Community Archive
In July 2024, we launched the educational and community-focused project “Stories. Villa Decius 1889–1989.” One of its key aims was to begin building the Community Archive of Villa Decius – a 16th-century palace located in the Wola Justowska district of Kraków.
The uniqueness of this place has many sources, one of which is undoubtedly its nearly 500-year-long history. The Villa, built around 1535 at the initiative of Justus Ludwik Decius – advisor to King Sigismund the Old – is one of the most valuable examples of Renaissance architecture in Poland. Over the centuries, it served various functions and bore witness to numerous social, political, and cultural changes, remaining an important point of reference for the local community.
In its early days, it was a summer residence for successive owners – including the Decius, Lubomirski, Sanguszko, and Morzkowski families. In the 19th century, thanks to Princess Marcelina Czartoryska, the Villa took on a new role as an important Patriotic Salon, where intellectual and artistic elites of the era would gather.
During World War I, the building was occupied by the military. In the interwar period, there were plans to convert the Villa into a luxury guesthouse. During World War II, it was used by the German police.
After the war, the Villa underwent yet another transformation – it first housed a school and dormitory for cooperative auditors and later, the women's wing of the Dr. Anka Tuberculosis Hospital, which operated there until the 1970s. Neglected and lacking proper conservation, the Villa gradually deteriorated.
A new chapter in its history began in 1996, with the establishment of the Villa Decius Association, which took over stewardship of the site and restored its cultural and dialogic functions. Since 2019, the Villa has been managed by the Villa Decius Institute for Culture – a municipal cultural institution.
The Villa is part of a larger palace and park complex that includes the Łaski House, the Erasmus House, and the historic Decius Park – one of the oldest urban parks in Kraków. Together, they form a unique cultural landscape, where historical heritage meets the vibrant energy of social and artistic life.
The complex is located in Wola Justowska – a neighborhood within the Zwierzyniec district. Wola Justowska is characterized by its predominantly single-family homes and a diverse demographic structure. Alongside long-time residents, whose families have lived here for generations, there is a growing group of newcomers gradually integrating into the fabric of the local community. The “Stories…” project was an attempt to bring together these two perspectives and create space for dialogue around shared history.
The idea to create a community archive of Villa Decius grew out of a reflection on transience and the responsibility to preserve memory. We realized that this was our last chance to reach witnesses of the past – people who remembered when the Villa served different roles and was perceived differently by residents. While the official, documentary history of the building – reconstructed through archival sources and architectural studies – remains important, in this project we focus on what has yet to be told.
Over the past months, we’ve spoken with long-time staff members of Villa Decius and searched for other potential participants for the archival project. As a result, we conducted ten in-depth biographical interviews with current and former residents of Wola Justowska. These conversations – enriched by photographs and keepsakes – form a powerful testament to collective memory. Thanks to them, Villa Decius opens a new chapter in its long history, becoming not only a creator of memories, but also their guardian.
In the memories of residents, the Villa appears both distant and deeply familiar. Once known as the Decius Palace, it had long been neglected, abandoned, and inaccessible. During the time it housed a tuberculosis ward, it was even perceived as dangerous. Placing a hospital in a building so unfit for such use was a deliberate decision by communist authorities and part of a broader strategy to devalue aristocratic heritage. The consequences of this policy were felt not only by the hospital’s staff and patients, but also by residents, who came to associate the site with fear and unease.
Yet from these same accounts emerges another image – one of the Villa as a beloved landmark, deeply rooted in the neighborhood’s identity and a source of pride. Locals watched the revitalization process with interest and greeted the news of its reopening as a cultural space with relief and joy. The chance to attend exhibitions, concerts, and educational programs at the Villa has become an important part of their everyday lives.
Equally meaningful was the Villa’s unexpected role as a place for family gatherings. Rented for weddings, anniversaries, and other celebrations, the historic space became the backdrop for some of the most intimate and cherished moments in our interviewees’ lives. This story – though seemingly fragmented – is in fact cohesive, woven from many threads and voices that together form the living fabric of this place.
Through the “Stories. Villa Decius 1889–1989” project, we have not only preserved valuable memories and testimonies of the past, but also created an inspiring space for dialogue around history and heritage. We believe this is just the beginning. We want the Community Archive of the Villa to continue growing – a space where more voices can be heard and find their place in the ever-evolving story of this unique place and the people connected to it.
There are surely many stories still waiting to be told. It will be an honor for us to hear yours.
We invite you to co-create this project with us!
Contact:
Anna Słupek
anna.slupek@willadecjusza.pl
In its early days, it was a summer residence for successive owners – including the Decius, Lubomirski, Sanguszko, and Morzkowski families. In the 19th century, thanks to Princess Marcelina Czartoryska, the Villa took on a new role as an important Patriotic Salon, where intellectual and artistic elites of the era would gather.
During World War I, the building was occupied by the military. In the interwar period, there were plans to convert the Villa into a luxury guesthouse. During World War II, it was used by the German police.
After the war, the Villa underwent yet another transformation – it first housed a school and dormitory for cooperative auditors and later, the women's wing of the Dr. Anka Tuberculosis Hospital, which operated there until the 1970s. Neglected and lacking proper conservation, the Villa gradually deteriorated.
A new chapter in its history began in 1996, with the establishment of the Villa Decius Association, which took over stewardship of the site and restored its cultural and dialogic functions. Since 2019, the Villa has been managed by the Villa Decius Institute for Culture – a municipal cultural institution.
The Villa is part of a larger palace and park complex that includes the Łaski House, the Erasmus House, and the historic Decius Park – one of the oldest urban parks in Kraków. Together, they form a unique cultural landscape, where historical heritage meets the vibrant energy of social and artistic life.
The complex is located in Wola Justowska – a neighborhood within the Zwierzyniec district. Wola Justowska is characterized by its predominantly single-family homes and a diverse demographic structure. Alongside long-time residents, whose families have lived here for generations, there is a growing group of newcomers gradually integrating into the fabric of the local community. The “Stories…” project was an attempt to bring together these two perspectives and create space for dialogue around shared history.
The idea to create a community archive of Villa Decius grew out of a reflection on transience and the responsibility to preserve memory. We realized that this was our last chance to reach witnesses of the past – people who remembered when the Villa served different roles and was perceived differently by residents. While the official, documentary history of the building – reconstructed through archival sources and architectural studies – remains important, in this project we focus on what has yet to be told.
Over the past months, we’ve spoken with long-time staff members of Villa Decius and searched for other potential participants for the archival project. As a result, we conducted ten in-depth biographical interviews with current and former residents of Wola Justowska. These conversations – enriched by photographs and keepsakes – form a powerful testament to collective memory. Thanks to them, Villa Decius opens a new chapter in its long history, becoming not only a creator of memories, but also their guardian.
In the memories of residents, the Villa appears both distant and deeply familiar. Once known as the Decius Palace, it had long been neglected, abandoned, and inaccessible. During the time it housed a tuberculosis ward, it was even perceived as dangerous. Placing a hospital in a building so unfit for such use was a deliberate decision by communist authorities and part of a broader strategy to devalue aristocratic heritage. The consequences of this policy were felt not only by the hospital’s staff and patients, but also by residents, who came to associate the site with fear and unease.
Yet from these same accounts emerges another image – one of the Villa as a beloved landmark, deeply rooted in the neighborhood’s identity and a source of pride. Locals watched the revitalization process with interest and greeted the news of its reopening as a cultural space with relief and joy. The chance to attend exhibitions, concerts, and educational programs at the Villa has become an important part of their everyday lives.
Equally meaningful was the Villa’s unexpected role as a place for family gatherings. Rented for weddings, anniversaries, and other celebrations, the historic space became the backdrop for some of the most intimate and cherished moments in our interviewees’ lives. This story – though seemingly fragmented – is in fact cohesive, woven from many threads and voices that together form the living fabric of this place.
Through the “Stories. Villa Decius 1889–1989” project, we have not only preserved valuable memories and testimonies of the past, but also created an inspiring space for dialogue around history and heritage. We believe this is just the beginning. We want the Community Archive of the Villa to continue growing – a space where more voices can be heard and find their place in the ever-evolving story of this unique place and the people connected to it.
There are surely many stories still waiting to be told. It will be an honor for us to hear yours.
We invite you to co-create this project with us!
Contact:
Anna Słupek
anna.slupek@willadecjusza.pl
Photograph from the private archive of Dr. Romana Waligóra-Antczak, MD, a pulmonology specialist at the tuberculosis ward in Villa Decius (pictured on the left), 1962.