The Loitz family house

Built in mid-16th century, the house was owned by one of the wealthiest Szczecin families. Today, it is used by the local high school for the arts.

The Loitz house was built by a merchant family from whom it was named. It represents the late Gothic and early Renaissance styles. Its owners, the Loitz family, were a wealthy family with numerous businesses in Szczecin.

According to historical sources dating back to the 15th century, they were mainly selling herring and salt. However, they conducted their business not only in Poland, but also in Great Britain, Scandinavia and even on the Iberian Peninsula. Many of the family representatives sat on the City Council and Michał Loitz was even its mayor.

In Pomerania, the family property was invested in houses, granaries and land estates. One of the additional activities that the family dealt with was, inter alia, lending at interest. Even king Zygmunt August used their services. It was he who, after his death, partially led to the bankruptcy of the family, as the Loitzes had not been repaid.  Another reason was the price revolution and deficit trade with Silesia. The tenement house was built in the years 1539-1547 by order of Hans Loitz. However, it soon belonged to the family's estate, because as a result of bankruptcy, the aforementioned initiator of its construction had to secretly leave the city. In 1572 the houses were taken over by the Pomeranian dukes. In its further history, the tenement house was also the property of a Swedish councilor and two Swiss, who ran a confectionery on its premises. It was bombed during the Second World War. It was rebuilt in 1953 and transferred to the Secondary School of Fine Arts.

Currently, the Loitz House still functions as a school and is open to visitors. You can admire the works of local artists. The most characteristic feature of the building are its sloping windows in the staircase, decorated with unusual traceries, different from the others. The façade of the building was painted orange after 2000. Another interesting feature is the Renaissance portal which is one of the most beautiful and valuable in the whole Pomerania. Another noteworthy decorative element of the tenement house is a copy of the "Conversion of St. Paul" relief. Its original is at ul. Staromłyńska at the National Museum in Szczecin.