bg Osijek

Josip Kunetz House

- Ulica Kapucinska 21 -
The construction permit for the construction of the original residential two-story building was issued on August 21, 1885, and the construction was soon after completed. It was built for the residential needs of the director of the savings bank and auxiliary institute, Josip Kunetz, who was born in 1855, in . He married the two years younger Berta Mondschein, who was also Jewish, with whom he had seven children, all of whom were born in Osijek between 1879 and 1892. Their eldest son, Oskar, changed his surname from Kunetz to Kolarić, thereby still declaring himself a Jew, while their youngest son, Ivan Artur Kunetz, who married the Roman Catholic Maria Helena Pichler in 1921, kept the Jewish family surname, but converted to the Roman Catholic faith in which their children were also baptized.
The original two-story building shown on the right
Between the and , the ownership of the building changed and the new owner became the reputable fashion store, Springer & Petru. In 1933, the first adaptation of the building for the needs of the designated store began according to the projects of the Osijek construction company of the Croatian architect and builder Vladimir Malin. After the death of Malin, who died at the end of January 1935, the plans for the further remodeling of the house were signed in 1935 and 1936 by Aksmanović. With these projects, the building was thoroughly rebuilt and upgraded with another floor, and its facade was completely reshaped. After the end of the , the building was confiscated by the new authorities. Later on, the building became the home of the Criminal Department of the Municipal State Attorney's Office in Osijek.
The building visible in an old postcard before the remodeling
The on top of the building, which is built in the Eclectic style, is embellished with . The cornice is partly supported by four columns that are crowned by an Ionic , which in turn are supported by . Between these columns, there are two secured by cast iron railings, and two of the balconets are supported by two corbels. Between the latter corbels, there's an that's decorated with each eight . There's a placed above the other three circle-top windows, which are also supported by two corbels.
The building after the remodeling with Springer & Petru sign visible