Notes on the early modern building and stonecutting industry in Gdańsk as illustrated by the building history of the Royal Granary (1606-1608), the so-called Old Farmacy (1636-1638), and the Small Armory (1643-1645)

Abstract

Based on archive quarries, the article focuses on building history of several edifices created in Gdańsk in the first half of the seventeenth century. The group examined here includes the Royal Granary (1606-1608), the so-called Old Farmacy (1636-1638), in fact a munition storage, and the so-called Small Armory (1643-1645), all financed by the city. Conclusions drawn from the scrutiny of town bills offers detailed knowledge of the history of these edifices and, in more general terms, of the building practices in seventeenth century Gdańsk. The article also introduces several hitherto unknown figures engaged by the city authorities to carry out public commissions, including the building master Reinhold de Clerck who worked at the Old Farmacy and the Small Armory, and the sculptor and stonecutter Herman Knut (Knust) who created masonry for the former. In addition to that, it provides new information about the sculptor Wilhelm Richter, a continuator of the Van den Blocke enterprise who played a pivotal role in Gdańsk in the middle of the seventeenth century. Responsible for creating the masonry and architectural detail for the Armory, he also worked at the Town Hall and the High Gate complex.