Mapping Identities

Mapping Identities Contemporary Polish Architecture in Context

National Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning 1

niaiu.pl

2

Mapping Identities Contemporary Polish Architecture in Context

edited by Marta Baranowska Kacper Kępiński

National Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning 2024

Table of Contents 4

Mapping Identities.

Contemporary Polish Architecture in Context— Kacper Kępiński

9 19 29 39 49 59 69 79 89 99

Lower Silesian + Opole Voivodeships Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship Lublin + Subcarpathian Voivodeships Lubusz + Greater Poland Voivodeships Łódź + Masovian Voivodeships Lesser Poland Voivodeship Podlaskie + Warmian-Masurian Voivodeships Pomeranian + West Pomeranian Voivodeships Silesian Voivodeship Holy Cross Voivodeship

110

Long Way, Short Time.

Polish Architecture in the 21st Century— ­­Anna Cymer 115

Space is Our Common Good— Bolesław Stelmach

117

Object Index

KK: Architecture is the creative discipline that has the most ties to its social, political and climatic context. The form, function and aesthetics of buildings are the result of an array of factors and processes which can stem from cultural codes, material resources or legislation. At the same time, it is architecture that has the biggest influence on its users – it makes our everyday lives easier, more comfortable and sustainable. Elements of the built environment gain cultural significance and are often themselves regarded as works of art. Architecture is determined by local traditions, but it also shapes them and integrates itself into them. The turbulent period of transformation in the past three decades has been written in the Polish landscape. We invite you to take a tour of the most interesting places, whose form is a physical reflection of the changes that we all experienced and that have defined contemporary Poland.

Although from the outside Poland may appear to be a homogeneous entity – both in terms of its demographics and geography – this assertion could not be further from the truth. Over the course of Poland’s millennium-long history, many cultures have clashed in this unique spot in the centre of Europe – the place between east and west, the sea, lakes and mountains, forests and plains, pristine nature and industrial hubs. Until the Second World War, the Polish state comprised a mosaic of nations and cultures that left their mark on the landscapes of Polish cities and villages. It was a mixture of Polish, Jewish, German, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Scandinavian, Italian and many more influences.

As in Polish cuisine, where the multinational origins of the various dishes are encoded in their names, the architecture that stems from such varied context attempts to decode the often hidden and forgotten meanings and

Kacper Kępiński

Mapping Identities.

Contemporary Polish Architecture in Context Kacper Kępiński

6

7

values, and to provide a contemporary interpretation. Traditions form a mosaic of many local identities, rooted in a shared experience of living together and learning from each other. They contain the answers to the most pressing challenges posed by the climate crisis – the use of local building materials and techniques, the consideration of vernacular architecture based on centuries of observations and adaptation to the local conditions and resources. In this multiplicity of identities, we can find strategies of care and coexistence that are so important today, in an age of mass migration and destabilisation. If we respect and learn from our heritage (even the fairly recent one), we become familiar with the previously nameless spaces, we recognise their value and strive to preserve it by adapting them for new purposes. We are paying more and more attention to the spaces between buildings, to common places and the way we use them. Architecture is the joint effort of architects, investors, residents, artists and sociologists, who collaborate in order to provide the best solutions to the needs of its users.

For us, architecture and urban planning are not only a heritage worth cultivating, but also a knowledge base which we expand with respect to long-standing traditions. It is also the ability to build contemporary spaces that meet the challenges of the future. Creating and narrating architecture is both a privilege and a responsibility.

This great influence brings with it an equally substantial obligation to others, to the environment and its elements, to the resources and meanings behind the buildings. Architecture is too important to be left to architects alone. That is why we promote dialogue and encourage an approach to the design of architecture that involves various stakeholders and disciplines, including experts from the fields of design – architecture, landscape architecture, industrial and graphic design, as well as artists and scientists from the fields of sociology, anthropology and climatology.

This publication takes the reader on a multifaceted journey. It presents a variety of projects that differ in their approach to the challenges of the last three decades.

It is only a fraction of a large collection of interesting, often groundbreaking and sometimes failed projects, but it nevertheless illustrates the multitude of approaches to design, context and complex issues. We go beyond the superficial understanding of architecture through aesthetics and

Kacper Kępiński – Deputy Director of the National Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning

Kacper Kępiński

instead encourage the reader to visit sites of various scales, located in urban, rural and sometimes remote areas.

We prove that there is no escaping architecture – we cannot function without it, but that is precisely what makes this discipline so important and shows why it is so necessary to reflect on it.

The publication is structured according to the current administrative division of Poland. Although it does not always correspond with the historical or geographical regions, it is equally important as a record of the self-governance and regional politics that emerged in the 1990s and had a major impact on architecture. In each of the chapters we introduce six buildings that are representative due to their form and function. All of them are labelled with their programme, year of completion, author and address, which makes it easy to locate them using online maps. This is not a finished catalogue of key examples of contemporary architecture, but a subjective selection full of compromises, which nevertheless presents the most important or breakthrough ideas and phenomena that we observe in the built environment.

Local experts and institutions research and promote architecture in their cities, regions, nationwide or even internationally. We have asked representatives of selected initiatives to comment on specific buildings or on the general characteristics of architecture in their regions.

As professionals dedicated to their work in these areas, they are the ones who understand the context and significance of the featured buildings for their local communities. In addition, the publication contains pieces written by the Director of NIAiU and one of Poland’s most prominent architecture historians and researchers, Anna Cymer, who writes about the social, cultural and historical contexts of the architecture that emerged at the turn of the 20th century. All the selected buildings are presented on a map and in the index at the end of this folder.

We hope that this short guide will encourage you to visit Poland. Not only its biggest cities, but also lesser known regions and places. We invite you to discover this incredibly diverse region in the heart of Europe through the lens of its cultural and geographical variety as well as its traditions and innovations.

8

Lower Silesian + Opole Voivodeships

11

Lower Silesian + Opole Voivodeships

6

3

Wrocław 5

Jelenia Góra

1

2

4

Wałbrzych

Opole Nysa Kędzierzyn-Koźle

1 2 3 4 5 6

Miedzianka Shaft Stara Kopalnia Science and Art Centre Afrykarium-Oceanarium of the Wrocław ZOO Artpunkt Art Education Centre Siechnice Municipality Office and Town Hall Solpol Department Store

12

Lower Silesian + Opole Voivodeships These two present-day voivodeships cover the area of the historical region of Silesia. It lies in the basin of the Oder river, which has shaped the local landscape for centuries, but has also repeatedly brought destruction, particularly in the Kłodzko Land. The Lower Silesian and Opole Voivodeships, together with parts of the regions of Pomerania, Greater Poland and Prussia, belong to the so-called Recovered Territories – areas that became part of the Polish state in 1945, after centuries under foreign rule. In these territories, German traditions and Polish history intermingle with the individual stories and customs of the resettlers who came here predominantly from the east. Since the turn of the 20th century, the diversity of the region has been gaining recognition, visibility and new interpretations, including through architecture. Wrocław, the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, is home to the revolutionary Centennial Hall by Max Berg and holds the memory of one of the key examples of Polish postmodernism – the Solpol department store by Wojciech Jarząbek (demolished in 2022). A large part of the region lies in the Silesian Lowlands, but its character is also influenced by the Sudety Mountains to the south.

The mountainous landscape drives the mining industry in the area and attracts tourists to the iconic Meteorological Observatory on Śnieżka, the Stołowe Mountains National Park and the picturesque castles and palaces that are gradually being rediscovered and renovated.

The region’s contemporary architecture engages in a dialogue with the past, but also creates places of supralocal significance.

13

Miedzianka Shaft programme: culture author: KWK PROMES year: 2022 address: Miedzianka, Miedzianka 6

Lower Silesian + Opole Voivodeships

1

14

Stara Kopalnia Science and Art Centre programme: culture author: Nizio Design International, collaborators: WPA-Wilisowski year: 2015 address: Wałbrzych, Piotra Wysockiego 29

Lower Silesian + Opole Voivodeships

2

16

3

17

Afrykarium-Oceanarium of the Wrocław ZOO programme: leisure author: Szlachcic Architekci (Dorota Szlachcic, Mariusz Szlachcic) and ArC2 Fabryka Projektowa year: 2014 address: Wrocław, Zygmunta Wróblewskiego 1– 5

Lower Silesian + Opole Voivodeships

4

Artpunkt Art Education Centre programme: culture author: M. i A. Domicz – Pracownia Architektury year: 2010 address: Opole, Augustyna Kośnego 32

5

Siechnice Municipality Office and Town Hall programme: offices, administration author: Maćków Pracownia Projektowa year: 2012 address: Siechnice, Jana Pawła II 12

18

6

Solpol Department Store programme: retail author: Wojciech Jarząbek year: demolished 2022 address: Wrocław, Świdnicka 21– 23

19

art historian, director of the Museum of Architecture in Wrocław

Since Solpol [p. 17] no longer exists, we can regard it as a magical building.

I mean that in the literal sense, without cloying romanticisation. According to the concept of sympathetic magic, coined by cultural anthropologist James Frazer, it can be considered a homeopathic object. This type of magic is explained in one simple phrase: like causes like. Solpol was a sign and a promise of everything that Wrocław dreamed of during the decline of the People’s Republic of Poland and the initial years of the democratic and economic transition: colours, brand names, fragrances and functioning escalators.

In 1993, everyone hoped that Solpol would trigger a rush of similar buildings. It was an emanation of the West, of aspirations as great as the Statue of Liberty. When it came to demolition in 2022, a different kind of magic was at work. Solpol became the effigy that we sacrificed to banish the ugliness and garishness that was the unwanted legacy of the 1990s. Solpol had to disappear so that we could believe that everything would be beautiful going forward. Neither of the rituals brought the anticipated outcome.

Lower Silesian + Opole Voivodeships

Michał Duda:

20

Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship

21

Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship

Bydgoszcz 10 7

8

11

Toruń

9

12

Włocławek

7 8 9 10 11 12

Rother's Mills Renovation Żnin Sugar Plant Renovation Jordanki Cultural and Congress Centre Przystań Bydgoszcz BiT City Transportation Hub Znaki Czasu Centre of Contemporary Art

22

Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship The voivodeship is located in the north-central part of Poland, between the Pomeranian and Masurian Lake Districts. Its landscape is characterised by river valleys, oxbow lakes, lake coasts and escarpments, but also moors, marshes and meadows. Its territory covers the historical regions of Kujawy, Chełmno Land and Dobrzyń Land. There are many places of outstanding environmental value and nature reserves in the region, such as the Brodnica Landscape Park, the Lower Vistula Valley and the Włocławek Vistula Valley, which is located in the Toruń Basin. Kruszwica – a town on Lake Gopło – is the setting of some of the oldest legends relating to the Polish state. The oldest known fortified wooden settlements are located in Biskupin. The northern part of the voivodeship once belonged to the State of the Teutonic Order – its history is recorded in the castles and urban plans of towns such as Chełmno and Grudziądz, as well as the city of Toruń, whose Old Town, with its characteristic Gothic architecture and castle, has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The historic man-made Bydgoszcz Canal, which dates back to the 18th century and connects the Brda and Noteć rivers, is part of an important national waterway. The Kuyavian-Pomeranian region is rich in rock salt deposits and spring water. Important institutions are located in the region’s two largest cities – Bydgoszcz and Toruń. The focus of contemporary architecture here is on revitalisation, restoration of lost heritage and new developments that strengthen the settlement network and build supra-local significance.

23

Rother's Mills Renovation programme: commercial, culture author: LS Projekt year: 2022 address: Bydgoszcz, Mennica 10

Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship

7

24

8

25

Żnin Sugar Plant Renovation programme: commercial, leisure author: Bulak Projekt, Less is Core, MML ARCHITEKCI, MIXD year: 2020 address: Żnin, Janickiego 1

Jordanki Cultural and Congress Centre programme: culture author: Menis Arquitectos, collaborators: Studio A4 year: 2015 address: Toruń, aleja Solidarności 1/3

Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship

9

26

Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship

10

Przystań Bydgoszcz programme: commercial, leisure author: APA Rokiccy year: 2012 address: Bydgoszcz, Tamka 2

28

11

BiT City Transportation Hub programme: infrastructure author: RYSY Architekci Rafał Sieraczyński year: 2016 address: Solec Kujawski, Dworcowa 2A

12

29

Znaki Czasu Centre of Contemporary Art programme: culture author: Edward Lach (concept design), pracownia R2 Leszka Rubika (detailed design) year: 2007 address: Toruń, Wały Generała Władysława Sikorskiego 13

art historian, author of publications on the architecture of Bydgoszcz, teacher at the National Secondary School of Fine Arts in Bydgoszcz

The river, barges, granaries and industry are important historical components of the identity of Bydgoszcz. It is no wonder that the city’s contemporary architectural icons are situated on the banks of the river Brda. One of them is the Rother’s Mills Culture Park[p. 22], located on Wyspa Młyńska – a green enclave in the heart of Bydgoszcz. Renovation designer Łukasz Szleper carefully preserved the almost dilapidated historic industrial buildings and added only as many contemporary elements as were necessary to accommodate the new functions. There is no cheap ostentation, only harmony, tranquility and restraint.

The interiors, which have retained their industrial style, are surprisingly cosy.

The remodelled building closely resembles its original form, while the outdoor areas with large terraces, a fountain and a historic chimney, attract many people on sunny days.

Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship

Iwona Jastrzębska-Puzowska, PhD:

30

Lublin + Subcarpathian Voivodeships

31

Lublin + Subcarpathian Voivodeships Puławy

16

Lublin 13

Zamość Stalowa Wola

14

Rzeszów 15 17

18

Przemyśl

13 14 15 16 17 18

Centre for the Meeting of Cultures Bełżec Museum and Memorial Site Ulma Family Museum of Poles Saving Jews in World War II Hydrotherapy Centre Modernisation and expansion of the University of Rzeszów National Museum of the Przemyśl Land

32

Lublin + Subcarpathian Voivodeships The capitals of these voivodeships are Lublin and Rzeszów. The region is located in the eastern and south-eastern part of Poland and has one of the most diverse topographies, encompassing lowlands, highlands, basins and some of the highest mountain ranges – the Carpathians and Beskids. It covers the area of the historical regions of Polesie, Red Ruthenia and Lesser Poland. The population of the region is denominationally diverse, which is reflected in the variety of religious architecture. The region is home to numerous large forests and characteristic loess gorges.

Important nature reserves include the Bieszczady and Polesie National Parks as well as the Roztocze National Park, known for its unique post-glacial topography.

The Subcarpathian Voivodeship promotes local entrepreneurship through special economic zones, one of which is the Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport of international significance. The town of Bóbrka is home to the oldest operating oil mine in the world. Castles and palace complexes are scattered across the landscape of both voivodeships. Places worth visiting include the picturesque town of Kazimierz Dolny, the Renaissance ideal city of Zamość and the resort town of Nałęczów.

Among remarkable examples of local architecture are the monuments of the so-called Lublin Renaissance, decorated with stone ornaments, or the Wooden Architecture Trail in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship.

Contemporary architecture explores ties to the complex history of the region and at the same time reinterprets local traditions. Many important buildings for culture, science and leisure have been built here in recent years.

33

Centre for the Meeting of Cultures programme: culture author: Stelmach i Partnerzy year: 2016 address: Lublin, plac Teatralny 1

Lublin + Subcarpathian Voivodeships

13

34

Bełżec Museum and Memorial Site programme: memorial author: Andrzej Sołyga, Zdzisław Pidek, Marcin Roszczyk; museum building: DDJM year: 2004 address: Bełżec, Ofiar Obozu Zagłady 4

Lublin + Subcarpathian Voivodeships

14

36

15

37

Ulma Family Museum of Poles Saving Jews in World War II programme: culture, memorial author: Nizio Design International year: 2016 address: Markowa, Markowa 1487

Lublin + Subcarpathian Voivodeships

16

Hydrotherapy Centre programme: leisure author: Stelmach i Partnerzy year: 2005 address: Nałęczów, aleja Grabowa 1

38

17

Modernisation and expansion of the University of Rzeszów programme: science author: S.T. Architekci year: 2022 address: Rzeszów, Tadeusza Rejtana 16C

18

39

National Museum of the Przemyśl Land programme: local culture author: KKM Kozień Architekci year: 2009 address: Przemyśl, plac płk. Berka Joselewicza 1

architect, teacher, publicist, participant of the Roundtable of the New European Bauhaus in the years 2021–2024

The memorial complex of the former German Nazi concentration camp in Bełżec [p. 34] is characterised by its relationship to the landscape and the abstract elements it comprises: geometry, textures, the open and enclosed spaces. Inscriptions, symbols and the museum pavilion housing the permanent exhibition constitute a discrete complement to the largest part of the complex, which was shaped like a tomb and covered with slag. The upcycling of this smelter waste plays a crucial role in creating the right tone and dramaturgy of the site, both in terms of visual reception and in shaping the experience of moving through its parts with different characteristics. Holocaust memorial sites of high architectural quality have previously been established in Majdanek, Treblinka and recently in Sobibór. Among them, Bełżec is the most eminent.

Lublin + Subcarpathian Voivodeships

Hubert Trammer:

40

Lubusz + Greater Poland Voivodeships

41

Lubusz + Greater Poland Voivodeships

22 19 Poznań

Gniezno

20

24

Ostrów Wielkopolski

21

Gorzów Wielkopolski

23

Zielona Góra Żary

19 20 21 22 23 24

Okrąglak Renovation Słupca Lake Piers Gorzów Philharmonic Artistic Education Centre Bałtyk Library of the University of Zielona Góra Fala Park 42

Lubusz + Greater Poland Voivodeships The western and central-western parts of Poland are predominantly lowlands and lake districts. They also form the larger part of the historical region of Greater Poland as well as the Lubusz Land, Lower Lusatia, parts of Silesia, Kuyavia, Wieluń, Sieradz and Łęczyca Lands.

The Oder, Warta and Noteć rivers flow through the region. Greater Poland is rich in natural resources such as oil, lignite, natural gas and peat and has active rock salt and gypsum mines. The energy industry is still an important branch of the local economy and the largest industrial centres are associated with Poznań, Kalisz and Konin. The Lubusz Voivodeship is the westernmost region of Poland and borders on Germany. Its main institutions are located in Gorzów Wielkopolski and Zielona Góra. Almost half of the region is forested and its topography is characterised by glacial valleys, gullies and glacial erratics. Łęknica is home to the Muskau Park, one of the most prominent examples of European landscape garden design and a trans-border site included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. There are also many nature reserves in the region, such as the Warta River Mouth and the Greater Poland National Parks. Works of contemporary architecture in the region include both freestanding forms in the landscape and new forms woven into the urban fabric, housing modern functions.

43

Okrąglak Renovation programme: commercial, offices author: Wojciech Grabianowski, RKW year: 2012 address: Poznań, Mielżyńskiego 14

Lubusz + Greater Poland Voivodeships

19

44

20

45

Słupca Lake Piers programme: landscape, common space author: Paweł Grobelny year: 2023 address: Słupca, Słupca Lake

Gorzów Philharmonic Artistic Education Centre programme: culture author: Biuro Projektów Budownictwa Ogólnego Spółka Akcyjna – Zespół projektowy A4 – Daniel Frąc year: 2011 address: Gorzów Wielkopolski, Dziewięciu Muz 10

Lubusz + Greater Poland Voivodeships

21

46

Lubusz + Greater Poland Voivodeships

22

Bałtyk programme: author: year: address:

commercial, offices MVRDV, Natkaniec Olechnicki Architekci NOA 2017 Poznań, Roosevelta 22

48

23

Library of the University of Zielona Góra programme: culture author: NOW Biuro Architektoniczne year: 2012 address: Zielona Góra, aleja Wojska Polskiego 71

24

49

Fala Park programme: author: year: address:

sport, leisure PL.architekci 2012 Wolsztyn, Poznańska 1

architect, librarian, host of “Czytanie Przestrzeni” (Reading Space) – a lecture series on contemporary architecture at the Raczyński Library in Poznań

Okrąglak [p. 42] is indisputably an architectural icon of Poznań. Designed by Marek Leykam and built between 1948 –1954, the department store was considered revolutionary both in terms of form and structure. In 2011, the building underwent a complex remodelling under the direction of RKW Architektur. This involved removing secondary structures that had been added during earlier conversions and emphasising the unique features of the original design.

The building was also converted from a retail to an office function, making it inaccessible to the residents and visitors of Poznań. Nevertheless, this uncompromising renovation was carried out at a time when many icons of post-war modernism disappeared from the Polish cityscapes. It is now gaining new significance as other important buildings from that era are threatened with possible demolition.

Lubusz + Greater Poland Voivodeships

Natalia Raczkowska:

50

Łódź + Masovian Voivodeships

51

Łódź + Masovian Voivodeships Płock

28

29 27 30 25

Warsaw

Łowicz

Siedlce

Radom

Łódź 26

Piotrków Trybunalski

25 26 27 28 29 30

Warsaw Uprising Mound Park Księży Młyn Revitalisation Museums at the Warsaw Citadel Expansion of the Fryderyk Chopin Museum and restoration of the Museum Park Warsaw Breweries Błonie Food Market

52

Łódź + Masovian Voivodeships The central region of Poland is where trade and transport routes of international significance intersect.

It mainly comprises the historical regions of Masovia and Łęczyca-Sieradz Land. Warsaw, the current capital of Poland, lies in the lowlands, in the so-called Warsaw Basin. Since the 16th century, the country’s key institutions have settled here, initiating the rapid development of the city on the banks of the Vistula. To the east, 120 km from the Warsaw agglomeration, lies Łódź – the capital of the neighbouring voivodeship. It is a city with a rich, multicultural and industrial history. The two cities are well connected both in terms of transport and economy. Two of the country’s most important industrial complexes are located in the Łódź Voivodeship.

Warsaw is surrounded by the Kampinos National Park and various landscape parks, while the Łódź Voivodeship is one of the least forested regions in the country, with a flat and hilly landscape. The region lies atop the so-called Warsaw-Berlin Urstromtal. One of the most remarkable examples of Polish Romanesque architecture – the Tum Collegiate Church – is located in the Łódź Voivodeship. The contemporary architecture of the region plays with the rediscovery of palaces and residences adapted to the landscape, as well as the forgotten industrial heritage; rewrites places and their history, both through modern development and new types of urban greenery that promote biodiversity.

53

Warsaw Uprising Mound Park programme: lanscape, memorial author: Archigrest, toposcape year: 2023 address: Warsaw, Bartycka

Łódź + Masovian Voivodeships

25

54

26

55

Księży Młyn Revitalisation programme: mixed-use author: Witasiak Marciniak Architekci, Diehl Architekci, Arta year: 2012–2024 address: Łódź, Przędzalniana

Museums at the Warsaw Citadel: Polish History Museum, Polish Army Museum, Katyń Museum, Museum of the X Pavilion of the Warsaw Citadel programme: culture, memorial author: WXCA, BBGK year: 2015 – address: Warsaw, Cytadela Warszawska

Łódź + Masovian Voivodeships

27

56

Łódź + Masovian Voivodeships

28

Expansion of the Fryderyk Chopin Museum and restoration of the Museum Park programme: landscape, culture author: Stelmach i Partnerzy year: 2010 address: Żelazowa Wola, Żelazowa Wola 15

29

Warsaw Breweries programme: mixed-use author: JEMS Architekci year: 2021 address: Warsaw, Grzybowska 60

58

30

Błonie Food Market programme: community, food market, public space author: Pracownia Architektoniczna Aleksandry Wasilkowskiej year: 2022 address: Błonie, Targowa 3

59

architect, director of the National Heritage Institute

In no other Polish city is the question of preserving traces of history met with such a strong emotional response as in Warsaw. In the urban fabric, rebuilt almost from scratch after the Second World War, every remnant of the past seems like a treasure. We try to find our lost identity in every old building, but also in the traces of the streets that no longer exist or in the rubble on which we built our new and better city. Even the post-industrial buildings, left in their post-apocalyptic state for years, become an important asset to preserve in new developments. This local peculiarity, sometimes contested as ressentiment or an expression of hidden complexes, is in fact part of a global trend. Heritage is a resource whose utilisation is a necessary part of sustainable development.

In terms of ecology, preserving and utilising existing urban fabric and building materials means reducing the overall carbon footprint of the project. But looking at the bigger picture, heritage is a social commitment, a part of identity, the basis for integration… This approach can be seen in the Warsaw Breweries [p. 56], the Warsaw Uprising Mound Park [p. 52], the Citadel Museums [p. 54] or the Księży Młyn [p. 53] neighbourhood of Łódź. Preserving historical traces is not just the result of some legal requirements that needed to be fulfilled, but a real inspiration that is reflected in social, environmental and economic potential.

Łódź + Masovian Voivodeships

Marlena Happach:

60

Lesser Poland Voivodeship

61

Lesser Poland Voivodeship

Kraków

33

31

36

35

Nowy Sącz

32 34

Zakopane

31 32 33 34 35 36

CRICOTEKA Centre for Documentation of the Art of Tadeusz Kantor Bobrowisko Nature Enclave Great Synagogue Memorial Park in Oświęcim Tourist Service Facilities at the Tatra National Park Manggha Museum of Japanese Art and Technology Higher Theological Seminary of the Resurrectionist Fathers

62

Lesser Poland Voivodeship The voivodeship covers the area of the historical regions of Lesser Poland and Krakow Land. Its topography comprises highlands in the north and the Carpathian Mountains in the south. Krakow, the former capital of Poland, is the main city of the voivodeship.

The region is known for its attachment to tradition and its strong local identity, as well as for the culture of the Gorals (Polish Highlanders). The town of Zakopane, which lies in the Tatra Mountains, is recognised for the so-called Zakopane style – an architectural movement from the turn of the 19th century – with its characteristic wooden residences with pitched roofs, verandas and interiors decorated with motifs from local folk culture. Krakow is home to the Jagiellonian University – one of the oldest European universities and the first such institution in Poland. Notable cultural and heritage sites in the region include the monasteries in Tyniec and Stary Sącz, the salt mines in Wieliczka and Bochnia and the Kościuszko Mound in Krakow. The nature reserves in the region include 6 national parks and 11 landscape parks, as well as the Błędów Desert – an ecological phenomenon in our climate zone.

Contemporary architecture in Lesser Poland builds on the strong local identity and traditions, using modern forms and means of expression to create buildings and places that tell the story of the region and provide spaces for art, culture and socialising.

63

CRICOTEKA Centre for Documentation of the Art of Tadeusz Kantor programme: culture author: Wizja, nsMoonStudio year: 2014 address: Kraków, Nadwiślańska 2/4

Lesser Poland Voivodeship

31

64

32

65

Bobrowisko Nature Enclave programme: landscape, common space author: 55Architekci year: 2018 address: Stary Sącz

Great Synagogue Memorial Park in Oświęcim programme: memorial author: NArchitekTURA, Imaginga Studio year: 2019 address: Oświęcim, Berka Joselewicza 5

Lesser Poland Voivodeship

33

66

Lesser Poland Voivodeship

34

Tourist Service Facilities at the Tatra National Park programme: landscape, common space author: 2pm architekci year: 2018 address: Zakopane, Tatra National Park

35

Manggha Museum of Japanese Art and Technology programme: culture author: Arata Isozaki & Associates, K. Ingarden – J. Ewý & Jet Atelier (expansion) year: 1994, 2015 address: Kraków, Marii Konopnickiej 26

68

36

Higher Theological Seminary of the Resurrectionist Fathers programme: religious author: Dariusz Kozłowski with Maria Misiągiewicz and Wacław Stefański year: 1996 address: Kraków, Księdza Pawlickiego 1

69

curator, architecture critic, editor-in-chief of the “Autoportret. Quarterly on good space” magazine

Architecture is usually regarded as a rational discipline. The Seminary of the Resurrectionist Fathers in Kraków [p.67] is an absolute exception to this rule. Perhaps the most outstanding work of Polish architectural postmodernism, the building exudes an aura of the uncanny.

A split, tented roof made of raw concrete draws attention from afar. It stands against the backdrop of the picturesque Zakrzówek hill, surrounded by walls that intersect at unusual angles. According to architect Dariusz Kozłowski, as soon as we pass through the gate, we enter the Path of the Spirit, which leads diagonally to a pink-coloured portal located in a crevice in the wall. Through it, we enter the vine-covered courtyard with a stairway rising to the sky and the western wing leading to the cubic chapel – the focal point of the complex. Charged with symbolism, such architecture could only have materialised here, during the difficult period of systemic transformation, under the influence of architectural postmodernism associated with the Kraków University of Technology and dreams of the future power of the Catholic Church. Although it was designed for hundreds of clerics, today only about ten seminarians study and live in the building, and one of its wings is sublet by a Montessori school.

Lesser Poland Voivodeship

Dorota Leśniak-Rychlak, PhD:

70

Podlaskie + Warmian-Masurian Voivodeships

71

Podlaskie + Warmian-Masurian Voivodeships Elbląg

40

37 42

39

Ełk

Olsztyn

Suwałki

41

Łomża

38

Białystok

37 38 39 40 41 42

Ukiel Sports and Leisure Centre Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic KUMAK Mazurian Centre for Biodiversity Research and Education Reconstruction of the Old Town in Elbląg according to the Retroversion method Water Sports Centre – Kayaking Station Commemoration of the former Evangelical Cemetery, construction of the Olsztyn-Śródmieście Transportation Hub

72

Podlaskie + Warmian-Masurian Voivodeships The north-eastern part of Poland is a region with many nature reserves, such as the Great Masurian Lakes, the Pisz Forest and the Białowieża Forest – a primaeval relic. The topography and natural resources of the region were shaped by past glaciations. The Warmian-Masurian and Podlasie Voivodeships are some of the most ethnically and culturally diverse parts of Poland, with the distinct regions of Warmia, Mazury, Powiśle, Podlasie and Suwałki. Most of the area was annexed by Poland in 1945, together with Prussia, parts of Pomerania, Greater Poland and Silesia, as the so-called Recovered Territories. Notable examples of traditional architecture include the arcade houses of Żuławy, mosques and Muslim cemeteries in Kruszyniany and Bohoniki near the Belarusian border, as well as numerous wattle and daub structure buildings.

Culturally and economically notable heritage sites include the Elbląg and Augustów Canals as well as the Battle of Grunwald Memorial site and newly built museum, with a long-standing tradition of historical reconstructions. Contemporary architecture can be found in larger cities, such as Białystok and Olsztyn, but also in smaller towns, such as Urwitałt. New forms complement the waterfronts, promote biodiversity or uncover forgotten layers of the region’s history.

73

Ukiel Sports and Leisure Centre programme: leisure, landscape author: Dżus GK Architekci year: 2014 address: Olsztyn, Ukiel Lake

Podlaskie + Warmian-Masurian Voivodeships

37

74

38

75

Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic programme: culture author: Marek Budzyński year: 2012 address: Białystok, Odeska 1

Reconstruction of the Old Town in Elbląg according to the Retroversion method programme: mixed-use author: various designers, incl.: Szczepan Baum, Ryszard Semka; author of the method: Maria Lubocka-Hoffman year: 1980s – address: Elbląg, Stary Rynek

Podlaskie + Warmian-Masurian Voivodeships

40

76

Podlaskie + Warmian-Masurian Voivodeships

39

KUMAK Mazurian Centre for Biodiversity Research and Education programme: education author: KWADRATURA year: 2023 address: Urwitałt, Urwitałt 1

41

Water Sports Centre – Kayaking Station programme: sport, leisure author: PSBA Przemysław Sokołowski Biuro Architektoniczne, INOONI Jakub Zygmunt year: 2019 address: Augustów, Rybacka 30

78

42

Commemoration of the former Evangelical Cemetery, construction of the Olsztyn-Śródmieście Transportation Hub programme: memorial, religious author: Biuro Architektoniczne Gadomscy year: 2022 address: Olsztyn, 1 Maja

79

landscape architect, Department of Landscape Architecture, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn

Two features are key to understanding the new architecture in the Warmian-Masurian and Podlaskie Voivodeships – the relationship to the surrounding nature and landscape, and the character of the local identity. While respect for nature and the cultural landscape is self-evident for projects built in both regions, local identity remains a complex issue in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. This guide presents buildings that approach their context with respect and complement their location without overpowering their surroundings. They establish a dialogue with the landscape and nature, the local building traditions – as in the case of the Old Town in Elbląg [p. 74] – or restore the historical context and commemorate the difficult history of the site and the region – as in the Olsztyn-Śródmieście Transportation Hub [p. 77].

Podlaskie + Warmian-Masurian Voivodeships

Marta Akincza, PhD:

80

Pomeranian + West Pomeranian Voivodeships

81

Pomeranian + West Pomeranian Voivodeships

44

Gdynia

Słupsk

Sopot

Gdańsk

43 46 Malbork

Koszalin

48 Świnoujście

45

Szczecin

47

43 44 45 46 47 48

European Solidarity Centre Emigration Museum – conversion of the 1930s Marine Station Mieczysław Karłowicz Philharmonic in Szczecin Gdańsk Shakespeare Theatre Siekierki – Neurüdnitz European Bridge Church of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary

82

Pomeranian + West Pomeranian Voivodeships The region lies in the lowlands and connects the Baltic Sea coast with the lake districts in the south. It covers the area between the mouth of the Oder in the west, and the Vistula in the east. The landscape is characterised by glacial formations. Both in the larger cities and in the smaller (often resort) towns, the architecture is linked to the sea – through the location and formal references. The region lies within the historical provinces of Pomerania and Royal Prussia and is demographically and culturally diverse. Most of its territories were annexed by Poland in 1945. Located here is one of the most ambitious modernisation projects of the interwar period – the new city of Gdynia, which will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2026. In the former Hanseatic city of Gdańsk, the centre and old town were rebuilt after the Second World War. Szczecin and the Szczecin Lagoon provide access to the international harbour in the town od Świnoujście, which lies on 44 islands. There are many nature reserves in the region, such as the Tuchola Forest National Park, the Slovincian National Park with its moving dunes in the east and the Wolin and Drawa National Parks in the west. Notable examples of contemporary architecture in the region include iconic cultural buildings and historical sites that are of great importance to the whole country.

83

Mieczysław Karłowicz Philharmonic in Szczecin programme: culture author: Estudio Barozzi Veiga (Fabrizio Barozzi, Alberto Veiga) year: 2014 address: Szczecin, Małopolska 48

Pomeranian + West Pomeranian Voivodeships

45

84

Gdańsk Shakespeare Theatre programme: culture author: Grupa Projektowa A.T.I. (Tymczasowe Stowarzyszenie Przedsiębiorcze), arch. Renato Rizzi-Pro.Tec.O.s.c.r.l year: 2014 address: Gdańsk, Wojciecha Bogusławskiego 1

Pomeranian + West Pomeranian Voivodeships

46

86

47

87

Siekierki – Neurüdnitz European Bridge programme: landscape, infrastructure author: biuro architektoniczne MXL4 (Tomasz Makysmiuk, Aleksandra Cegielska) year: 2021 address: Siekierki

Pomeranian + West Pomeranian Voivodeships

43

European Solidarity Centre programme: culture author: PPW FORT, Wojciech Targowski year: 2014 address: Gdańsk, plac Solidarności 1

44

Emigration Museum – conversion of the 1930s Marine Station programme: culture, memorial author: ae fusion Studio, arch. Andrzej Bomerski (concept design) year: 2015 address: Gdynia, Polska 1

88

48

Church of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary programme: religious author: Jerzy Nowosielski, Bogdan Kotarba year: 1997 address: Biały Bór, Topolowa 20

89

curator of the Gdynia Architecture Weekend, Gdynia Development Agency

The former Marine Station in Gdynia was one of the icons of Polish modernism from the moment of its creation. It is extraordinary in terms of its architecture and structure, as well as its history.

The Marine Station was built on the Passenger Pier in the harbour of Gdynia and opened on 8 December 1933. The building consisted of two parts: the Passenger Hall and the Transit Warehouse. Its design can be described as a unique fusion of functionalism, constructivism and a national interpretation of Art Deco. Today, the former station at Polska Street houses the Emigration Museum [p. 86]. In order to fulfil its new purpose, the edifice was remodelled between 2013 and 2014 according to the design of architect Andrzej Bomerski.

Parts of the building destroyed during the Second World War were rebuilt and the original composition of the exterior, the interior of the main hall, the front façade and most of the patriotic ornamentation were restored. A new addition is an eye-catching glass façade facing the water, which reinforces the connection between the Museum and the sea. The exhibition is enclosed in a modular structure in the former Passenger Hall, creating a lobby and an attractive passageway with a panoramic view of the harbour. The building houses a bookshop, restaurant, café, workshops and audiovisual rooms, while the ground floor of the Transit Hall serves as a harbour warehouse.

Pomeranian + West Pomeranian Voivodeships

Jacek Debis:

90

Silesian Voivodeship

91

Silesian Voivodeship Częstochowa

49

54

Katowice 52 53 51

50

Bielsko-Biała

49 50 51 52 53 54

Culture Zone: International Congress Centre, Silesian Museum, National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra Museum of Fire Concert Hall Church of St Francis of Assisi and St Clare in Tychy Rybnik-Kłokocin Local Activity Centre Dom Manifest (Manifesto House)

92

Silesian Voivodeship Today’s Silesian Voivodeship comprises parts of the historical regions of Upper Silesia, Dąbrowa Basin and Lesser Poland, from the Beskids to the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland and from the town of Tarnowskie Góry in the west to Jaworzno in the east. Until the 20th century, the region had various names and its borders fluctuated; at one point in its history it also had ties to the Czech Moravia. It is a region with a strong sense of distinctiveness and local identity based on the Silesian language and culture. The dense network of settlements has its core in the Upper-Silesian conurbation and the Metropolis GZM – a unique metropolitan association in Poland. The region is located in a hilly and mountainous terrain, with the Beskid Mountains in the south, where many resort towns are located.

The mining history of the region is clearly visible in the landscape, marked by chimneys, shafts and spoil tips. A complex of post-industrial historical sites in Tarnowskie Góry has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Silesia is a region that experienced rapid development in the 20th century, including new public buildings and mass housing areas, such as the new town of Tychy, which was built in several stages.

Other notable sights include the iconic Spodek Arena in Katowice and the Silesian Park in Chorzów. The region’s contemporary architecture reinterprets its history through modern forms, creating new communal spaces and new architectural icons.

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Culture Zone: International Congress Centre, Silesian Museum, National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra programme: culture author: JEMS Architekci, Riegler Riewe Architekten, Tomasz Konior (Konior Studio) year: 2015 address: Katowice, Henryka Mikołaja Góreckiego

Silesian Voivodeship

49

94

50

95

Museum of Fire programme: local culture author: OVO Grąbczewscy Architekci year: 2015 address: Żory, Katowicka 3

Concert Hall programme: author: year: address:

culture SLAS architekci 2022 Jastrzębie-Zdrój, Tadeusza Kościuszki 13A

Silesian Voivodeship

51

96

Silesian Voivodeship

52

Church of St Francis of Assisi and St Clare in Tychy programme: religious author: Stanisław Niemczyk year: in progress address: Tychy, Paprocańska 90

98

53

Rybnik-Kłokocin Local Activity Centre programme: community author: Marlena Wolnik (MW Architekci) year: 2019 address: Rybnik, Bracka 13

54

99

Dom Manifest (Manifesto House) programme: single-family house author: jojko+nawrocki architekci year: 2022 address: Będzin Grodziec (*private property)

architecture historian and promoter

Silesia is a region with a prominent local identity, founded on history, religion, economy, language and cuisine. If you then add to the mix industrial architecture, workers' housing estates, the modernism of the interwar period with the country’s first skyscrapers and daring socialist modernist buildings, you get a context with a strong presence – a great source of inspiration for designers, who can not remain indifferent to it. Architects reference it, translate it into contemporary forms, reinterpret its details or reevaluate its ideas.

The Concert Hall of the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra [p. 92] in Katowice has adopted details from the factory estates, the anthracite facades of the Congress Centre [p. 92] are intended to evoke the coal mined in the region, while the Museum of Fire [p. 93] tells the history of its city through both exhibition and form.

Silesian Voivodeship

Anna Syska:

100

Holy Cross Voivodeship

101

Holy Cross Voivodeship Starachowice

56

57

60

Kielce

55

Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski

58

59

55 56 57 58 59 60

Stefan Żeromski City Park in Starachowice Wietrznia Geoeducation Centre European Centre for Geological Education Ostrowiec Brewery of Culture Graduation Tower in Busko-Zdrój Mausoleum of the Martyrdom of Polish Villages

102

Holy Cross Voivodeship The voivodeship comprises the historical regions of Lesser Poland and Masovia. It is located in the central part of Poland and borders on six other voivodeships.

What unites the region is the austere landscape of the highlands and the Holy Cross Mountains, with their rocks, hills and quarries. The region is rich in mineral resources – sandstone and limestone deposits, iron, copper and lead ores as well as the unique decorative stripped flint. A Neolithic flint mine and an archaeological reserve in Krzemionki have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Mining and metallurgy have a long-standing tradition in the area, formerly associated with the Old-Polish Industrial Region. The Holy Cross Voivodeship attracts tourists interested in geology. The oldest known traces of land animals have been discovered and classified here. Notable sights include castle ruins, monastic complexes and architecture designed to coexist with the landscape: from modernist to socialist-realist buildings of the 1950s, late modern housing estates and expressive structures, to a return to the historicism and traditional architecture of the last decades of the 20th century. Contemporary architecture offers new approaches to harmonising man-made forms with the natural landscape, but also rediscovers the more difficult and ambiguous parts of the region’s history.

103

Stefan Żeromski City Park in Starachowice programme: common space, landscape author: eM4 Pracownia Architektury Brataniec year: 2011 address: Starachowice, Radomska

Holy Cross Voivodeship

55

104

60

105

Mausoleum of the Martyrdom of Polish Villages programme: memorial author: Nizio Design International year: 2020 address: Michniów, Michniów 38

Holy Cross Voivodeship

European Centre for Geological Education programme: education author: WXCA year: 2015 address: Chęciny, Korzecko 1C

106

57

Holy Cross Voivodeship

56

Wietrznia Geoeducation Centre programme: education author: PALK year: 2011 address: Kielce, Daleszycka 21

108

58

Ostrowiec Brewery of Culture programme: culture author: Dresler Studio Architektura i Urbanistyka year: 2019 address: Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, Siennieńska 54

59

109

Graduation Tower in Busko-Zdrój programme: leisure author: 2pm architekci year: 2022 address: Busko-Zdrój, Waryńskiego 5

architect, acting artistic director of the Institute of Design in Kielce

The Mausoleum [p. 103] is a rare major museum located in a village, fittingly placed to commemorate the suffering of Polish rural communities during the Second World War. The architecture, designed by Nizio Design, is austere and monumental, full of symbols that show the loss and resilience of these communities. Some, myself included, might find the design intense in its focus, particularly due to the use of Catholic crosses in the memorial garden, which could be interpreted as exclusive. Nevertheless, the museum organises events that bring culture and history closer to people outside of the major cities and connect today’s visitors with this chapter of the past.

Holy Cross Voivodeship

Dominika Janicka:

110

Anna Cymer

Long Way, Short Time.

Polish Architecture in the 21st Century Anna Cymer

AC: The first quarter of the 21st century was a good time for Polish architecture. Many public buildings constructed during this period have gained international acclaim, which solidified the notion that high-quality architecture is a worthy investment. At the same time, a new and prominent group of architecture enthusiasts entered the public debate, drawing attention to the condition, quality and aesthetics of public space.

Architectural transformations are best studied in retrospect; it is most comfortable to pass judgement on history from the distance of a few generations. Nevertheless, it is just as important to write about, analyse and comment on the events taking place before our eyes. Especially when these events are significant enough to influence various areas of life. Just like the changes in Polish architecture and the debate about it since the turn of the 20th century.

None of the new phenomena would have been possible before the democratic transition, the political and social transformation of the 1980s and 90s.1 This period marked the end of the state monopoly as the de facto sole investor, contractor, manufacturer of building materials, organiser of the construction process and supervisory body for architects. The initial tentative unsealing and later dismantling of the Iron Curtain allowed the influx of new Western fashions, forms and ideas, while the economic crisis paradoxically unleashed the creativity of architects and enabled them to design original, unusual and unconventional buildings. Even if not all of them stood the test of time (some 1990s architecture is still considered controversial today), the first decade after the systemic transformation was a necessary transitional period in which new concepts could be tested and realised. It was also a time of rebuilding the architectural market, during which private offices were founded and relationships were forged between investors, contractors and designers. After half a century of central planning, including in the field of architecture, most of the professional networks, procedures, laws, programmes and practises which are self-evident to us today, had to be rebuilt from scratch.

1 Systemic transformation: a proces of political and economic transition initiated in Poland in the 1980s with the aim to establish a democratic political system and free market economy. A symbolic date for these events is the first partially free election which took place on 4 June 1989.

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The introduction of new rules in the 1990s made it possible in the following decade to build high-quality architecture in Poland on a full and equal footing with foreign partners. With the accession to the European Union in 20042 came the possibility of financing large supra-regional and small local projects. By this time, most of the regions had already developed an understanding of their character and qualities, as well as the needs and opportunities that could be met with this financial support.

However, the success story of the architectural development of various parts of Poland certainly has its dark sides. Many areas of life were privatised in the course of the systemic transformation and while this change was welcome in some disciplines, it had a negative impact on others. The latter certainly includes housing, which – when placed in private hands – no longer served to satisfy the most basic needs, but became a profit-driven economic sector. This has not only led to a sharp rise in prices, but also to a considerable decline in the quality of new residential developments that are built without master plans, in areas without infrastructure and public spaces. No wonder, then, that contemporary housing estates and apartment blocks hardly ever receive architectural acclaim. Interestingly, the last decade saw the rehabilitation of the modernist housing estate. These largescale complexes, built en masse during the communist era, were for years disregarded – as it turned out – due to their political connotations. As the initial aversion faded, the sentiment towards prefabricated concrete housing changed as well. Today, we appreciate its modern urban planning with vast areas of greenery, public spaces, necessary infrastructure and access to public transport.

Polish architecture of the early 21st century is something to be proud of. We have constructed many attractive buildings with various programmes, designed by Polish and foreign architects (many of the projects were selected in international or national competitions) and financed by both private and public investors. Looking for commonalities between buildings valued for their high aesthetic and functional qualities, we can conclude that public buildings dominate the selection. Among them, culture is the programme with the strongest representation. Providing Polish cities and towns with spaces for culture and socialisation, which until then had been scarce, is undoubtedly one of the greatest achievements of the recent decades. Attractive museums and theatres have a nationwide appeal, but smaller cultural centres and libraries tailored to local needs are just as carefully designed. In Polish architecture, culture is represented by global icons such as the Szczecin Philharmonic, but also by neighbourhood facilities such as the network of Local Activity Centres that have been established in various regions the country.

What about physical culture? Buildings for leisure activities should also be recognised. Among them are developments that extend the concept of recreation to include the necessary concern for the protection of the environment – particularly important today, as we see ecosystems being wiped out before our eyes. The Centre for Biodiversity Research and

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2 On 1 May 2004 Poland joined the European Union together with nine other countries: Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Malta, Slovakia, Slovenia and Hungary. Efforts to join began in 1993 and were made possible by the political and economic transformation initiated in 1989.

Anna Cymer

Education near Mikołajki, the Bobrowisko Nature Enclave in Stary Sącz or the piers on the Słupca Lake show that architecture can combine leisure with the protection and respectful observation of nature, without sacrificing formal attractiveness.

A well-designed and functional building can help integrate the community, become a sense of pride or a landmark of the neighbourhood and thus contribute to local identity. Many of the buildings constructed in the last three decades have changed the landscape of Polish cities in exactly this way. They not only attract tourists, but also influence the life of the city and its appearance. The Stara Kopalnia Centre for Science and Art in Wałbrzych, the Przystań Bydgoszcz and the neighbouring Rother’s Mills, the Museum of Fire in Żory and the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic in Białystok may represent a more restrained approach to architecture than grand visionary icons, but they have certainly had an equally significant positive impact on their surroundings.

If we analyse the architectural heritage of recent decades, the regional diversity stands out above all of its features. Although Poland may seem like a culturally homogenous country, where local traditions are secondary to national ones, the regions, united by a common understanding of shared Polish historical legacy, have preserved their own climate, character and historic origins. These traits are reflected in various ways in the architecture. Projects such as the Olsztyn-Śródmieście transportation hub with a memorial to the former Protestant cemetery, the Great Synagogue Memorial Park in Oświęcim and the transformation of a mound built from the wartime rubble of Warsaw into a beautiful, internationally acclaimed park, required great sensitivity and respect for local history in order not to disturb the tragic origins of these places. Memorial sites carry a similar gravity. They occupy an important place on the map and in the culture of a country whose history is so painfully marked by wars, mass murders, shifting borders and displacement. There are many architectural concepts for commemorating difficult and tragic events, all of which are tailored to local circumstances.

The memorial complex in Bełżec, the Ulma Family Museum of Poles saving Jews during World War II in Markowa and the Katyń Museum on the Warsaw Citadel all have a distinct scale and character.

An attachment to local specificities, history and context is also typical of projects in which historic buildings are remodelled to fulfil a new function. The readaptation of existing structures is a common approach across Europe. Initially, it was about protecting historic monuments and preserving old forms by giving them a new purpose, however it is currently gaining interest due to the growing concerns about the impact of new construction on the climate crisis. Buildings in Żnin, Wałbrzych, Katowice, Łódź and Gdynia, which have fallen into oblivion or were no longer needed in their original form, have been given a second chance and a new lease of life. This in turn preserves and saves parts of the local heritage for new generations.

Appreciating the local conditions in architectural designs unique to their context need not be tied to a tragic past or post-industrial heritage. The attractive and majestic Manggha Museum for Japanese Art and Technology could not have been built anywhere else. Only on the banks of the Vistula in Kraków, the undulating line of its roof makes sense and is

114

115

easy to read. A geometric ravine in the roof of the International Congress Centre in Katowice, which is intended to recall a street that no longer exists there, would lose its meaning in another location; as would the stone walls of the European Centre for Geological Education in Chęciny and the brick fragments in the facades of the Jordanki Cultural and Congress Centre in Toruń. In a globalised world, ideas and patterns are copied and reused in a matter of seconds, while architecture detached from its context is commonly accepted as universal. It is therefore necessary to appreciate buildings that derive their design from an understanding of historical, spatial, cultural and social circumstances.

If we wish to create an architectural environment that is worthwhile, we must learn to value the heritage of past eras, even if we do not necessarily view it with favour. The closer we get to the present day, the more difficult it is to find respect for the past, for regionality and local needs.

In recent years, we have lost many buildings from the second half of the 20th century, simply because we did not recognise their significance before it was too late. The most brilliant examples of post-war modernism have been demolished, just like the key representative of Polish postmodernism – the Solpol department store. Fortunately, gems such as the modernist Okrąglak in Poznań or the socialist realist Zagłębie Palace of Culture in Dąbrowa Górnicza have been restored to their former glory. The new Centre for the Meeting of Cultures in Lublin preserved material traces of the first, momentous visions for the building dating back to the 1970s. An appreciation for the past was a driving factor in the initiatives to rebuild city centres destroyed during the Second World War that were established in the 1980s and 1990s.

In contrast to the first wave of post-war reconstruction, which prioritised the restoration of specific buildings, the architects focused on recreating the urban fabric with contemporary architecture based on the characteristics of its historic predecessors.

While we struggled with accepting most of the post-war heritage, religious buildings erected during that period have remained in favour.

The construction of thousands of churches in a country that proclaimed an ideological secularity, and could even be considered anti-religious, is a phenomenon that has yet to be fully examined and reported. Tangible evidence of its legacy are the many original and unique surviving churches that operate to this day. They epitomise a high quality of design, but also an unconventional approach to the notion of the Sacred.

Understanding heritage is not only achieved through design concepts, but also through talking about architecture, learning about it, observing it and even… arguing about it. Bringing architectural topics into the public debate and into the catalogue of passions and interests of local residents is no less important than constructing award-winning buildings.

Issues related to urbanism and architecture, better city planning, the preservation of heritage, but also simply a better grasp of the space around us are presented by urban collectives and activists, multiple publishers (the 21st century is also the time of supplementing the missing publications about architecture), enthusiasts, experts and even the residents themselves. Guided tours, neighbourhood walks, debates and exhibitions are also a valuable sign of our times. Almost every city has its own groups and organisations popularising the exploration of urban space, but there are also supra-local

initiatives that encourage visiting architecture in other cities. The trails of modern architecture in Gdynia and Katowice, the postmodern trail in Kraków, the trail of Silesian industrial monuments and the trail of wooden architecture in Podlasie are invaluable for promoting and expanding the knowledge about regional heritage, while also inspiring local travel.

There is no uniform architecture in Poland. It is impossible to distinguish a dominant style or an overarching idea. Private investors, local governments and cultural institutions finance buildings of unusual diversity, which are contemporary and sometimes innovative in very different ways, regardless of scale. Regional differences, formal trends, investors’ aspirations, complexes and dreams manifest themselves in today’s buildings in particular ways. After the period of systemic transformation, it is architecture that fully and compellingly tells the story of what we have become after regaining our political and economic freedom.

Anna Cymer

Anna Cymer – architecture historian

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Space Is Our Common Good Bolesław Stelmach

117

BS: The mission of the National Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning is to promote architecture as an artistic discipline. Through exhibitions, education, research and publishing, NIAiU strengthens the social awareness and responsibility for the common space and promotes Polish architectural and urban culture. NIAiU conducts research and reports its findings in seminars, publications, exhibitions, films, podcasts and educational activities.

The Institute was established in 2017 by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage. A natural partner of the Institute in the fulfilment of its mission is the community of Polish architects and urban planners – it is the Polish Architects’ Association and the National Chamber of Polish Architects, which for years have been advocating for the establishment of the Institute.

Furthermore, NIAiU cooperates with other cultural institutions, non-governmental organisations and local experts to promote Polish architecture and the care of the common space.

One of the foundations of NIAiU’s activities is the documentation and research of the legacy of Polish architects active after 1945. The Institute acquires and studies the collections of prominent theoreticians and practitioners, such as the archives of Professor Teresa Zarębska, Professor Tadeusz P. Szafer, Professor Bolesław Malisz, Wojciech Zabłocki or the Bulanda Mucha Architecture Studio.

NIAiU has organised exhibitions dedicated to notable Polish architects: Zbigniew Karpiński (2019, Warsaw), Jan Bogusławski (2024, Warsaw) or Maciej and Stanisława Nowicki (2024, New York; 2024, Raleigh; 2025, Warsaw), as well as urgent themes of contemporary architecture: Antropocen (Anthropocene; 2022, Warsaw; 2023, Wrocław). Each of our exhibitions is accompanied by a printed catalogue and educational programme. NIAiU’s noteworthy publications include the Polish editions of the Thinkers for Architects series and translations of several books by Joseph Rykwert. Our books are characterised by high editorial quality and are designed with great attention to detail, providing something compelling for children and adults, researchers and students – for anyone interested in architecture.

Among the Institute’s oeuvre is the Tożsamość. 100 lat polskiej architektury (Identity. 100 Years of Polish Architecture, 2019) exhibition and the accompanying catalogue. It presented the phenomenon of Polish architecture through assigned themes and across five decades of the 20th century, exhibited in five cities: Kraków (Art, 1918 –1939), Warsaw (Power; 1939 –1955), Lublin (Society; 1956 –1970), Poznań (Transfer, 1970 –1989) and

Bolesław Stelmach

Katowice (Transformation, 1989 –2018). During its second edition in 2022, the exhibition explored the local architectural context in six other cities: Bydgoszcz, Łódź, Szczecin, Gdańsk, Olsztyn and Radom. The educational project Mozaika lokalnych tożsamości (Mosaic of Local Identities), the accompanying events and map publication, as well as this folder continue the efforts to publicise contemporary Polish architecture with regard to its regional identities.

To learn more about the Institute and its current affairs visit: www.niaiu.pl

Bolesław Stelmach – Director of the National Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning

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Object Index

p. 9

Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship 7 Rother's Mills Renovation 8 Żnin Sugar Plant Renovation 9 Jordanki Cultural and Congress Centre 10 Przystań Bydgoszcz 11 BiT City Transportation Hub 12 Znaki Czasu Centre of Contemporary Art

p. 19

Lublin + Subcarpathian Voivodeships 13 Centre for the Meeting of Cultures 14 Bełżec Museum and Memorial Site 15 Ulma Family Museum of Poles Saving Jews in World War II 16 Hydrotherapy Centre 17 Modernisation and expansion of the University of Rzeszów 18 National Museum of the Przemyśl Land

p. 29

Lubusz + Greater Poland Voivodeships 19 Okrąglak Renovation 20 Słupca Lake Piers 21 Gorzów Philharmonic Artistic Education Centre 22 Bałtyk 23 Library of the University of Zielona Góra 24 Fala Park

p. 39

Object Index

Lower Silesian + Opole Voivodeship 1 Miedzianka Shaft 2 Stara Kopalnia Science and Art Centre 3 Afrykarium-Oceanarium of the Wrocław ZOO 4 Artpunkt Art Education Centre 5 Siechnice Municipality Office and Town Hall 6 Solpol Department Store

Łódź + Masovian Voivodeships p. 49 25 Warsaw Uprising Mound Park 26 Księży Młyn Revitalisation 27 Museums at the Warsaw Citadel: Polish History Museum, Polish Army Museum, Katyń Museum, Museum of the X Pavilion of the Warsaw Citadel 28 Expansion of the Fryderyk Chopin Museum and restoration of the Museum Park 29 Warsaw Breweries 30 Błonie Food Market Lesser Poland Voivodeship 31 CRICOTEKA Centre for Documentation of the Art of Tadeusz Kantor 32 Bobrowisko Nature Enclave 33 Great Synagogue Memorial Park in Oświęcim 34 Tourist Service Facilities at the Tatra National Park 35 Manggha Museum of Japanese Art and Technology 36 Higher Theological Seminary of the Resurrectionist Fathers

p. 59

Podlaskie + Warmian-Masurian Voivodeships p. 69 37 Ukiel Sports and Leisure Centre 38 Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic 39 KUMAK Mazurian Centre for Biodiversity Research and Education 40 Reconstruction of the Old Town in Elbląg according to the Retroversion method 41 Water Sports Centre – Kayaking Station 42 Commemoration of the former Evangelical Cemetery, construction of the Olsztyn-Śródmieście Transportation Hub

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Pomeranian + West Pomeranian Voivodeships 43 European Solidarity Centre 44 Emigration Museum – conversion of the 1930s Marine Station 45 Mieczysław Karłowicz Philharmonic in Szczecin 46 Gdańsk Shakespeare Theatre 47 Siekierki – Neurüdnitz European Bridge 48 Church of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary

p. 79

Silesian Voivodeship 49 Culture Zone: International Congress Centre, Silesian Museum, National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra 50 Museum of Fire 51 Concert Hall 52 Church of St Francis of Assisi and St Clare in Tychy 53 Rybnik-Kłokocin Local Activity Centre 54 Dom Manifest (Manifesto House)

p. 89

Holy Cross Voivodeship 55 Stefan Żeromski City Park in Starachowice 56 Wietrznia Geoeducation Centre 57 European Centre for Geological Education 58 Ostrowiec Brewery of Culture 59 Graduation Tower in Busko-Zdrój 60 Mausoleum of the Martyrdom of Polish Villages

p. 99

Colophon Editors: Marta Baranowska and Kacper Kępiński Design and typesetting: Katarzyna Nestorowicz Copy editing and translations: Natalia Raczkowska Introductory texts on the voivodeships: editorial team Production: Dominik Witaszczyk Coordination: Marta Baranowska Photo licensing: Marta Baranowska, Dominik Witaszczyk, Katarzyna Nestorowicz Photoediting: Tomasz Kubaczyk Communications: Dominik Witaszczyk, Aleksandra Zaszewska Printed by: Drukarnia Efekt Piotrowski sp.j.

Financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, Warsaw 2024

Photo credits [1] Juliusz Sokołowski, courtesy of KWK PROMES Robert Konieczny, [2,15] courtesy of Nizio Design, [3] Jarosław Ceborski, [4] Wojciech Wilczyk, [5] Maciej Lulko, [6] Mirosław Łanowiecki, courtesy of Muzeum Architektury, [7] Marcin Zaborowski, [8] courtesy of Grupa Arche, [9, 19, 45, 51] Jakub Certowicz, [11] Piotr Krajewski, [12] courtesy of Centrum Sztuki Współczesnej "Znaki Czasu" in Toruń, [10, 13, 16, 28, 55, 60] Marcin Czechowicz, [14] Grzegorz Dąbrowski, [17] courtesy of S.T. Architekci, [18] courtesy of Muzeum Narodowe Ziemi Przemyskiej, [20, 40] Kuba Rodziewicz, [21] Katarzyna Wojtowicz, [22] Przemysław Turlej, [23] Wojciech Kryński, [24] Bartosz Makowski, [25] Michał Szlaga, [26] Rafał Tomczyk, [27] Daniel Ciesielski, [29] Juliusz Sokołowski, [30] Nate Cook, [31] Grzegorz Mart, [33] Piotr Strycharski, [32] Dominik Witaszczyk, [34] Magda Rząsa, [35] Kamil A. Krajewski, [36] Marta Baranowska, [37] Paweł Pająk, [38] Michał Heller (OiFP), [39] Krystian Woźnialis, [41] Bartosz Dworski, [42] Karol Nadolny, [43] Harald Gatermann, [44] Monika Michałek, Gdyński Modernizm w Obiektywie contest, [46] Rafał Malko i Dawid Linkowski, courtesy of Gdański Teatr Szekspirowski, [47] Anna Nowokuńska-Maksymiuk, [48] Jacek Walo, [49] Wojciech Radwański, [50] Tomasz Zakrzewski, [52] Aleksandra Zaszewska, [53] Michał Jędrzejowski, courtesy of MWArchitekci, [54] Michał Jędrzejowski, [57, 58, 59] Tomasz Kubaczyk, [56] Krzysztof Pęczalski, from the archives of Geonatura Kielce Please be advised that every effort has been made to reach all copyright holders. Please contact us if there is no relevant reference.

We would like to express our appreciation to everyone who has helped to shape contemporary Polish architecture and create good common spaces.

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123

Object Index

Baltic Sea 44 Gdynia

Słupsk

Sopot

Gdańsk 43 46 Koszalin Malbork

48 Świnoujście

45 Szczecin Bydgoszcz 10 7 11 47

8 21 Gorzów Wielkopolski

9

Toruń 12

Włocław

22 19 Poznań

23 Zielona Góra

Gniezno

20

24

Ostrów Wielkopolski

Żary

6 3 Wrocław 5 Jelenia Góra

1

4 Opole

2

Wałbrzych

Często

Nysa Kędzierzyn-Koźle

54 49 Katowic 52 53 50 51

Bielsko-B

Poland Elbląg

40

Suwałki

39

42 37 Olsztyn

41

Ełk

Łomża

38 Białystok

wek

Płock

28

30

Łowicz

29 27

25 Warsaw

Siedlce

Łódź 26 Puławy

16

Radom

Piotrków Trybunalski

Lublin 13

Starachowice

57

ochowa

56 60 Kielce

55

59

Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski

58

Zamość

Stalowa Wola

14

4

ce 33

Kraków 36 31 35

Rzeszów 15 17 18

Przemyśl

Biała

32 34

Zakopane

Nowy Sącz

126

Object Index