Description of the attraction
Retoryka Street, on which every house is a work of art, is considered one of Krakow's landmarks.
Its developers were distinguished by an excellent sense of humor, so on the stone houses you can see a variety of animals in different bizarre poses. In past centuries, a suburb of Krakow was located here, which was called Retoryka. This name was also inherited by the street, the main development of which began not so long ago - at the end of the 19th century. Perhaps that is why the local "stone houses" were built in the neo-Gothic and Mannerist styles that were fashionable for that time.
The main architect who was engaged in the construction of mansions on Retoryka Street was Teodor Talovsky, a fine-feeling, talented person who could successfully combine the beauty and grace of his creations with excellent comfort. The buildings that framed this Krakow street were supposed to give the impression of old buildings. To achieve this, the architect deliberately damaged their facades, introducing an element of imperfection into their appearance.
The most famous mansion on Retoryka Street is called the House of the Singing Toad. It was built for an educational institution - a music gymnasium. A local legend says that the children sang so quietly and uncertainly that frogs from a nearby stream interrupted them with their croaking.
Next to the music school is the "House under the Donkey", on which a famous saying in Latin flaunts, informing that a person controls his own life and destiny.
The architect Teodor Talovsky himself lived on Retoryk Street. His house was also decorated with various wise inscriptions. One of them is the advice to "hurry slowly".
