Esther's House in Radom

Esterka's House is a historic building located in Radom, at the northern frontage of the Market Square, designated with number 5. The history of the building dates back to the end of the 15th century, when it was erected by the townsman Ignacy Gaczkowski. In the 17th century, the building underwent a Baroque reconstruction, which gave it its characteristic style. As one of the few residential buildings, it survived the Swedish Deluge, a feat shared by the neighboring tenement house of Stanisław Gąska. The name "Esterka's House" is associated with the legendary figure of Esther – a Jewish woman who, during the Deluge, was said to have rejected the advances of a Swedish reiter, thus earning the memory of the locals. There is also a hypothesis about a 19th-century fashion for naming old tenement houses after Esther, which may indicate that the building was previously known as the Senators' Tenement, suggesting its connection to a person associated with the Radom Treasury Tribunal. Unfortunately, during World War II, the building was destroyed by the Germans, but it was reconstructed and put back into use in 1957. Since then, it has served various cultural functions, housing the Museum of Contemporary Art and a branch of the Jacek Malczewski Museum in Radom. The interiors of the building have been adapted to present exhibitions on medieval settlement in Radom. Architecturally, Esterka's House is a two-story, four-bay building with a distinctive gable, and its facade is divided by cornices, giving it unique charm and historical value.