo-Romanesque church was built between 1894 to 1895. Previously, local Catholics attended a distance of 9 kilometers from Nowy Tomyśl. The construction of the St. Mary of Perpetual Help Church was difficult since it was the time of intensive oppressive policy enacted by the Prussia against the Polish society, during so-called the Kulturkampf. The building permit was issued not until a local notary Wojciech Bartecki contributed to authorize the construction of branch chapel of parish in Nowy Tomyśl. The ground for the church was founded by Walentyna and Walenty Kupczyk. Initially the temple didn’t have a tower and was used also as a cemetery chapel. On March 3, 1896 the chapel was consecrated. Due to the increasing number of worshippers, on April 1, 1924 a new and independent Roman-Catholic parish was formed here – Mary of Perpetual Help Parish. In the following year the parish church received a tower and a front bay. Inside, in the main altar of the church, next to the painting of the Holy Mary, patron of the temple, you can marvel at hammered metalwork by Zygmunt Gromadziński, depicting scenes of Holy Mary’s life and linden sculpture of vine, by Roman Czeski. In the vicinity of the church there are: a presbytery building dated 1914, a sculpture of the holy father John Paul II unveiled in 2001, and a monument unveiled in 2011 in honour of the victims of the Katyn massacre, as well as a wooden sculpture of saint Josef, which was founded in 2012.
The origins of the factory reach back to 1904. Then, a factory was established at this place under the name “Glühkorperexport-Gesellschaft”. The following year the factory went bankrupt, and Waldemar Paech became its owner. At that time, the company operated as “Ostdeutschen Gasglühlichtwerken”. Its main product was the incandescent meshes for gas lamps. In 1920, Joint Stock Company “Żar” bought the factory from “Auerlichtgesellschaft” from Berlin. In the inter-war period the factory employed as many as 450 workers. The progressing electrification process made the company expand its range. In 1934, the factory started manufacturing cigarette tubes and papers. At the end of World War II, German authorities attempted to create a factory of surgical instruments here. Machines and devices were brought at this place to start the production of medical equipment, destroyed within the German Reich area by allied air force. In view of the impending offensive of the Red Army, the Germans did not manage to start full production. Fleeing from Nowy Tomyśl, they destroyed some of the machines and took away the rest. The base allowing creation of the surgical equipment industry after the war were the machines left here at the end of World War II. Gradually, they were activated, necessary materials and tools were brought in. The first batch of products was released in September 1945. By order of the Ministry of Industry and Trade in 1948, a state-owned enterprise was established under the name of Surgical Tools Factory in Nowy Tomyśl, abbreviated to “Chifa”. In the years1950-1960the factorystarted an intensive improvement inproductionmethodsand increasing production capacity. The volume ofthe product portfolio enlarged steadily, fromyear to year. In addition tosurgical instruments, the factory started tomanufactureorthopedictoolsandthe production tothe cosmetics market. In1950, the factory also beganbuildingits own housing estate, which is located at the Tysiąclecia Street.In the years1961-1965,there wasthe firstextension ofthe factory.Newproduction and ancillary facilities were created, and the replacement of machinery and equipment was initiated. In the years1973-1976,anotherexpansion of the factory took place. Newproduction, ancillary andsocial and household facilities appeared. In 1981,under the law onstate-owned enterprisesand on workers’ self-governmentof astate-owned enterprise, the organizational structureof the plant was changed. In 1992, the company was privatized and 80% of Chifa shares were sold to Aesculap AG, Tuttlingen, part of the B. Braun group. In 1996, the company Aesculap Chifa Sp. z o.o. was created. In 2012, creation of the Aesculap Academy in Nowy Tomyśl.
This eclectic villa was erected around the year 1880. It is a two-storey building whose storeys are separated with an ornamental cornice with a moulding frieze. Worth noticing is the decorative facade in which the light sand-coloured ornaments were contrasted with the colour of the bricks which fill in the background surfaces. The entire facade is crowned with a substantial ornate cornice topped with a parapet with balusters. In the years 1890 – 1912 the villa belonged to a master mason by the name of Herma Hasenfelder. In 1918 the property was bought from the then owner, Waldemar Paech, by a local entrepreneur, Walter Maennel. After World War II the villa initially housed the Land Office, then a Police Station and the District Police Headquarters in Nowy Tomyśl.
The windmill was built in 1853 by milling master Gottlieb Pflaum. In 1873, the whole structure was thoroughly rebuilt, giving it a unique shape and character, more like a wind-driven motor rather than traditional mills. For many years Kunstmühle was regarded as a symbol of Nowy Tomyśl clearly distinguishing in the city’s skyline. Its perception by both the town inhabitants and visitors, can be compared to the importance of what today is the giant basket located at the Niepodległości square. Kunstmühle, unlike traditional windmills (called “post mill”), was driven not only by the wind, but also a steam engine. Wind power was used mainly to move the crane for lifting corn intake and unloading sacks of flour. After the reconstruction, the building had a height of 31 meters, its façade was 12.5 meters high and about 9.5 meters deep. The three-story mill had a basement 2.5 meters high. On the ground floor the proper mechanism, a so-called flour level, has been installed. In this section, flour was collected and packed in bags. The milling equipment on the ground floor of the building was set in motion by a vertical shaft which transmitted the rotation of the windmill blades. The gear wheels meshed directly with two millstones and powered two further ones by means of transmission belts. In addition, the shaft on the groundfloor put the device for sifting flour, coil, cooler and four rammers into motion. During the operation of the windmill its upper level was struck by lightning several times, but at the same time without causing particularly extensive damage. One of the inscriptions on the mill said Founded in 1853, the investor and construction foreman G. Pflaum. Damaged by lightning June 19, 1871 and August 17, 1873, God, in His goodness, protects the mill. In 1911 the mill was demolished.
SIGN NO 23 – WOJCIECH BARTECKI RESIDENCE
The history of this building is inseparably connected with one of the eminent dweller of Nowy Tomyśl, Wojciech Bartecki, who was born on April 19, 1855 in Bystrzyca near Mogilno. He settled down in Nowy Tomyśl in 1884. Initially he worked as a magistrate, than as a notary and a lawyer. He was a great patriot and became renowned in Nowy Tomyśl and surrounding areas for his social engagement. During the Kulturkampf he strongly opposed the policy of disposing of Polish statehood. Due to his attitude towards the invaders, he was perceived as a “spiritus movens of the Polish agitation”. In the 1886 he got married to Maria Pfitzner. Wojciech Bartecki’s most important achievement for Nowy Tomyśl was building a Catholic church. Today it is the St. Mary of Perpetual Help Church. Using the legal way, he managed to obtain in Berlin a building permit to erect a church and to establish a fund with the purpose to build it. The very first funeral in this church was the one of his wife, Maria Bartecka. Wojciech Bartecki for the rest of his life strived for Polish priests to be sent to his parish every time new clergyman was assigned to Nowy Tomyśl. He died on February 2, 1919.
SIGN NO 24 – POST OFFICE IN NOWY TOMYŚL
The first Post Office in Nowy Tomyśl was opened on April 1, 1840. Earlier the town was only a transfer point for mail from Trzciel, Grodzisk and Zbąszyń. Initially, the post office was located on the then New Market Square (today’s Mickiewicza Square) and was managed by the owner of the pharmacy, Edward Weiss. Since then, a courier from New Tomyśl to Grodzisk was sent four times a week. In January 1849 a mail coach was launched three times a week. In 1870 the company Märkisch-Posen Eisenbahn built a railway, and Nowy Tomyśl received a railway station. In 1881 a III degree post office was established in Nowy Tomyśl, however, due to the increasing mail volume it was shifted to the II degree. The post office was located in the today’s Poznańska Street 15-17 until October 1, 1884, occupying offices facilitated by the brewery owner, Nathanael Maennel. Later the post office was moved to Piłsudskiego Street (former Dworcowa Street) to the building of the merchant Nathanael Maennel, exclusively reserved for the post office.
SIGN NO 25 – THE SACRED HEART OF LORD JESUS CHURCH
The church was raised in the years 1779-1780 due to the efforts of Feliks Szołdrski, the owner of the local estates at that time. Until 1945 it had been an evangelical church. In 1788 the church was extended with a tower which was burnt to the ground in a fire a year later. Rebuilt after 1806, the tower survived until 1916 when again it was lost in a fire. The tower was reconstructed for the third time in 1923, but soon after, in 1941, it had to be pulled down due to risk of collapse. After 1946 the temple was a subsidiary church for the parish of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Nowy Tomyśl. In 1981 an independent parish of the Sacred Heart of Lord Jesus was established by the church. The church is built of brick and field stone on Greek-cross plan. Inside, worthy of note are: the lofts, characteristic of protestant churches, decorated with rococo motifs, and the pulpit dating back to ca. 1780 with a rococo ornament, a sculpture of Moses on the canopy and the coat of arms Łodzia (Boat) that belonged to the Szołdrski family.
SIGN NO 26 – HOTEL “UNDER THE HOP WREATH”
Before the outbreak of the WWI the building was a seat of the “Hotel zum Hopfenkranz (Hotel “Under the Hop Wreath”). Its name referred to the pre-war traditions of hop cultivation of Nowy Tomyśl. In the reports of the mayor Georg Friedrich Hartmann dated 1828 one can read that the main occupation of people living in the surrounding areas was hop cultivation. Rapid development of hop cultivation in the Nowy Tomyśl area began in the 30’s and 40’s of the ninetieth century, mainly due to the efforts of the Prussian commercial counsellor of the Jewish origin, Joseph Jakob Flatau. He imported seedlings of some precious hop species and created his own species which quickly gained recognition and international fame. Many awards on international exhibitions were the best confirmation of its uniqueness. In the middle of the ninetieth century hop cultivation became one of the most important branches of the local production and the area of Nowy Tomyśl became the biggest hop centre in the whole of Prussia. During the inter-war period there was a brewery operating on the today’s Poznańska Street. The brewery belonged to Hermann Pflaum. Before the outbreak of the WWI, between the today’s 3 Maja Street and Zbąszyńska Street there was another brewery, belonging to Gustaw Morzyński, where delicious Nowy-Tomyśl-Beer was produced. After the WWI it was renamed to Hotel Wielkopolski.
SIGN NR 27 – WICKER PROMENADE
Mickiewicza St. joins two squares In Nowy Tomyśl, Niepodległości Square with Chopin Square. It is one of the oldest parts of the town which used to be called the Golden Street because of the “golden business” the merchants used to make here. For a few years now this place has been commonly called “the wicker promenade”. On May 1, 2004 the wicker promenade was a venue of the 4th edition of a basketry event called Picnic with Wicker. Then the basket makers from Nowy Tomyśl made many unique wicker forms which decorated this part of the town. The creation of the wicker promenade took place at the moment of Poland’s joining the European Union. This venture was supposed to point in a symbolic way to the opening of the inhabitants to some new challenges and possibilities. Taking a walk along Mickiewicz St. one may admire wicker sunshades, wicker façades, sun blinds, as well as beautifully maintained flower beds. During the holiday season, Tomys wicker figure sitting on the terrace of a cafe “Agatka”evokes the greatest interest of tourists. In the year 2005 the wicker promenade took the 1 place in the competition organised by the Wielkopolska Tourism Organization in the category hiking tourism for The best object of active tourism in Wielkopolska.
SIGN NR 28 – WICKER CONCERT HALL
The wicker concert hall was brought to life as an initiative of the basketmakers from Nowy Tomyśl in 2002. It involved 49 craftsmen with the financial support of more than 130 economic subjects from Nowy Tomyśl. This unique structure was established on the basis of the development of the design prepared by Maciej Pawlak and Maria Gawron. The architectonic project was made by Zbigniew and Tomasz Gostyński. In 2003 the interior of the shell was woven, and in 2007 the building was subject to maintenance work. The concert hall located in the close vicinity to the Nowy Tomyśl Culture Centre and the Public City and District Library is a venue of many interesting cultural and entertainment events, such as concerts, Miss of The Polish Wicker Beauty Contest or the holiday “Meeting under the hornbeam”.
SIGN NO 29 – FORMER HOSPITAL AND PRISON
The building was erected in 1883 as a prison house and municipal hospital. The earlier jail, which was located in the wooden town hall in the then New Market (now Niepodległości Square) was too small and in appalling technical condition. The new facility housed two prison cells and rooms for sick patients. Apart from satisfying the municipal needs, the prison rooms were also let to the Royal Court of Law in Grodzisk. Besides detention of local prisoners, the building was used as an accommodation base for prisoners in transfer to their destination. The jail was relocated to the new town hall built in 1879. From 1904 the hospital section was administered by the royal district physician Dr Georg Buddee. The building continued to serve this purpose until 1913 when the new district hospital was opened. After 1914 it accommodated the German Military Draft Office.
SIGN NO 30 – SCHMIDT’S STEAM MILL
Preserved to this day, the impressive brick mill building is an example of historical industrial architecture. Its architecture refers to the Neo-Gothic style, which is emphasized by the construction of unplastered brick as well as by soaring steeples crowning the tops of the facade. The rapid development of Nowy Tomyśl in the beginning of the 19th century caused a growing demand for milling services. It was indispensable for the town to have a new mill. The main investor in the new facility was Berta Schmidt. The mill continued to operate in the same location from 1886 as the second mill after the steam mill of Maennel. However, the granary – a substantial structure visible from Zbąszyńska Street – was first erected in 1908. Steam propulsion was applied in the mill, which increased the efficiency of work. At the beginning of the 20th century the capacity of the building was increased, one gate was walled in and a power transmission plant was set up in the basement. In 1962 the propulsion system was changed from steam to electric. The building has maintained its function until today. Directly adjacent to the mill there is a residential house built in 1903.
SIGN NO 31 – FORMER REPRESENTATIVE VILLA-COMPLEX
Located on the former Lwówecka Street (today’s 3 Stycznia Street) complex of representative villas was built in the years 1904 – 1912 due to the developer Hermann Hasenfelder. The villas are eclectic in style, varying in architectural features. Before the outbreak of the WWII many famous and notable families of Nowy Tomyśl lived here. Home no.1 belonged to Gustav Schulz. There was a bakery operating in the building with a characteristic corner entrance. Villa no. 3, today’s seat of the Military Recruitment Office – WKU, until 1907 belonged to the lawyer and notary Johannes Arndt. The building features a dual-axe symmetric façade with a turret and a spire. Since 1907, in villa no. 5 there lived a district doctor who was also a member of the city council. The building features two non-symmetrical tops of uneven height and a turret on the side. Since 1921, building no. 7 was home for Roman Nitsche, an insurgent of Wielkopolska uprising, a member of the city council, an activist and entrepreneur. Doctor Franciszek Rost, an insurgent of Wielkopolska uprising, who died in Katyń in 1940, lived in villa number 9.
SIGN NO 32 – WIATRAKOWA STREET
Contemporary street name refers to the long tradition of milling in Nowy Tomyśl, whose origins date back to the time when the town was granted municipal rights. The first millers guild was established under the law of July 10, 1787, and it was granted by the founder of the town and surrounding estates heir – Feliks Szołdrski. The new guild united all millers of the whole property. In the heyday of the millers guild, one could count 31 windmills in the nearest vicinity. In 1836, in Nowy Tomyśl there were 7 windmills, including those standing at the intersection of today’s Zbąszyńska and 3 Stycznia Streets. The windmills era was gone with the introduction of steam-powered machines. In Nowy Tomyśl, wooden windmills were replaced by Aleksander Maennel’s steam mill built in the years 1848-1849 and Schmidt’s steam mill built in 1885. In the Wiatrakowa Street the last Nowy Tomyśl wooden windmill remained until the 1950s. It was built in 1791 and at first it was located at the present Śniadeckich Street. Its last owner was Robert Reisch. The windmill located at that place was a so-called “koźlak”. It was characterized by the fact that its whole structure revolved around a vertical wooden post. The post was supported by struts, and the whole thing was based on cross-stacked wooden, and later masonry foundations. The whole of this support system was called “kozioł”. With the combination of the body with the support system, the windmill could rotate around its axis. This way, the whole windmill and its blades were positioned by means of a drawbar in the direction of the wind.
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