Przyrzecze Street, Bydgoszcz

Przyrzecze street  is a street located in the old town district of Bydgoszcz, Poland. Many of its buildings are part of Bydgoszcz local history. Due to the proximity of the river, its townhouses represent a picturesque urban complex.

Location
The street is located in the western part of Bydgoszcz old town, along Młynówka, a branch of Brda river which borders Mill Island on its western, southern and eastern sides. The short street (160m long) runs roughly on a north–south axis, from Farna Street to Długa street. The street connects with Mill Island via the Mill Bridge (Most Młyński), which has been standing on this spot since 1791, but has been re-built many times.

Period prior to Poland partitions (1795)
Przyrzecze Street was laid out in the middle of the 14th century, during the formation of Bydgoszcz Old Town. It ran on the western outskirts of the city of Bydgoszcz, on the border of the Młynówka branch.

At that time, the street was connected in the north to Grodzka Street and to the Młyńska Bridge (at the very spot of today's foot bridge leading to Opera Nova). At the end of the 18th century, with the extension of the cemetery around the Cathedral, Przyrzecze street northern tip ended to Farna Street, as it is nowadays.

During an archaeological rescue survey carried out in the area, fragments of a wooden structure were unveiled. Presumably, it was a wood-covered street, running along the banks of the Młynówka river, including:
 * Relics of the pavement discovered at a depth of 1.6 m to 1.7 m below today's surface;
 * Remnants of a wooden water pipe pointing towards the river;
 * Below the wooden layer, ceramics from the end of the 14th century.

Prussian period
On the first detailed plan of Bromberg, realized in 1774 by Prussian geometer Greth, most of the buildings on Przyrzecze street are located on the southern part, near Długa street. In the northern part, houses were only present in the eastern frontage, as backsides of tenements located on parallel Jezuicka Street. Like today, the northern area of Przyrzecze street gently slid down to the river, offering a public access to water collection.

On a plan of the city from 1876, the development of the street is similar as today, with townhouses on the eastern side, and industrial buildings on the west side. Indeed, the city expanded during the second half of the 19th century along the Brda river and many industrial plants such as tanneries, breweries and distilleries began to emerge here. Frontages with odd numbers were the back of houses on Jezuicka street and even numbers were borne by building courtyards giving onto Młynówka river, as one can still observe today along the water side (Venice of Bydgoszcz).

Interwar Period and German occupation
The street, by its seclusion and its design became a refuge for Bydgoszcz outcasts, even during German occupation of the city. Hence, the renaming of the alley between 1939 and 1945, as Flunderweg (from the muddy flounder fish).

Postwar period
After the second World War, real estate, nationalized, fell into ruin. In the 1970s, Przyrzecze street was considered as one of the ugliest in the city, primarily because it did not give onto the Brda river. In 1974, a city authorities decided to reconstruct this area, as part of the overall plan to "renovate Old Town old buildings". Works started first with Jezuicka and Przyrzecze streets and the first modernized buildings were completed by 1980.

In 1990, several houses on the Młynówka river have been demolished, such as Przyrzecze 5 and a wattle and daub water mill that stood near the bridge leading to Mill Island. Between 2000 and 2010, four houses were built on their plots, as a continuation of the Venice of Bydgoszcz water front.

At the beginning of the 21st century, tenement houses on the eastern frontage have been refurbished, with City Hall offices and other institutions moving in. In 2010, Przyrzecze street was included in the Revitalization Plan of Bydgoszcz.

Naming
Through history, the street bore the following names:
 * From the 16th century to first half of the 18th century, Platea aquatica (Latin, Water street);
 * 1750–1840, Wasser Gasse (German, Water street);
 * 1840–1920, Brahegasse (German, Brahe Alley, Brahe was the Prussian name of Brda river);
 * 1920–1939, Ulica Przyrzecze;
 * 1939–1945, Flunderweg;
 * Since 1945, Ulica Przyrzecze.

Current street name refers to the proximity with the Młynówka river. In Polish, Przyrzecze means By the river (przy-rzeka).

Main places and buildings
Przyrzecze Street, adjacent to the Młyńska river and Mill Island, is part of the eastern side of the Venice of Bydgoszcz. Some tenement houses dates back to the 18th century and have been remodeled, others have been erected during the renovation of the area in the 1990s.

Tenements at 2/4

1866 (Nr.2), 1820s (Nr.4)

Eclecticism, Neoclassical architecture

The plot on Nr.2, then Brahegasse 9, was purchased by a tan leather, Michał Zamoiski; his son, Frederick continued to run the workshop. In 1846, Ludwig Casimir Buchholz, a master tanner from Koronowo bought the tannery. To keep the pace with his successful business, Buchhloz extended the activity to current Garbary Street 2, along the main branch of Brda river. The house at Przyrzecze 2 was then rented: first tenant was a shoemaker and his workshop. The Buchholz family owned both properties till 1922.

The plot at Nr.4 has first been a storage area (speicher) when constructed. In the 1890s, the area was referenced as a garden, or as non built, even in the 1930s

Today, the ensemble houses the District Prosecutor's Office of Bydgoszcz-North (Prokuratura Rejonowa Bydgoszcz-Północ). The architectural complex comprises: During the winter 2017/2018, the ensemble of buildings of the street giving onto the river will undergo a restoration.
 * a neoclassical building at Nr.2 (grey facade), topped by stuccoed frieze;
 * an eclectic house at Nr.4 (yellow facade), with the wooden main door, featuring a transom light with stained glass motifs. Its roof displays two nice eye dormers;
 * a modern edifice (green elevation), added later to Nr.4.