11. The Sailing-ship House

Former German inhabitants of Lubań used to call it 'The Sailing-ship' (Das Schi ), whereas the Polish people call it 'The Sailing-ship House'. The older name refers to the shape of the whole building. Its structure, due to irregular shapes, dierences in width of the north and south gables and a curb roof, may resemble an upturned hull of an old sailing ship. The latter name refers to a relief above the front door of the building, showing a sailing ship in rough seas. The building was erected in 1715 by Johann Gottlieb Kirchof, a famous cloth merchant of Lubań. It was located close to the ramparts at Badergasse (present Dzielna street). It became a property of the Rosts family in 1820. However, following the new owners' poor nancial condition, 'The Sailing - -ship House' started to fall into decay. In the 20th of the next century, it was vulnerable to collapse. Then, Fritz Bertram, a local scholar, came up with a proposal to convert this building into a local municipal museum. The idea was put into practice in 1930. 'The Sailing-ship House' was severely damaged during the battles for Lubań in 1945. Many years after the war, the building haunted the town with its holes in the roof, broken out windows and a ghastly hole in the upper part of the north gable. Thankfully, it survived the hard times of the town's reconstructions and, nowadays, it is one the most precious monuments of Lubań.