In the years 1874 – 1875 pursuant to the order of baron de Puget, a Neo-Renaissance palace alluding to the French renaissance was built at Starowiślna Street. It was designed by Józef Kwiatkowski.
The palace in Krakow is the only retained building of the Warsaw architect, who was very well known and his projects were widely popular, which is proved by the contemporary sources.
Józef Kwatkowski, who lived in the years 1820 – 1881 acquired his knowledge and education by cooperating with contemporary eminent artists such as: Ritschle, Corazzi and Gołoński. He designed in the estates owned by Leon Radziwiłł and then in the Management of the State Lands in the Minsk Province. In the years 1846-56 he stayed in Germany, France and Belgium working among others under the supervision of Viollet-le-Duca and Lassus. He designed the All Saints Church in Grzybów district in the capital city of Poland, he also participated in rebuilding the town hall. In the 70’s of the 19th century he supervised the construction of houses built by the Galician Association for Parcelling out and Building. In that time he received the order from Konstanty Puget.
The Puget family also was associated with Warsaw society. The Puget family came from France, one of the branches of the family used the title of barons de Saint-Alban du Puget de Theoniers from 1450, the ancestors of the Polish line came from France. In 1726 Jakub Benedykt Józef de Puget received Polish indygenat and assumed a polonized surname Puszet, he kept the family coat of arms.
The architectural plans of Kwiatkowski were approved on 5th September 1874 by the Magistrate and signed by the Mayor of the city, doctor Zyblikiewicz. One year later the palace with two front pavilions was ready. Particular parts of the palace were seasonally rented to family friends coming to Krakow, especially during the Carnival when balls famous all over the city were organised.
Konstanty Puszet died in 1882, he bequeathed the palace to his daughter-in-law, Maria de Mylou Puszet who decided to sell it together with all the property 10 years later to her sister Anna Stablewska for 240 thousand Austro-Hungarian Guldens.
Water and sewage systems were installed in the palace in 1901, just after implementing the equipment in Krakow.
In order to increase the income, in 1911 the owner decided to rent the whole property to Imperial-Royal Military-Police Corps. New horse stables for 44 horses and a back, two-storey annexe, which was used as barracks for 208 persons were built in the garden. In the adapted Palace offices and barracks were created and warehouses and jail were made in the old stable. In the left, front annexe flats for the non-commissioned officers were created. The right annex, at the present 11 Starowiślna Street was resold to the Ursuline Order together with a strip of land in the North part of the property.
After the World War I in the Puget Palace there was the Starosty (Starostwo/ County Office) (District Authority) of the Krakow District and a flat of the Staroste (Starost). In 1923 Anna Stablewska died and the palace was inherited by her children: Maria Stablewska and Stefan Stablewski. In 1936 the building was adapted for the purposes of the Municipal Court, which was located there until the World War II. After the outbreak of the war, German authorities took over the whole property and used it for the purposes of a military police rebuilding the palace again. In this time the whole front fence together with historical forged gates were disassembled.
After the war, until 1968, the County and Province Persecutor’s Office was located in the palace and annexe and in the two following years, until 1970, there was a Health Authority. It was also planned to rebuild the palace in order to make a District Outpatient Clinic and to create a nursery school in the annex. Fortunately, at the beginning of the 70’s, tenants took over the building: there were several institutions in the palace, including Krakow Photographic Association – an organiser of once scandalous nude exhibitions „Venus“.
Theoretically of course, during the whole period of Polish People’s Republic the property belonged to the Stablewski family. At the end of the 70’s Anna‘s grandson on the distaff side, Jerzy Donimirski, become the owner of the property.
Meanwhile, in the beginning of the 80’s the authorities decided to establish a music academy in the palace. Thanks to the involvement of good solicitors it was possible to drag out the legal dispute so long that finally the palace buildings were not adapted for the purposes of the music academy. In 1989, when Donimirski came back from the USA the family, together with Polish Red Cross and Krakow Citizens Committee organised in the palace a gift collection point for Romania. In this way the building was recovered, it was guarded by three students hired by Budostal, which was supposed to be the contractor of converting of the palace into a music academy.
A year later Jerzy Donimirski could formally take over the property and start reconstructing it.
On the basis of the study by Piotr Stępień „The Puszet Family Palace“, the Donimirski Pugetow Palace Business Centre has two 24h guarded and secured car parks in the centre of Krakow.
13 Starowiślna st Car Park
The car park is open 24h a day, it is located within the Pugetów Palace complex, it has the capacity of 130 passenger cars. The stuff is supported by a professional security firm and industrial television system. The car park is insured.
