Fire Station and Engine House
Short summary
late 1870s and early 1880s, extended in the early 20th century
brick public utility architecture
ul. Stanisława Sławińskiego 6, 96-300 Żyrardów
headquarters of the factory fire brigade, engine house, stables, equipment store and signalling centre
headquarters of the Żyrardów Volunteer Fire Brigade
exterior only; the building remains an active fire brigade station
The building description was prepared in consultation with the staff of the Museum of Western Mazovia in Żyrardów.
Discover the history
In the rapidly expanding linen factory, the risk of fire was particularly serious. Large quantities of flax, yarn, textiles and other flammable materials were stored in factory halls and warehouses, while production relied on extensive technical installations and machinery. An efficient fire brigade was therefore essential both for protecting the factory and the community living around it.
The traditions of fire protection in Żyrardów date back to the second half of the 19th century. In 1867, the Factory Volunteer Fire Brigade was established at the Linen Factory. In 1884, it was reorganised along Berlin lines under the command of K. Blumke.
As the brigade developed, a complex of buildings including an engine house and stables was constructed on the former Bielnikowa Street, today Sławińskiego Street.
The engine house was not simply a place for storing vehicles. It also contained stables for horses, a store for firefighting equipment and a signalling centre used to communicate information about emergencies. The arrangement of the rooms and the wide gates allowed horse-drawn vehicles and equipment to be moved quickly into the courtyard and then dispatched to a fire.
During the 20th century, the building was partly altered and adapted to changing needs. From 1934 to 1984, it housed the Municipal Volunteer Fire Brigade. After the brigade ceased operating there, the building was used, among other things, as a car repair workshop and then remained unused for many years. In 2001, the Żyrardów Volunteer Fire Brigade was re-established. Its headquarters are now located in the historic former factory fire station complex.
Time travel
Architecture
The Fire Station and Engine House complex was built on a plan resembling the letter L. Two wings enclose a small courtyard open towards the street. The eastern wing, with its gable facing the street, is single-storey with a usable attic. Its originally open interior served as a stable. The northern wing contains the former engine house and a taller, two-storey section of the building.
The building was constructed of exposed brick. The attic walls of the eastern wing were partly built using timber framing, creating a distinctive pattern of wooden beams with brick infill. The complex is covered by gable roofs. The profiled ends of the floor beams project beyond the face of the walls and form one of the building’s most decorative features.
The interior of the former engine house was originally an open space. The ceiling was supported by slender cast-iron columns, allowing for a wide interior free of partition walls and suitable for storing vehicles and equipment. Other parts of the building contained storage rooms, service rooms, a staircase and the signalling centre.
The brick façades were given restrained but carefully designed decoration. The walls are divided by vertical lesenes and horizontal cornices. Ground-floor windows are topped with semicircular arches, while those on the upper floor have segmental arches. The upper section of the building is finished with a decorative dentil cornice.
Wide double-leaf gates survive on the courtyard side, originally providing direct access to the stables and engine house. Some of the gates were fitted with fanlights, which brought daylight into the large interiors without reducing the space needed for moving vehicles.
