Factory Owners’ Villa
Short summary
before 1867
Neoclassical with decorative villa-style elements
ul. Bolesława Limanowskiego 41, 96-300 Żyrardów
prestigious residential villa
restaurant and event venue
the interiors are open to restaurant guests and during organised events
The building description was prepared in consultation with the staff of the Museum of Western Mazovia in Żyrardów.
Discover the history
The building was constructed before 1867 as a prestigious private residence, and its first known resident was the spinning mill director at the time, John Ogden, who came from Birmingham.
From 1881, Dittrich’s daughter Anna lived in the villa with her husband, Ludwig Marcellin, who served as manager of the cotton spinning mill.
The popular name “Tyrolean Villa” stems from a mistaken belief about Ludwig Marcellin’s origins. In fact, he was a merchant of German descent, born in Istanbul, and had no connection with Tyrol.
Behind the building was a glazed wooden veranda overlooking a garden planted with rare species of trees and shrubs. The garden also contained a gazebo, while the neighbouring two-storey outbuilding housed stables, utility rooms and guest accommodation. The elegant interiors were used for business and social gatherings, during which matters relating to the development of the factory and the settlement were also discussed.
After the Second World War, the villa served a variety of functions. It housed, among others, trade unions, the Women’s League, the Municipal Library, the Health Care Centre, the Regional Fire Service Headquarters and the editorial office of “Życie Żyrardowa”. In the 1980s, it also served as the headquarters of the Mazowsze Region of the NSZZ “Solidarność” trade union. Between 2007 and 2013, the building underwent renovation and conservation works. Today, it houses The Spirit restaurant.
Time travel
Architecture
The Factory Owners’ Villa is a detached, brick-built and rendered residence constructed on an elongated rectangular plan. It has two storeys and stands above a high basement. Adjoining the southern side of the building are the former single-storey kitchen wing and a glazed timber veranda. The main block is covered by a low-pitched gabled roof with wide overhanging eaves supported by exposed rafters and decoratively profiled brackets.
The rendered façades are distinguished by their rich architectural and sculptural decoration. The five-bay principal façade is centred on the main entrance, framed by an ornate timber portal. The corners of the building are emphasised with rustication, while the storeys are divided by a moulded string course. A dentil cornice crowns the façade, and the attic walls are articulated with slender pilaster strips (lisenes).
The windows are embellished with decorative cornices above and below the openings. Those on the upper floor are further enriched with ornamental surrounds featuring floral motifs and a classical Greek key (meander) pattern. The composition is completed by finely crafted timber ornamentation visible in both the roof structure and the veranda.
The interior follows a two- and three-room-deep layout. At its centre are the main staircase, a small entrance hall, and a spacious reception room connected by a colonnaded opening to the adjoining hall located within the southern extension.
