Frog House

Art Nouveau tenement decorated with frog motifs on its facade

The Frog House (Kamienica Pod Żabami) is the most photographed building in Bielsko, a four-storey Art Nouveau tenement on the corner of plac Wojska Polskiego. The frog sculptures above the door give the place its name, but the rest of the facade rewards a slow look — sinuous floral plasterwork, ornamental ironwork balconies, and the curved gables typical of Vienna Secession architecture, which set the style for prosperous Austro-Hungarian Bielsko at the turn of the twentieth century.

The ground floor has long been a cafe, and sitting on its small terrace is the best way to take the building in. Inside, the original stairwell survives, with its tiled floor and stained glass — ask at the cafe if they'll let you peek. The square it faces, Plac Ratuszowy, is the central meeting point of the Biała side of town, with the neo-Renaissance city hall opposite.

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Built in 1905 by Emanuel Rost for a wealthy merchant, the Frog House gets its nickname from the pair of pop-eyed frogs that crouch above the entrance. The motif is repeated in stained glass and ironwork inside, a small obsession that turned a respectable Art Nouveau facade into one of Bielsko's most recognisable buildings.

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