Motywy klasycyzujące w architekturze polskiej początku XX wieku – nurty i odmiany

Abstract

Classicising motifs in Polish architecture at the beginning of the 20th century: currents and variants

At the start of the 20th century an intensive search took place for new solutions in European architecture, in a variety of directions. There was an increasing tendency towards limiting and eventually eliminating detail and applying simplified, geometric forms, together with the widespread use of new constructional solutions, chiefly reinforced concrete techniques. The result was the emergence between the years 1905 and 1914 of a modernist current, which may be described by the term “early modernism”. One of the significant currents at this time was a return to forms having a classical ancestry, which restored to architecture aspects of simplicity, dignity, logic and objectivity, described by the term neoclassicism. This current made its distinctive presence felt in Polish lands, while assuming a specific character.
Classical motifs accompanied innovative works using reinforced concrete construction, as well as structures more traditional in form, intended for public use, sacral buildings, and residential blocks. The style known as “circa 1800”, of German origin and applied in certain Polish regions, likewise made reference to classical solutions, as did the “manor house style”, which belonged to the current of the search for national forms. Neoclassicism also continued to be applied after the First World War.