ARCHITECTURE OF BREST-ON-THE-BUG IN THE

MICHA  PSZCZÓ KOWSKI

Architecture of the Second Polish Republic has In the period of the First Polish Republic, Brest been widely exploring for some years. Yet, when it was a city of great importance due to its central comes to the Borderland cities, there is still much to location. The signi [ cance was huge as the city was discover. Even if we take into account only voivode- situated on the border of Polish, Lithuanian and ship cities, it is no more than Lvov that is relatively Ruthenian lands (Fig. 1). In 1569, as a result of well portrayed 1; to some extent also Vilnius 2 and new administrative division pursuant to the Union Stanyslaviv 3. Other cities, not to men- of Lublin, strong in terms of politics and culture tion towns, have not been the subject of Brest became the capital of the Brest-Lithuanian interest of Polish architecture historians. This is the voivodeship and perfomed this function till the par- consequence of a small number of source materials. titions. Unfortunately, no trace of this ancient past In the most in \ uential interwar architectural bulle- has been left. In 1831, according to the decision tin ‘Architektura i Budownictwo’ (‘Architecture and of Russian authorities, the city was almost com- Construction’) Borderland architecture appeared pletely destroyed and one of the largest fortresses very rarely. In the scope of interest of the maga- in the world appeared in its place. A few kilome- zine were mainly and the centre of . ters north-east from the fortress a new city ‘look- When in 1935 an issue of ‘AiB’ was dedicated to ing like a huge village’ 5 with a grid plan rose up ‘110 reproductions of different buildings (…) which (Fig. 2). The following years brought no change may present progress in Polish contemporary archi- for better. On the contrary, the construction sites in tecture’ 4 only two pictures showed buildings from Brest became stagnant because, due to the fortress, the Borderlands: post of [ ce in Równe and health- the authorities allowed only wooden buildings. The care fund in Czortków. The latter one was wrongly brick ones were allowed exlusively in special cases labeled as public insurance company in Bielsk. and they had to be adjusted to certain height 6. After Yet, there is no doubt that in Borderland cities the [ re in 1901 7 more brick buildings appeared, yet there appeared a number of buildings characterized these were not the monumental or prestigious ones. with high architectural quality. Thus, they deserve Majority of the buildings from the [ rst decades of being placed in the history of Polish architecture. the 20 th century was quite small (two \ oors) and Brest is one of them. An average inhabitant of modest. They were based on simpli [ ed forms of Poland or associates the city primarily with the Russian Revival style (Fig. 3). World War I was the fortress that was built by the during ‘the nail in the cof [ n’ for the city. As the result the partitions. However, the most rapid growth of of it 2,500 out of 3,670 houses were destroyed. It Brest was seen in the interwar period, when the constitued almost 70 per cent of a total number of city became the voivodeship seat. The result of this houses in Brest 8. growth was the largest in Belarus number of exam- On the 9 th of February 1919 9, Polish troops ples of interwar Polish architecture. entered the city. This meant the end of the partitions

1 R. Ciel =tkowska, Architektura i urbanistyka Lwowa II Rze- 4 Od Redakcji , „Architektura i Budownictwo”, XI, 1935, no 5, czypospolitej , Zblewo 1998. p. 1. 2 E. Ma achowicz, Wilno. Dzieje – architektura – cmentarze , 5 W. Mondalski, Brze V4 Podlaski. Zarys geogra [ czno-histo- Wroc aw 1996; E. Ma achowicz, Architektura dwudziestole- ryczny , Turek 1929, p. 17. cia mi Bdzywojennego w Wilnie , in: Architektura i urbanistyka 6 Sownik geogra [ czny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów w Polsce w latach 1918–1978 , ed. W. Puget, Warszawa 1989, sowia Lskich , ed. F. Sulimierski, B. Chlebowski, W. Walewski, pp. 121-141; J. Poklewski, Polskie bycie artystyczne w mi Bdzy- Warszawa 1880-1914, vol. I, p. 402. wojennym Wilnie , Toru L 1994. 7 W. Mondalski, op. cit., p. 19. 3 M. Pszczó kowski, Architektura Stanis awowa w latach II 8 H. Dudek, Odbudowa kraju , in: Dziesi Bciolecie Polski Odro- Rzeczypospolitej , in: Stan bada L nad wielokulturowym dziedzic- dzonej 1918–1928 , ed. M. D =browski, Kraków 1929, p. 424. twem dawnej Rzeczypospolitej , ed. W. Walczak, K. opatecki, 9 W. Mondalski, op. cit., p. 96. vol. IV, Bia ystok 2013, pp. 383-416.

26 period and the beginning of a brand new era in the beginning. Consequently, the attempt of moving the history of Brest. In the city there appeared a num- capital to was abandoned. ber of state and municipal institutions, county of [ ce Brest, since 1923 called Brest-on-the-Bug (for- and city council. The war with the did merly Brest-Litovsk), became the seat of numerous not omit Brest. Nevertheless, the loss was not sig- voivodeship and district institutions: Voivodeship ni [ cant. On the 1 st of August 1920 the Bolsheviks Of [ ce, Voivodeship State Police Headquarter, conquered the city, yet no major damage was made. County of Brest, Regional Council of the Dis- After one month Brest came again under the author- trict, Tax Of [ ce, School Inspectorate, Polesie Dis- ity of the Polish state 10 . trict School Board, Regional Chamber of Control, After establishing the territory of Poland the Waterways Of [ ce, Designs of Land Improvement lands situated in the eastern regions of the country Company in Polesie, Employment Service Of [ ce, were dividied into six : Vilnius, Now- District Land Of [ ce and the local department of ogródek, Polesie, , Tarnopol and Stanis- District Court in Pinsk. Brest Fortress became the lawow one. The largest (42 280 km 2) and the most seat of the Polish Army garrison and Command centrally located area of Polesie by the decision Corps District No. 9, one of the Ten Commands from the19th of February 1921 became the Polesie Corps District (territorial authority of the Ministry Voivodeship whose capital city was Pinsk. This was of Military Affairs). In 1935 population in Brest quite obvious as Pinsk was at that time the largest amounted to 50,282 people, including 22,250 Polish one in Polesie. Moreover, it was signi [ cantly bigger citizens. 53 per cent of the population was Jewish 13 . than the other cities in the area and located in the The new situation contributed to the urban and heart of Polesie Voivodeship. However, due to the architectural development of Brest. War dam- fact that in Pinsk there did not exist any building age was the additional motivation to rebuild the monumental enough to become the city hall, the city. Besides, the lands that had been taken by the decision was made that the temporary capital city Russians as well as so-called annexed provinces, was organized in Brest 11 . This decision proved fate- i.e. the eastern provinces, which before 1918 had ful. In August 1921 [ re broke out in Pinsk and Brest belonged to the Russian Empire, in the interwar remained the capital city for good. Establishing the period required a substantial range of investments. capital city in Brest was controversial and doubt- Luck, Brest and Rowne were nothing like Poznan, ful, mainly due to the fact that the city was situated Krakow and Torun. In the cities of the former Prus- on the outskirts of the voivodeship. Furthermore, sian partition 90 per cent of buildings were made it was heavily destroyed after World War I. On the of brick, whereas in the Borderlands relations were top of that, Brest was a city that belonged to Pod- exactly the opposite: 80-90 per cent of buildings lasie, therefore foreign to Polesie region in terms of were wooden. Rarely were they more than one \ oor history. It was said in 1929: ‘Brest has been a part buildings. Moreover, they were often covered with of Polesie Voivodeship as a temporary seat of the thatched roofs. Borderlands cities did not have sew- Voivodeship Of [ ce up till this day, even though in ers, regulated street designs and suf [ cient munici- fact the seat should be in Pinsk’ 12 . The conlusion is pal services. Even large centers were characterized that temporary character of Brest as a capital city rather with a rural structure, e.g. in Luck – the cap- was a fact at least till the end of the 1920s. In the ital of Volhynia Voivodeship – in 1923 there were meantime however, Brest became stable when it only 480 brick buildings while the total number of comes to administration. Also, the number of peo- buildings was 2051 14 . ple got bigger, especially Polish citizens (Fig. 4). In In the [ rst decade of the interwar period rural such situation, transfering the capital back to Pinsk image of Brest and the lack of historical city centre would mean liquidation of all Brest of [ cies, which with ancient buildings (which was the consequence contributed to prosperity, emptying new public of liquidation of the historic city in the 19 th cen- buildings and organizing the capital city from the tury) were striking (Fig. 5). Even though in Brest

10 Kronika powsta L polskich 1794–1944 , Warszawa 1994, 13 M. Marczak, Przewodnik po Polesiu , Brze V4 nad Bugiem p. 360. 1935, p. 54. 11 „Monitor Polski”, III, 1921, no 55, paragraph 97. 14 uck w Vwietle faktów i cyfr , uck 1925, p. 174. 12 W. Mondalski, op. cit., p. 97.

27 there operated fourteen banks, probably due to the popular opinion of Brest as a city of ruins and rub- expected bene [ cial economic situation, this signif- ble. In additional, in the city there was neither water icant number of money institutions did not trigger supply nor sanitiation; no sidewalks or pavements. the economic growth and served mainly the small- Undoubtedly, the image of Brest must have been scale trade 15 . At the same time, 824 houses with rather depressing. 3,714 rooms were built and the urban infrastructure It goes without saying that introducing monu- signi [ cantly improved 16 ; however, there was no mental and prestigious architecture was very much factual urban design and the buildings were placed important. There were several reasons for that. in a rather chaotic way, i.e. next to one-, two- or Firstly, state buildings had to obtain representative three- \ oor houses there were still small wooden forms. Secondly, certain architectural landmarks buildings. The streets (including the main ones) in needed to be incorporated in the urban image of the areas away from the centre still kept their rural Brest. Before that, Brest did not have any archi- character 17 . It was no surprising though as even tectural dominants. Regardless of the metropolitan in the centre large areas were earmarked to grow character of the city, splendid buildings were to potatoes 18 . demonstrate power and stability of the Polish state. In 1929 Brest City Council introduced the proj- Yet, in the Borderlands it was also crucial because ect entitled ‘The Great Brest’ 19 , whose aim was to of the policy of so called polonization of these lands integrate the centre with the suburban areas. In this and legitimization of historical Polish rights in this way the authorities wanted to develop the city archi- region. It was immensely important as local peo- tecture, embody new regulation design and, conse- ple believed that Polish authority was rather pro- quently, create new great urban centre. However, visional. That is why public buildings in the [ rst including large but sparsely populated rural suburbs years of independence were dominated by national in the urban tissue caused that the provincial image stylistics 22 . of Brest was even more evident. ‘The Great Brest’ Manifestation of a social climate in the early seemed to have been a daunting task. It was said years of the Second Republic was an architectural in 1929: ‘architecture of wooden houses, built usu- tendency called traditionalism. The characteristic ally on the model of “residential chests” and painted feature of this trend was using typical elements and with parrot colors like in the “Middle East”, recently, details of Polish historical architecture. Regained due to the authoritative requirement, covered with independence was the reason for romantic concep- monotonous iron-gray color, leaves its predominant tion of patriotism seen through the prism of the and overwhelming imprint’ 20 . Lingering war dam- splendor of ancient noble Poland. Pre-war publi- age did not in \ uence the whole situation in a pos- cations, especially those by Stefan Szyller (who itive way. In 1929 the afterwar reconstruction was had searched for the individual stylistics of Polish still incompleted and plenty of the houses were still architecture), provided the architects with the range in ruins 21 . These circumstances contributed to the of forms 23 . According to Szyller, typically Polish

15 W. Mondalski, op. cit., p. 27. 22 „Referring the style (...) to the traditions of Polish architec- 16 As for the signi [ cant work done by the municipal author- ture, we will continue the work of our ancestors carrying the ities in this time, there should be listed: measurements of the Polish culture to the East, we will rid the local people of the city, laying new pavements on some of the streets, provisional unbearable and, unfortunately, quite widespread impression of launching of the aqueduct, construction of the power station, Polish provisional government in the eastern borders of the Re- the reconstruction of two- \ oor building of primary schools, public”; Budowa domów dla urz Bdników pa Lstwowych w wo- storm drain regulation, working out and issuing local regula- jewództwach wschodnich , Warszawa 1925, p. 12. tions pursuant to the Regulation of President of Polish Republic 23 S. Szyller, Polsko V4 w architekturze , „ Uwiat”, II, 1907, on the building law from 1928, organizing municipal park (Park no 23, pp. 2-3; idem, O attykach polskich i polskich dachach of Liberty), a partial extension of the municipal slaughterhouse, wkl Bsych , Warszawa 1909; idem, Czy mamy polsk = architek- organizing veterinary clinic and professional [ re brigade; tur B?, Warszawa 1916; idem, Tradycya budownictwa ludowego H. Dudek, op. cit., p. 424. w architekturze polskiej , Warszawa 1917; idem, „Uparogi”. 17 W. Mondalski, op. cit., p 23. Studyum z dziedziny architektury i wierze L ludowych , „Tygo- 18 Ibidem, p. 101. dnik Ilustrowany”, LIX, 1918, no 6, pp. 66-67, no 7, p. 80; 19 Ibidem, p. 17. idem, Dwudzia  w architekturze polskiej , „Przegl =d Tech- 20 Ibidem, p 27. niczny”, XLVI, 1920, no 7, pp. 31-32, no 13, pp. 67-68, no 15, 21 Ibidem, p.19. pp. 80-81.

28 details were: so called Polish attic, the Dutch gable ings in Brest, Pinsk, Zamo V4 , Luck, Baranowicze, roof and so-called Polish roof (a two-storey hipped Bialystok, Grodno, Jaslo, Królewska Huta, Gdynia, roof), wide box cornices, archways, buttresses, dec- Ostrów Wielkopolski and Bielsko-Bia a. Bank of orative volutes and balls in gables and attics, \ èches, Poland had its own design of [ ce (Technical Branch Renaissance portals and squat (barrel-like) columns of Administrative Deaprtment of Bank of Poland) 24 with simpli [ ed capitals. and the author of almost all designs was Stanis aw The most evident example of traditionalism in Filasiewicz, an architect and the head of Technical Brest is the railway station building. Railway sta- Branch in 1924-1939. He might be called the ‘court’ tions, emerging in abundance in the years 1919-1926 architect of Bank of Poland 25 . due to the railways development, present traditional The [ rst bank building funded by Bank of Poland stylistics in the most spectacular way. In the par- appeared in Brest. The style incorporated there was titions period Brest station had typical features of neoclassicism as a continuation of historical archi- so called Russian Revival style. In the 1920s it was tecture. Apart from traditionalism, neoclasicissm extended with new, signi [ cantly bigger, dominat- was another popular stylistics when it comes to ing part (Fig. 6). Here, traditionalism was proved interwar public buildings. Classical details were by light silhouette, deprived of academic rigidity, reliable and safe way to obtain representation and tall semicular windows that referred to Renaissance dignity required by the state architecture. Moreover, arcades, gable derived from Baroque religious archi- they were secure in terms of aesthetic since they tecture, tall Polish roofs with oeil-de-boeuf and, referred to universal principles. The bank mentioned [ rst of all, Polish attic, which was believed to have here consists of two perpendicular wings shaped as been purely Polish architectural detail. Also build- rectangulars. They are joined by the middle part ing colours were characteristic, the elevations were desinged in a circular shape. One wing was devoted white and the roofs red. Now, Brest station does not to bank chambers. In the other one there were \ ats exist in its interwar form. After World War II it was for the of [ cials. The middle part, which in fact is rebuilt, but got the features typical of socrealism. a rotunda, is articulated with Ionic half- and quarter The most prestigious buildings in Brest were columns and crowned with entablature, railing and located along Union of Lublin Street (currently not too high dome. Elevations of both perpendic- Lenin Steet, Fig. 7). In the 1920s and 1930s there ular parts are vertically articulated and their ranks appeared a number of splendid public buildings that – regardless of the size but due to the function – are have been the hallmark of this period in the history varied. The one with bank chambers is decorated of Brest. In terms of a urban design and scale they with pilasters, and the housing one with modest comprise coherent whole. Still, when it comes to pilaster strips. architecture, they present diversi [ ed and original set Another public building in Union of Lublin of forms. The examples of certain buildings that are Street was Tax Chamber (currently Administration placed next to each other show process of interwar of Lenin District, 13 Lenin St., Fig. 9), designed architecture evolution. in 1928 by Witold Ma kowski from Design Of [ ce The oldest building of the abovementioned group in Vilnius 26 . Building presents features typical of is Bank of Poland designed in 1925 (currently so called modern classicism. Here, the architects National Bank of Belarus, 9 Lenina St., Fig. 8). used regular and symmetrical compositions and the Bank of Poland as an institution was signi [ cant for architectural orders were implemented as ‘quotes’ in Polish economy in the interwar period because it the most representative parts of the building. In the was an issuing bank of Polish currency. Polish banks other parts details were more or less simpli [ ed, in operated on a large scale in terms of organizing their a way which was not typical of neoclassicism and new branches, especially in eastern voivodeships. clearly inspired with the principles of modernism. In years 1925-1932 there appeared new bank build- The façade of the Tax Chamber building presents

24 Dziesi Bciolecie dzia alno Vci budowlanej Banku Polskiego , Brest is attributed to Marian Lalewicz; compare: J. Pruszy Lski, „Architektura i Budownictwo”, VI, 1930, no 4-5, p. 122. Prof. Marian Lalewicz (1876–1944) , „Kwartalnik Architektury 25 S. Stefa Lski, Ludzie, którzy zbudowali ód `. Leksykon archi- i Urbanistyki”, XXXVIII, 1993, no 1, p. 65. tektów i budowniczych miasta (do 1939 roku) , ód ` 2009, 26 The Central Archives of Modern Records (AAN), Records p. 54. In older literature on the subject, design of the bank in of the Ministry of the Interior 1918–1939 (MSW), no. 2414.

29 one of the most frequently used designs: the middle the glass staircase in the building, he created a kind avant-corps is decorated with four \ at Ionic pilas- of vertical dominant which strongly underlined the ters, and the side parts are articulated with wide \ at architectural form of the whole composition. Such pilaster strips which apparently prove the in \ uence design was widely used, e.g. in secondary school of modernism. in Piekary Ul=skie or Institute of Food Products Yet another version of neoclassicism is Regional Research in Katowice. At the moment, the building Chamber of the State Control 27 (currently local is being extended, which contributed to the loss of branch of KGB, 7 Lenin St., Fig. 10). Certain inspi- its original proportions. rations of so called revolutionary classicism popu- The capstone of the buildings in Union of Lublin lar in France in the 18 th century may be observed Street became the youngest and the most prestigious here. Characteristic detail of this kind of architec- public building – Voivodeship Of [ ce (currently ture, used by Claude-Nicolas Ledoux, was ‘column Regional Executive Committee, 11 Lenin St.) in chains’, i.e. a column compassed with horizon- that was built in years 1935-1938. This was time tal, rhythmical strips. In Polish interwar architecture when architecture achieved certain compromise columns of this type appeared in buildings whose on the form. Avant-garde functionalism deprived forms were simpli [ ed, brutal and monumental, e.g. of any historical decorations was still popular, but Trade and Industry Chamber in Lodz or Ministry also traditional tendency became well-liked. What of Military Affairs in Warsaw. In the building of was characteristic of the architecture in those days Regional Chamber in Brest, the pillars in chains was the attempt to obtain brutal monumentalism, were incorporated both in the façade and the side together with using exclusive materials and expos- elevation. In this way, the building becomes bru- ing their attractive factures and features. Besides, tal and geometrical in form. At the same time, it is the architects cared about the quality of construc- monumental and mirrors the function. tion standards. Moreover, buildings had to be In 1929 next to Tax Chamber there appeared the equipped with modern appliances that would have building of Healthcare Fund (currently hospital, 15 provided the employees with the most comfort- Lenin St., Fig. 11). Three years earlier, thanks to the able atmosphere. The development of this tendency international exhibition of modern architecture in could be associated with the political climate in the Zacheta art gallery in Warsaw, there had been de [ - Middle-East Europe in the late 30s and growth of nite reversal in architectural design, directed to the authoritarian systems in certain European coun- achievements of Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius and tries. Some common features were evident in all the Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. It ended 150-year-long totalitarian states – the USSR, Nazi and period of historical inspirations and started the era fascist . The abovementioned building (Fig. 12) of so called ‘factory romanticism’ (expression used is a perfect example of such tendency. It is located by the great architect and architecture theoretician in the heart of the group of edi [ ces, between Tax Edgar Norwerth). The main features of this ten- Chamber and Bank of Poland. The architect, Fran- dency – known as functionalism, international style ciszek Papiewski 28 , in order to achieve the monu- or ‘Warsaw School’ (Polish term) – were: integra- mental effect, used classical composition in terms tion of the form and function, \ at roof, free design of symmetry, axis and vertical articulation. At the and modern construction (reinforced concrete or same time, he simpli [ ed the form, i.e. quit the artic- steel one), frequently exposed in the façades and ulation with columns or pilasters and incorporated elevations. Healthcare Fund building in Brest was simple pillars in the middle risalite. The side parts designed by Szymon Syrkus, one of the members of the building were left without any vertical divi- and founders of Warsaw artistic group called ‘Prae- sions. The decoration was entirely eliminated: win- sens’. Syrkus was also one of the leading interwar dows seemed to have been cut out in the wall and avant-garde architects. He created the building which deprived of any frames. consisted of several asymmetrical blocks of differ- As for housing architecture, the most important ent sizes and proportions, deprived of any decora- in terms of architectural quality and spatial design is tions and stylization. Having decided to incorporate of [ cials’ residential colony situated close to Union

27 Ibidem, no. 2415. 28 AAN, MSW, no. 2416

30 of Lublin Street. The state was founded as a part of buttresses, Baroque-like gables and tall, two- or a comprehensive investment program undertaken by four-storey roofs or so called Polish roofs (Fig. 17, the Ministry of Public Work. The aim of the program 18, 19). The inspirations of the noble manor house was to build residential colonies for Polish of [ cials were evident also inside the houses: on a ground in the Borderlands. It came into force in 1924. In \ oor there were living room, study, kitchen and Brest there appeared the Ministry branch, whose dining room, whereas on the [ rst \ oor there were head executive became the engineer Aleksander bedrooms. Próchnicki. In other voivodeship cities as well as in The heart of cultural and social life in the res- district towns there appeared construction commit- idential colony was the of [ cials’ mess in Pulaski tees. In mid-1924 fourteen architects (Warsaw and St., designed by Lisiecki 33 . As it was superior to local ones) started to work on the designs. Due to the other buildings, it had more digni [ ed and presti- economical reasons and time limits only repeatable gious architectural form. The building was designed types of houses were suggested 29 . in the stylistics of monumental neoclassicism. It is The unique link between the monumental build- seen in the huge portico supported by four massive ings in Union of Lublin Street and the residential Ionic columns (Fig. 20). colony situated off the street became the building of The form typical of the noble house was popular Designs of Land Improvement Company in Polesie, in the residential buildings located in the city. The then Voivodeship Department for Communica- examples can be seen in southern areas of the Union tion and Construction 30 (currently District Court, 1 of Lublin St. (currently 39 Lenin St., Fig. 21) and Lewanewski St., Fig. 13). This large, 3- \ oor build- Kilinski St. (currently 24 Kommunisticheskaya St., ing was designed in 1928 by Julian Jotkiewicz, the Fig. 22). In the 1930s New Quarter was extended architect from Warsaw 31 . It combined of [ ce and and the traditional forms were overtaken by the sty- housing functions. As for its image, the building listics of functionalism. Simple, cubic blocks were looked more like a detached tenement house. It frequently decorated with marine details which con- was located in such a way that its façade came out tributed to so called streamline style. Rational con- towards Pu aski Street and set down the direction to struction, simplicity and [ rmness of the transatlantic the residential colony in so called New Quarter, one ships were the source of inspirations for the archi- of the biggest and the best preserved housing estates tects. Thus, the most commonly used details were in the Borderlands (Fig. 14). rounded corners and terraces referring to captain The site manager and the main designer was bridges, circular windows (remaining portholes), another architect from Warsaw, Julian Lisiecki antennae masts and rounded balcony railings. The (1881-1944), a graduate of Karlsruhe University examples of the streamline style in Brest are build- of Technology. Some of the designs were made by ings in Pulaski St. (currently 17 Levanevski St., Marcin Weinfeld. The emblems of the houses were Fig. 23) and Wielka St. (currently 6 Kooperatyvna designed by the painter Wac aw Husarski 32 . The St.), Kilinski St. (currently 25 Kommunisticheskaya) spatial design of the estate (Fig. 15) implies that the and also in Liberty Avenue (currently 16 and 18 designers referred to the idea of the garden city, i.e. Gogol St.). Tenements and detached houses in other the site with dispersed buildings, surrounded by the areas of the city, e.g. in Mickiewicz St. (currently 2 gardens and squares. The estate consisted of four Mickiewicz St., Fig. 24), D =browski St. (currently parts, the biggest of which was colony named after 197 Soviet St., Fig. 25) and Liberty Square (currently Gabriel Narutowicz (currently the site located in 3 Svoboda Square, Fig. 26) are the good instances Levanevski St., Lenin St., Naganov St. and Gogol of the functionalism architecture in Brest. As for the St., Fig. 16). As for their architecture, the buildings public architecture, the signi [ cant one is building of present stylistics of traditionalism. When it comes to Secondary Technical School of Railways (currently residential architecture, the main pattern to follow National College of Railway Transport in Brest), was the noble manor house and its typical elements: designed in 1937 by Jerzy Beill from Warsaw. It is simple silhouette, porch with columns, angular located in 3 rd of May Street (currently 65 Pushkin St).

29 Budowa domów …, pp. 4-5, 10. 32 Budowa domów …, passim. 30 M. Marczak, op. cit., pp. 56. 33 Ibidem, p. 20. 31 AAN, MSW, no. 2413.

31 Yet another example of interwar stylistics is Bibliography a residential colony, which appeared in the early 1920s. In 1923 it was named the Warburg Resi- Budowa domów dla urz Bdników pa Lstwowych w woje- wództwach wschodnich , Warszawa 1925. dential Colony. It was situated away from the city R. Ciel =tkowska, Architektura i urbanistyka Lwowa centre, in Kiev Suburbs (currently I Minsk Alley, II Rzeczypospolitej , Zblewo 1998. Fig. 27). The colony consisted of wooden buildings Dziesi Bciolecie dzia alno Vci budowlanej Banku Pol- and was dedicated to poor Jews who had lost their skiego , „Architektura i Budownictwo”, VI, 1930, no 4-5, homes in World War I. The founder of the colony pp. 121-184. was Felix M. Warburg, the chairperson of the Amer- Dziesi Bciolecie Polski Odrodzonej 1918–1928 , ed. ican organization called Joint Distribution Commit- M. D =browski, Kraków 1929. tee of American Funds for Jewish War Sufferers. In Kronika powsta L polskich 1794–1944 , Warszawa 1994. the colony, there were twelve 8-room houses, some uck w Vwietle faktów i cyfr , uck 1925. utility buildings, mikveh, laundry and the shop 34 . E. Ma achowicz, Architektura dwudziestolecia mi B- The architecture here presented folk stylistics typ- dzywojennego w Wilnie , in: Architektura i urbanistyka ical of the early 1920s – cottages, barns, stables, w Polsce w latach 1918–1978 , ed. W. Puget, Warszawa sheds, carriage houses, mills and inns. Popular 1989, pp. 121-141. details were mansards, Dutch gable roofs, wooden E. Ma achowicz, Wilno. Dzieje – architektura – cmen- tarze , Wroc aw 1996. corbels etc. Zakopane stylistics was very in \ uential M. Marczak, Przewodnik po Polesiu , Brze V4 nad Bu- in terms of creating such buildings. Unfortunately, giem 1935. this valuable in terms of architecture and history W. Mondalski, Brze V4 Podlaski. Zarys geogra [ czno- group of buildings nowadays is in ruins. Probably, -historyczny , Turek 1929. it will be knocked down in the nearest future. The J. Poklewski, Polskie bycie artystyczne w mi Bdzywo- Jewish cemetery that is located close to the colony jennym Wilnie , Toru L 1994. is also entirely devastated. M. Pszczó kowski, Architektura Stanis awowa w la- To sum up, in the interwar architecture of Brest tach II Rzeczypospolitej , in: Stan bada L nad wielokulturo- wym dziedzictwem dawnej Rzeczypospolitej , ed. W. Wal- there were present all the tendencies characteristic of czak, K. opatecki, vol. IV, Bia ystok 2013, pp. 383-416. that time: academic classicism, modern classicism Sownik geogra [ czny Królestwa Polskiego i innych and varieties of national styles, and [ nally, extreme krajów s owia Lskich , ed. F. Sulimierski, B. Chlebowski, functionalism. Despite of peripheral localization of W. Walewski, Warszawa 1880–1914, vol. I. the city in the scale of the whole country and all the S. Stefa Lski, Ludzie, którzy zbudowali ód `. Leksykon architektów i budowniczych miasta (do 1939 roku) , ód ` spatial design problems typical of the Borderlands, 2009. the architecture which appeared here presents high artistic level, especially in terms of public buildings, which are unique and varied. Frequently, they do not Micha  Pszczó kowski, Ph.D. give way to buildings from Warsaw or other import- Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering University of Zielona Góra ant cities in Poland. The capital was crucial when it comes to the architectural landscape of Brest due to the fact that a large number of architects working here came from Warsaw.

Translated by Karolina Pszczó kowska

34 http://www.sztetl.org.pl/pl/cms/wiedza/1142,kolonia-war- burga (DOA: 22.09.2013).

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