Modernism & Beyond Wrocław's 20th-Century Architecture

Lovers of modernist architecture will have a field day in Wrocław, a city which emerged from the turbulent 20th century with a rich patchwork of architectural patterns. What follows is a chronological rundown of the styles that shaped the city as we know it today.

As elsewhere in German-speaking Europe and beyond, modernism in architecture took off following WWI. The local flavours were primarily expressionism (a style related to art deco) and Neues Bauen, also known as New Objectivity. Innovative building methods, especially the use of prefabricated elements, made construction cheap and fast, allowing authorities to combat overcrowding by efficiently constructing a series of suburban housing estates on the outskirts of Wrocław (then Breslau). The best-known example of pre-WWII modernism, however, comes from even earlier: it is unquestionably the UNESCOlisted Centennial Hall (p.40, dating back to 1908. Other modernist creations can be found right on the main square (no. 9-11) and Plac Solny (no. 2-3).

A gorgeous example of 1920’s expressionism, the Kameleon - originally known as Kaufhaus Rudolf Petersdorff - was designed by Erich Mendelsohn, responsible also for the Einstein Tower in Potsdam and the Mossehaus in Berlin. Completed in 1928, the department store was one of the first buildings in Wrocław to have a steel frame.QF‐5, ul. Szewska 6/7.

When completed in 1930, this consumer showpiece represented interwar Wrocław’s prosperity and splendour: a towering monument of European modernism, Renoma was the largest, most cuttingedge department store in this part of the continent selling high quality goods unavailable elsewhere. Designed by Berlin architect Hermann Dernburg, and initially known as ‘Wertheim’s’ after the Berlin family that owned the company, this flagship store was kitted out with all manner of elegant fittings including the ceramic tiles and gilded heads and flowers of the facade, the four enormous chandeliers affixed to the glass roof of the interior courtyards, floors of African rose wood and a fifth and sixth floor restaurant finished in Makassar ebony, which opened onto terraces overlooking the city.QE‐7, ul. Świdnicka 40, tel. (+48) 605 11 95 08, www.renoma-wroclaw.pl. Open 09:00 - 21:00, Sun 10:00 - 20:00.

Originally known as Zimpel, this ‘model housing estate’ was designed by Paul Heim, Hermann Wahlich, and Albert Kempter in the international style and built in the years 1919–1935. The treelined avenues and neat two-storey houses are unremarkable in themselves, but the street plan is completely unique: when viewed from above at just the right angle, the strange network of streets resembles an eagle. Discussion still continues as to whether the eagle is from the German or Lower Silesian coat of arms, what the architects’ motivation could have been, or whether there is any eagle at all. To see this place from the ground, you can take tram no. 9 or 17 from ‘Galeria Dominikańska’ to ‘Sępolno’.

This rather run-down collection of buildings located just past the Centennial Hall is what remains of one of six model housing estates built by the Deutscher Werkbund in the late 1920s. Completed in just three months for the 1929 Wohnung und Werkraum Ausstellung (Living and Work Space Exhibition), the estate was meant to showcase new, more efficient building technologies and designs. The 32 structures were assembled from prefabricated elements on site, significantly lowering costs and shortening construction time. To demonstrate versatility, participating architects designed single-family homes, blocks of flats, a hostel ‘for singles and childless couples’ (ul. Kopernika 9, O-6), and even a preschool (ul. Wróblewskiego 18, O-7), which had to be rebuilt after burning down in a 2006 fire. While today the historical housing development might be underwhelming to all but the most hardcore architecture geeks, it is finally getting a long-overdue facelift. Expect to find a bit of a construction site when you visit and pardon the dust. Handy maps and more detailed information can be found at www.wuwa.eu. Get here by taking tram no. 10 from ‘Rynek’ or 4 from ‘Galeria Dominikańska’ to ‘Tramwajowa’ or just walking from Centennial Hall. QP‐7, ul. Wróblewskiego, ul. Tramwajowa, ul. Dembowskiego, ul. Zielonego Dębu, ul. Kopernika, www.wuwa.eu.

The Nazis certainly had a flare for castles and neoclassicism. With Breslau a major stronghold of the Third Reich during WWII, traces of the city’s Nazi past are still very much in the open - a fact that some Wroclavians, and most visitors, don’t even realize.

With no pre-existing classicist castle to make their home, Breslau’s authorities had to built their own headquarters, which they did in grandiose style, right on the river. This sprawling structure, supposedly modelled after Die Neue Reichskanzlei, Hitler’s Berlin crib, was built throughout WWII (from 1939 all the way to 1945) according to the design of Felix Bräuler. Felix himself used plans made by Alexander Müller and Ferdinand Schmidt in the 1920’s, which had been scrapped at the time due to financial problems. The building was never completed by its original builders - with the front line advancing, they had to abandon construction before the brick walls could be plastered. After the war, Polish authorities fixed up and finished the structure, damaged in bombings during the Siege of Breslau, and turned it into the Lower Silesian Provincial Office, which it remains to this day. QAl. Armii Krajowej 54.

During the first half of WWII, the Nazis built a number of above-ground air raid shelters in Wro. Designed by Richard Konwiarz, who assisted Max Berg with designing the Centennial Hall some thirty years prior, the bunkers weren’t merely functional, they were also very fine pieces of architecture and managed to escape nearly unscathed from the Siege of Breslau. This cylindrical specimen now acts as the Wrocław Contemporary Museum (p.50), while a similarly well-conserved shelter at the corner of ul.Grabiszyńska and ul. Stalowa houses the city’s archives. QPl. Strzegomski 2A (Fabryczna), tel. (+48) 71 356 42 67, www.muzeumwspolczesne.pl. U

Definitely not modernist, the state-sanctioned architectural style of the Stalinist period was monumental and strongly inspired by classicism, with a goal of building ‘palaces for the people’. Since most of the rebuilding efforts in early post-war years focused on Warsaw (in fact, bricks collected from Wrocław ruins were shipped over to build new homes in the capital), Wrocław didn’t see much construction in this style - with one significant exception.

The most prominent example of socialist realist architecture in Wrocław is Kościuszko Square and its immediate surrounds, called the Kościuszko Housing District (Kościuszkowska Dzielnica Mieszkaniowa). Modelled on the Marszałkowski Housing District built in Warsaw in 1950- 1952, the estate was capable of housing 4000 people and even included a few shops, a restaurant, and a cafe - not something to be taken for granted in communist Poland. Construction started in 1954 and concluded four years later, by which time the Stalinist era was over, and socialist realism was no longer the preferred architectural style. QE‐7.

The Stalinist era in Poland came to an end in 1956, three years after the Soviet dictator’s death. What followed was a political thaw that saw the very practical modernism - previously ideologically suspect, having originated in the ‘rotten West’ - promoted to the new official architectural style of the People’s Republic. The communist version of modernism was characterized by a notoriously poor quality of materials and workmanship. To see the many blocks of flats constructed during this time doesn’t require any special directions, and in fact will be unavoidable even if you stay within the confines of the of town (looking at you, ul. Wita Stwosza), so we skip listing any post-war housing estates. Instead, here’s a sprinkling of more flamboyant commie creations.

Also known as wisielec (which can be interpreted as either ‘hanging building’ or ‘hanging man’, depending on how morbid you’re feeling that day), the ‘line-core building’ is a pretty odd construction. Its eleven hefty stories appear to float above street level thanks to a reinforced concrete core around which floors were suspended on steel cables - or at least that was the original design. Seven years after thebuilding’s completion, in 1974, the cables were encased in concrete and metal beams were added to the bottom of the building for rigidity - much to the dismay of architects Jacek Burzyński and Andrzej Skorupa. Though unusual, this building is not unique: similar structures include the former Central Bank building in Dublin and The Cube in Vancouver. QG‐8, ul. Tadeusza Kościuszki 72.

Cooky and futuristic enough to be featured in the 1978 Polish-Soviet sci-fi flick Inquest of Pilot Pirx (based on Stanisław Lem’s Tales of Pilot Pirx), the Dolmed building is closest in shape to the base of an inverted pyramid. Designed by the architect couple Anna Tarnawska and Jerzy Tarnawski, this medical centre was built in the years 1974-1977. Qul. Legnicka 40.

While the avant-garde windows of these six blocks of flats do in fact resemble toilet seats (a fact mocked mercilessly by locals), this estate is actually a strikingly beautiful example of modernist/brutalist architecture. Designed by Jadwiga Grabowska-Hawrylak, the buildings were completed in 1973. That's them on p.6.QK‐5, Pl. Grunwaldzki 4-20, ul. Curie-Skłodowskiej 15.

Finally, the fall of communism in 1989 unleashed a flurry of whimsical, colourful, kitschy endeavours, as Poles frantically tried to distance themselves from the grayness of communist yesteryear. The two best remnants of this frenzied era are actually both in the very centre of Wrocław. Enjoy:

Designed by Wojciech Jarząbek during a single, intensive 120hr period in 1992, this ‘scaled-up 1990s ice-cream parlour’ (as architect Aleksandra Wasilkowska put it) is an adventure in wonky shapes and flamboyant colour whose existence can only be explained by early post-communist Poland’s insatiable yearning for colour and novelty. Originally filled with retailers, Solpol fell out of favour with Wroclavians as swanky shopping malls started popping up in the city. Despite periodically made announcements that the building is to be finally put out of its misery by the unlucky owner, attempts have been made to get the now-empty structure onto the Polish register of objects of cultural heritage as a testament to the transitional period of early 90s Poland.QF‐6, ul. Świdnicka 21-23.

Glorious. This is a throwback to times when literally anything went, and no one as much as batted an eyelid over attaching an asymmetric, spiky, crown-shaped tower to an office building - in the historical centre, no less. This wonder of post-communist architecture was designed by Stefan Müller and built in the years 1996- 1999; you can see the top of its whimsical spikes from numerous vantage points in the Old Town, which is probably just what the architect intended. Useful tip: the building also functions as a nice multilevel car park. QE‐6, ul. Szewska 3A.