RIHA Journal 0215 | 30 June 2019 Art Historiography on the Main Building of the University of Wrocław– A Battlefeld of Ideologies Karolina ara and !"ilia Kłoda Abstract The main building of the Univer ity of Wro#$aw, with it magni'#ent fa(ade fa#ing the )dra River, i one of the mo t im*ortant hi tori#al monument of the city and a ma+or touri t attra#tion, It al o hou e a signi'#ant in titution in the Poli h edu#ational land #a*e. Founded by Je uit and built in early eighteenth/#entury Baro1ue style, the Univer ity i clo ely conne#ted with the hi tory of the Hab burg monar#h! and it 2ounter/Reformation aim , For thi rea on, after 1945, it heritage wa di4#ult to re#on#ile with the o4#ial Communi t ideology and it initially anti/5erman sentiment , Thi arti#le ta#6le the que tion of how both art hi toriogra*hy and the po*ular media& in#luding guideboo6 and the pre of the Peo*le7 Re*ubli# of Poland, be#ame engaged in the ta 6 of proving the Poli h root of the Univer ity of Wro#$a%. To thi end, we provide an overview of the shifting inter*retation and attribution of the 0aro1ue edi'#e from it beginning in the eighteenth century until the se#ond de#ade of the twent!/'r t centur! in order to highlight the feature s*e#i'# to the di #our e in 8o#iali t time , $ontents Introdu#tion The ar#hite#tural hi tor! of the Univer it! and fr t referen#e to it Introdu#tion of the national identity argument in art hi toriogra*h! Re ear#h from the late 1920s until the end of the Se#ond World War -oli h re ear#h after 1945 The Univer ity of Wro#$aw in guide boo6 and in the pre 5erman publi#ation after 1945 -ubli#ation after So#iali m 2on#lu ion Introdu#tion 91: The main building of the Univer it! of "ro#$a%& with it magni'#ent fa(ade fa#ing the )dra River& i one of the mo t im*ortant hi tori#al monument of the #it!, It hou e a igni'#ant in titution in the -oli h edu#ational land #a*e and i a ma+or touri t attra#tion, .ounded b! Je uit and built in earl! eighteenth/#entur! 0aro1ue tyle& the Univer it! i #lo el! #onne#ted %ith the hi tor! of the Hab burg monar#h! and it 2ounter/Reformation aim , .or thi rea on& after 1945, it heritage wa di4#ult to re#on#ile with the o4#ial 2ommuni t ideolog! and it initiall! anti/5erman RIHA Journal 0215 | 30 June 2019 entiment , However& it lo#ation at the #entre of the #it! made it im*o ible to ignore the building& %hether among #holar in art hi tori#al re ear#h or in the *o*ular media, 92: Thi arti#le ta#6le the 1ue tion of ho% both art hi toriogra*h! and the *o*ular media (in the form of guideboo6 and the *re < in the -eo*le7 Re*ubli# of -oland were engaged in *roving the -oli h *re en#e in the Univer it! of "ro#$a%, In order to tra#6 the #hange in inter*retation and in the variou attribution of the 0aro1ue edi'#e& it i ne#e ar! to urve! the #holarl! di #u ion on the ub+e#t right from it origin in the eighteenth #entur!, Thi i wh! our re ear#h begin with the olde t mention of the edi'#e& in whi#h idea #ru#ial to our under tanding of later *er#e*tion of the Univer it! building %ere 'r t e=*re ed, "e hall then tr! to 'nd tra#e of earl! u e of the #ategor! of >national tyle? that wa em*loyed o fre1uentl! during the 2old "ar era, .inall!& in the la t e#tion& %e al o anal! e a am*le of writing on the Univer it! building *ubli hed in#e 1989 b! -oli h and 5erman author %ith the aim of highlighting #hange in *er *e#tive in#e the fall of the Iron 2urtain, The e *o t/tran formation #holarl! *ubli#ation #an be loo6ed u*on a exam*le of a ma#ro/regional *aradigm and a the re ult of a no% unre tri#ted e=#hange of idea , The ar#hite#tural history of the Univer ity and 'r t referen#es to it 93: In the ixteenth and eventeenth #enturie & "ro#$a% wa inhabited mo tl! b! -rote tant & and for a long time the Je uit were unable to e tabli h their #ollege there, The o**ortunit! eventuall! #ame at a late tage in the 2ounter/Reformation within the Catholi# Hab burg Em*ire, and the Leo*oldina wa founded in 1702 with the 'nan#ial u**ort and *atronage of the Am*eror Beo*old I, The #orner tone of the ne% 0aro1ue building #om*le= wa laid in 1728, but the #ale of the underta6ing wa o large that the original ar#hite#tural *ro+e#t were never #om*leted& and #on tru#tion wor6 %ent on for man! year , Ho%ever& the #entral building in late 0aro1ue tyle wa almo t 'ni hed b! the 'r t half of the eighteenth #entury, and it i the arti ti# feature of that edi'#e that have been the mo t admired a *e#t of the en emble of building right u* until the *re ent da!, The long narro% blo#6 of the Univer it! building fa#ing the )dra River #on i t of a %e t wing and a horter ea t %ing& e*arated b! the Im*erial 5ate, The we t wing i the longe t and the mo t #om*lete e#tion of the ar#hite#tural #om*le=& with it Dathemati#al Tower in the middle and a ri#hl! adorned *ortal, The ea t wing i #onne#ted with the Univer it! 2hur#h via the irregular/ ha*ed outh %ing, In #ontra t to the dynami# a ymmetr! of the building viewed from Uniwer yte#6a treet& the fa(ade fa#ing the )dra River give a monumental and yet at the same time almo t au tere im*re ion (Fig. 1).1 1 5Enther 5rundmann& Die UniversitGt 0reslau 90reslau Universit!:& 0erlin 1933 ;H .Ehrer Iu großen 0audenkmGlern [A 5uide to 5reat Donuments] 23<& 3, RIHA Journal 0215 | 30 June 2019 1 Universit! of "ro#$a%& northern façade& *hotogra*herK 8tefan Ar#I!Lski& 1950 ;M DuIeum Architektur! %e "ro#$a%iu& )ddIia$ Archi%um 0udo%lane Diasta "ro#$a%ia 9Duseum of Architecture in "ro#$a%& 2on truction Archive:& DAt/A0-2005.< 93: In 1741, building wor6 wa tem*oraril! interru*ted b! the inva ion of the #it! b! the -ru ian arm! and the arrival of King .riedri#h II in "ro#$a%, It wa onl! after the 8ile ian "ar (1740–1763) that the Je uit Univer it! wa re/o*ened& and re umed it a#tivitie %ith the *ermi ion of the 6ing a the 2atholi# a#adem! until the di olution of the Je uit )rder in 1773, when it be#ame a tate in titution, A igni'#ant turning *oint in the Univer it!7 hi tor! wa it union %ith Qiadrina Univer it! of .ran6furt an der )der in 1811, %hi#h re/e tabli hed it a a modern& forward/loo6ing in titution, )ne hundred !ear later& in 1911, it wa renamed 8#hle i #he .riedri#h/"ilhelm / Univer itGt ;8ile ian .riedri#h "ilhelm Univer it!<, After the 8e#ond "orld "ar& when "ro#$a% be#ame *art of the -eo*le7 Re*ubli# of -oland& the Univer it! wa re/o*ened a Uni%er !tet "ro#$a% 6i ;Univer it! of "ro#$a%< and tran formed into an im*ortant #entre of Poli h higher edu#ation, a whi#h it continue to fun#tion to thi day (Fig. 2). RIHA Journal 0215 | 30 June 2019 2 Universit! of "ro#$a%& southern façade& *hotogra*herK Toma I )l Ie% 6i& 19P0 ;M DuIeum Architektur! %e "ro#$a%iu& )ddIia$ Archi%um 0udo%lane Diasta "ro#$a%ia& DAt/A0-2395.< 95: The olde t referen#e to the Univer it!& in Johann 2hri tian Nundmann7 (1684– 1751) A#ademiae At 8#holae 5ermaniae *rae#i*ue Fu#atu 8ile iae& *ubli hed in 1741, neither mention the name of an ar#hite#t nor attem*t to anal! e the ar#hite#ture& but rather de #ribe the then till ongoing building *ro#e , Ho%ever& Nundmann doe mention an ar#hite#t O *ainter and de#orator 2hri to*h Tau #h (1673– 1731) O in #onne#tion %ith the Je uit #hur#h and it interior,2 Hi boo6 *rovide im*ortant information on the un'ni hed e#tion of the Beo*oldina #om*le= and it original de ign, 9P: .ift! year later& .riedri#h Albert Rimmermann (1745–1815) referred to the Univer it! building in hi 0e #hreibung der 8tadt 0re lau,3 Although he *rai ed the e=#ellen#e of the #om*le=& %e #an *ot a hade of di li6e for the Je uit K >9S: ein fErtreTi#he , ganI maJive , vier 8to#6wer6 hohe 5ebGude, aber na#h der Gewohnheit die e )rden 9S: ni#ht völlig au gebaut? (“an e=#ellent& ver! olid& four/ tore! building& but a i the habit of that order 9S: not full! develo*ed?<,3 The author doe not relate the interru*tion of the building wor6 to the 8ile ian "ar & de *ite the fa#t that the inva ion of the -ru ian 6ing and hi arrival in Wro#$a% were the main rea on 2 Johann 2hristian Nundmann& Academiae At 8#holae 5ermaniae *rae#i*ue Ducatu 8ilesiae& 2um 0ibliotheci & In Vummi , )derK Fie Hohen und Viedern 8chulen Teutschlande 9S: in DEntIen 9S:& 0reßlau 1C31& 10C-1@5W 2hristo*h Tau #h %a born in Innsbru#6 in 1PC3, He became a Jesuit la!-brother %hen he %a 22 !ear old, Andrea -oIIo i often mentioned a hi teacher and ma+or source of in *iration, 8eeK Henr!6 FIiurla& 2hristo*horu Tausch, U#IeL Andrei -oIIa 92hristo*horu Tau #h, A -u*il of Andrea -oIIo:& "ro#$a% 1991 ;H A#ta Universitati "ratislaviensis 1322& Historia 8Ituki 5<, 3 .riedrich Albert Rimmermann& 0eschreibung der 8tadt 0reslau im HerIogthum 8chlesien [Descri*tion of the 2it! of 0reslau in the Du#h! of 8ilesia:& 0rieg 1C93 ;H 0e!trGge Iur 0eschreibung von 8chlesien 92ontribution to the Descri*tion of 8ilesia:& 11<& 135, 3 Rimmermann& 0eschreibung der 8tadt 0reslau im HerIogthum 8chlesien& 135, RIHA Journal 0215 | 30 June 2019 for the dela!, Rimmermann doe not mention the name of an ar#hite#t in hi de #ri*tion of the building either& but ma6e a referen#e to 2hri to*h Tau #h a the author of a fe% 6et#he for the Beo*oldina in the regi ter of the arti t wor6ing in "ro#$a% at the end of hi boo6,5 The e 6et#he #ould be inter*reted either a *lan for the building or de ign for the de#oration of it interior, Ho%ever& later writer u ed thi referen#e to prove that Tau #h wa the main ar#hite#t of the Univer it!,P Introdu#tion of the national identity argument in art historiogra*h! 9C: At the beginning of the nineteenth #entur!& a ne% theor! on the origin of the building began to a**ear, Vamel!& in 1803, Aligiu Alo!