Krzywy Domek is Polish for Crooked House, and this is an apt name for a bizarre building in the seaside resort of Sopot, Poland. Designed by Szotynscy & Zaleski and completed in 2004, it functions as a shopping centre and eatery and has become a popular tourist attraction.
The designers are great fans of the well known illustrator of children’s fairy tales, Per Dahlberg, and his imaginative sketches became the inspiration for the design of this fun building. They have even purchased some of his original sketches which are displayed throughout the store.
The architectural style of the house is in fact in line with the traditional form of the town but in a warped version as though we are observing it through a fairground mirror. The stained glass entrance and the blue and green enamelled shingles on the roof are illuminated at night, creating an even more surreal appearance for the structure. It comes as no surprise that it claims the prize for being the most photographed building in the whole of Poland.
