Exhibition series: Builders of Leszno

Since 2025, we have been systematically presenting the next chapters of the builder's history of Leszno. We encourage you to familiarize yourself with board exhibitions and publications. 

The second half of the nineteenth century was a period of dynamic changes in the architecture of Leszno. The economic development that took place after the railway line from Poznań to Wrocław was brought in 1856 translated into an intensification of construction traffic in the town. Baroque gable houses disappeared, giving way to taller tenement houses with pulpit roofs. Plots of land were combined at the Market Square and the main streets to erect spacious houses with multi-axial facades. This process intensified after 1870, when builders began to operate in Leszno, who designed new tenement houses, villas and farm buildings, while running large construction enterprises.

The first exhibition in the series was dedicated to Hermann Nerger – an outstanding builder working in the city. Currently, we are presenting the second exhibition in the series, dedicated to Eduard and Hans Stein – father and son, who were born in Leszno and carried out most of their projects here. Tenement houses, villas and industrial buildings by the Steins have survived to this day, and we can admire their realizations in various parts of the town.

The exhibition, as well as the accompanying catalogues of works by both artists, were prepared on the basis of construction documentation collected in the State Archives in Leszno. The curator of the exhibition is art historian Małgorzata Gniazdowska.