During the economic crisis almost a century ago, 10 semi-detached houses were built based on the design of buildings from the estate in Dobra. The buildings had timber-frame construction covered with boards, and their roofs were covered with roofing felt. This simple construction method made it possible for unskilled workers to carry out the building work. Each building consisted of two apartments separated by a fire wall. On the ground floor there was a hallway, a small bedroom, a kitchen and a living room. The upper floor most often contained two additional rooms. A storage shed and an outhouse were located behind the house. The plot on which the house stood covered approximately 800–1,000 square metres. Vegetables could be grown in the home garden, providing an additional source of food. Water, gas and electricity were supplied to the houses. Because the estate was situated too low, it was not connected to the sewer system; instead, large communal cesspits were built.
The estate operated as a cooperative in which residents were obliged to provide mutual assistance. Masonry work was carried out by Bolesławiec construction companies owned by Hermann Tappert and Albert Juhl, while carpentry work was undertaken by Andreas Gansel Baugeschäft and Bauhütte Bunzlau. The city supplied the building materials.
Development in this part of the city continued in the following years. In 1934, more houses were built on Auenweg (today’s Staszica Street). In 1936, multi-family residential buildings were also erected on Wiesenweg (today’s Łąkowa Street) for war-disabled veterans. As the northern part of the city, inhabited by workers, continued to develop, several more new streets were created, including Grenzweg (today’s Graniczna Street) and An der Schanze (today’s Wałowa Street). During the same period, buildings were also constructed around the roundabout at Blatterbauerstraße (today’s Góralska Street).
History of the Workers’ Estate