Palace under the Globe

The Baroque palace in Orła Białego Square is currently the seat of the Academy of Art. It is also used as the venue for exhibitions, concerts, and other cultural events open to the public.

The Palace under the Globe was built in the years 1724-1725. It was designed by Piotr de Montarque from Languedoc in France. His associate was Filip Gerlach, who was an architect and founder of numerous churches in Potsdam and Berlin. The decorations were made by Johann Georg Glum (the royal court artist). The building was made in the baroque style. The materials used in its creation were stone and brick. The present form, however, is not the original construction, as it dates from 1890.Jest dziełem Franza Wichardsa.

It is mainly characterized by an interesting avant-corps divided by four pilasters, topped with a tympanum with a globe (emerald in color) based on two lions. The globe is an element that stands out clearly from the beige facade. This is where the name of the palace comes from.  The façade also attracts attention with its stone rustics and veneers.

The palace was the seat of Filip Otton von Grumbkow (Chief President of the Pomeranian Province). The palace is famous primarily for the birth of Princess Zofia Dorota Wirtemberska, who became the Tsarina of Russia thanks to her marriage to Tsar Paul II (son of Tsarina Catherine II, also born in Szczecin).

The building was once the seat of the "National" Insurance Company. Currently, it houses the Academy of Art. At the end of 2014, in November, the renovation was completed, including refreshing the facade, as well as reconstructing the decorative ceiling in the Rector's Gallery. The total cost of the renovation of the building was PLN 19 million, and it was possible to finish it, among others. thanks to the EU funds obtained for this purpose. Thanks to them, the Academy of Arts has an extensive Mediateka, a theater and presentation room, a winter garden with a reading room and art studios. The end of the renovation had its public celebration, during which there were, among others, students of the Academy, presenting their skills in various artistic forms.  People who were at the show at the time could go inside to see the new décor of the Academy. Plac Orła Białego is an extremely representative place, and hiking tours organized by local guides often set off from the university building.