Merchants' Houses, Poznań

Budnicze Houses - located south of the town hall, a group of three- or four-story narrow townhouses dating from the first half of the 16th century.

In contrast to the patrician tenement houses in the frontages of the market square, these belonged to somewhat poorer merchants. In their early Renaissance arcades they used to trade in fish, candles, torches and salt. Hence their former name - herring booths. It is one of the few examples of terraced market buildings. The current name comes from the fact that the seat of the Brotherhood of Budniks was located in tenement no. 17, which is evidenced by the coat of arms with three palms and a herring and the signature Fraternitatis Budnicorum.

It is known that in 1418 the town authorities put 17 herring houses into use. At the beginning of the 16th century some of the buildings received brick arcades. In 1534 the town authorities agreed to let the guild of builders build arcades for all buildings.

As time passed, the arcades were walled up, creating small stores. The tenement houses were almost completely destroyed during World War II. After the war, the arcades were reconstructed using the original Renaissance details. Narrow, one- and two-windowed facades of most of the tenements are covered with polychromes designed by Zbigniew Bednarowicz and made in the years 1953-1961.

From the south-west the group is closed by the former municipal office, also called the Municipal Writers' House, occupying plot no. 10. Since 1961 it has been the seat of the Cyril Ratajski Society of Poznań City Lovers.