THE ARCHITECTURE OF WARSAW IN STALINIST TIMES. MARSZAŁKOWSKA DZIELNICA MIESZKANIOWA – SYMBOLIC CAMOUFLAGE WALDEMAR BARANIEWSKI In memory of prof. Anders Åman pare to a neverending and inevitable forward march. Everything that „stays still”, develops into perma- „That day I had some excellent ice-cream at one nent values, is perceived as retrograde, since it does of the wonderful cafes on this square and I admired not participate in the „road” 2. the system of street lights, regulating the traffi c. Not In the time of socialist realism, street space was to even rubbish bins were missing. (...) And so I do dec- become the true place of activity of the dwellers of lare, that not even in France, or any other ‘Western’ new Warsaw. The people „entered the centre”, mar- country, is there a square of the nature of Warsaw’s ched and manifested, and architecture was to provi- Constitution Square. In none of these countries is de the setting for these processes. there such a monumental complex of buildings in- Such dynamic values are given to the vision of tended to house working people” 1. new Warsaw sketched in an address by Bolesław The street myth created within the sphere of so- Bierut 3 concerning „The Six-Year-Plan for the Re- cialist ideology, of the street-wise person, associated construction of Warsaw”. The urban space was to with the street via demonstrations, parades or riots, be created by a complex of squares connected with was deeply rooted in the city-building culture of the one another by „appropriately widened arteries (...) nineteenth century. We will be interested in a spe- pulsating with the fullness of a rich, multi-coloured cifi c refl ection of the myth, brought over into con- life, places of great mass meets and demonstrations temporary times by socialist realism. It is diffi cult to on days of ceremony and importance for the whole indicate precisely the origin of the cult of the street, society” 4. route, distant urban perspective. Perhaps it derives „The backbone of construction” in this arrange- from the dynamic language, with the assistance of ment was to be the new Great Street - Marszałkow- which a dedicated historicist learns about the world. ska, which connects the so-called Acropolis of Żoli- The continuous struggle of new and old might com- borz-Marymont (northern part of Warsaw) and the 1 J. Guillemont, Konstytucji Square in the eyes of a Parisian , in: of social realism in the plan of „monumental propaganda” ), „Stolica”, 1952, no 16, p. 8. Wrocław 1999. 2 There is extensive literature devoted to the problems of valoriz- 3 Bolesław Bierut (1892-1956), communist party activist, Presi- ing urban space. In studies on versions of the city as perceived dent of Poland (from 1947), from 1948 First Secretary of the by social realism it is not always useful. At this point one should communist Polish United Workers’ Party (PZPR). mention such works as: A. Åman, Architecture and Ideology in 4 B. Bierut, Sześcioletni Plan Odbudowy Warszawy (Six-Year Eastern Europe during the Stalin Era. An Aspect of Cold War Plan for the Reconstruction of Warsaw) , Warsaw 1949, p. 24. History , transl. from Swedish by R. and K. Tanner, Cambridge For the ideological sources of Bierut’s text and their connec- (Mass.) 1992; The Culture of the Stalin Period , ed. by H. Gun- tions with concepts of the city formulated by the avant-garde ther, London 1990; W. Decholin, Die Straβe in der Stadt als CIAM milieu and the Athens Charter see my: W. Baraniewski, architektonisches Thema , in: „Daidalos”1983, no 10, pp.70-74; Wizja lepszego miasta (A vision of a better city ), in: De Gusti- A. Reinle, Zeichensprache der Architektur , Zürich und München bus. Studia ofi arowane przez przyjaciół Tadeuszowi Stefanowi 1976; A.Wallis, Informacja i gwar: o miejskim centrum ( Infor- Jaroszewskiemu z okazji 65 rocznicy urodzin ( Studies offered by mation and bustle: the city centre ), Warsaw 1979; W. Tomasik, friends to Tadeusz Stefan Jaroszewski on his 65 birthday ), War- Inżynieria dusz. Literatura realizmu socjalistycznego w planie saw 1996, pp.121-127. „propagandy monumentalnej” ( Soul engineering. The literature 65 „Olympic” sports complex at Służewiec (southern much effect on Marszałkowska anyway”, while un- part of Warsaw) with the city centre 5. der diffi cult conditions „mistakes will necessarily be The decision to start converting Marszałkowska made” 8. street was a political one, linked with intentions to The author of the idea to arrange an expansive change the image of this part of the city from „stre- piazza north of Zbawiciela square, was probably et-level, small shops” to working. The decision was chairman of the Workers’ Housing Enterprise 9 Alek- also encouraged by purely practical considerations, sander Wolski, intent on the propaganda „concen- the underground installations in place there and the tration of effect” and to start reconstruction on pre- transport system. „This area was chosen” claimed stigious sites. The southern section did not present architect Zygmunt Stępiński, „to avoid the risk of such possibilities, as the preserved buildings in the building immediately in the middle part of Marszał- area of Unii square obstructed the necessary wide- kowska street. We were told: let’s try, then we’ll ning of the street. Also the existence of the church move into the centre” 6 . at Zbawiciela square posed a considerable problem. There were disputes, however, over the exact pla- There were plans to tear it down, but „the authorities ce where construction should begin. Bolesław Bie- did not want to aggravate relations with the Church”, rut, as well as Hilary Minc 7 believed that the fi rst Stępiński commented. works should start between Unii Lubelskiej square The controversy which arose over where to start and Zbawiciela square. On a site, it was said, that construction Sigalin solved with the conclusion that was easier, that did not create transport problems „Construction should start immediately along the and was, to a large extent, free of buildings (fi g.1). whole section from Wilcza street to Unii square, in Bierut believed that „the southern part of Marszał- this way reconciling the ideas of Bierut and Minc kowska should be built as soon as possible” and that with Wolski and ours”. The function of main inve- „the ruins at Marszałkowska are a particular eyeso- stor was fi lled by the Workers’ Housing Enterprise re” (fi g. 2). Taking into consideration the preserved (ZOR) headed by Wolski. „It is not by accident”, he memo of architect Stanisław Jankowski, he was not claimed „that precisely ZOR, being the institution pleased with the idea of construction northwards of formed to deal with building homes for working Zbawiciela square and expressed doubts over the people, is realizing M.D.M as its head project (...)”. necessity of drafting a square in this place: „right The construction of this „is a revolutionary attempt behind it will be all of Marszałkowska in the form to drive new principles of socialist building constru- of a giant square”. Saying this, he had in mind the ction into the centre of an existing big city” 10 . area past the intersection with Jerozolimskie avenue. The MDM workshop was offi cially created on 1 It was important for Bierut to „produce good dwel- March 1950. It comprised a team which had alrea- ling architecture”, he claimed that „there won’t be dy worked together on the W-Z (East-West) route 5 Materiały urbanistyczne do planu perspektywicznego i 6-let- report by Vice-minister Juliusz Żakowski ), in: „Architektura” niego Warszawy ( Urbanist materials for the long-term plan and 1951, no 5/6, pp. 199-201; Wmurowanie Aktu Erekcyjnego pod the 6-year plan for Warsaw ), Warsaw 1949; text by architects: budowę Marszałkowskiej Dzielnicy Mieszkaniowej ( Setting the W. Ostrowski, S. Dziewulski, S. Jankowski, Z. Skibniewski, in: Act of Erection for the construction of MDM ), in: „Stolica” 1950, Odbudowa Warszawy w latach 1944-1949 ( Reconstruction of no 39, p.2, therein the text of the address by Jerzy Albrecht; Warsaw in the years 1944-1949 ), edited by J. Górski, Warsaw MDM Marszałkowska 1730-1954 , ed. S. Jankowski, Warsaw 1977, pp. 340-361. 1955. Separate attention is deserved by the chapter devoted to 6 I use information provided to me in the course of several con- MDM in the book by W. Włodarczyk, Socrealizm. Sztuka pol- versations (10.07.1978, 3.01.1979, 8.03.1979) by Zygmunt ska w latach 1950-1954 ( Social realism. Polish art in the years Stępiński and documents from the private archives of Józef 1950-1954 ), Paris 1986, pp. 82-95. Sigalin: Teczka 1950-1952. Marszałkowska Dzielnica Miesz- 7 Hilary Minc (1905-1976), communist activist, deputy Prime kaniowa . ( File 1950-1952. ) These documents were handed over Minister for Economic Affairs, Minister for Industry and Com- to the Warsaw City Archives. The number of items, mainly merce, one of the authors of the Six-Year Plan for development press articles concerning MDM, is vast. In this place it is worth of state economy and industry. mentioning the substantial information on progress of works 8 J. Sigalin, op.cit., pp.9-13 on subsequent MDM buildings published in „Stolica” over the 9 The Workers Housing Enterprise (ZOR), was created in 1948 at years 1951 and 1952. See also T. Domański, A. Majorek, Bu- the Ministry for Reconstruction as the central investor for the na- downictwo urządzeń komunalnych w Marszałkowskiej Dzielnicy tional housing construction industry. ZOR implemented the state Mieszkaniowej , ( Construction of communal structures in MDM ) policy on housing, initiated and built large housing complexes. in: „Miasto”1952, no 7, pp. 13-17; M. Weinfeld, Koreferat do 10 A. Wolski, Z.O.R rozpoczyna budowę M.D.M .