Zachodni Rejon Centrum w kontekście historii powojennego rozwoju zabudowy Śródmieścia Warszawy

Abstract

Western Center Area in the context of post-war Warsaw urban development

This article briefly presents the history of a largely unbuilt urban project called the Western Center Area (Zachodni Rejon Centrum). Firstly a brief historical context is drawn, focused on the results of wartime destruction brought upon Warsaw, and the early post-war rebuilding projects. The narrative is followed by a quick sketch of the communist cultural agendas in the 1950s, and their influence on the rebuilding process and urban development – firstly the strict Stalinist ideas, exemplified by monumental socialist-realism projects, and the “modernist revival” instigated by the 1956 political shift (the so-called “Thaw”). The aforementioned “modernist revival” resulted in new, large-scale, state-funded urban projects, that aimed to transform Warsaw into a modern metropolis, while also displaying the capabilities of the socialist state. The largest of them, constructed between 1961 and 1970, called the “Eastern Wall” (Ściana Wschodnia), was an ambitious and architecturally consistent project, that combined housing, trade, service and leisure. It also paved the way for the implementation of high rise architecture in the vicinity of the dominant Culture and Science Palace (Pałac Kultury i Nauki). After that the narrative switches to the western part of the city centre, describing the architectural projects the predated the Western Centre Area, and impacted its future development. Then the project itself is presented, with a brief analysis of its programme, aims, brief formal analysis, and followed by the history of its partial completion. This part ends with a quick stylistic analysis, highlighting the project’s clear connections with western architecture and international modernist aesthetics. The aim of this article is to bring attention to highly interesting history of the post-war development of Warsaw Midtown (Śródmieście). The Western Center Area was supposed to be the highlight of the 1970s vision of a modern capital, aimed specifically at fulfilling the needs of tourists from across the world. Its ideas remain potent well into this day, and still shape the capital’s image.