Unchained Polish Architecture אדריכלות ישראלית Architecture of Israel #131 November 2022 | | 32 The official name of Poland is Rzeczpospolita Polska, meaning 'The Polish Republic'. This fact carried (and still carries) a huge weight in defining the relationship between the regime and the people. Unlike as in a democracy, where the majority (unjustly) lords its will over the minority, in a republic, the law stands above the will of the majority. Located in the center of Europe, the Polish Republic was founded over 1,000 years ago at the time of the Piast Dynasty. Poland achieved prosperity by the end of the 16th century as one of the richest and most powerful countries in Europe, inter alia due to the high social status of the Jewish population, some likenesses of whom several of the most affluent were even minted on silver coins. Guest of the season unchained polish architecture Natalie Mann Poland was the first country in Europe and the second in the world (after the USA) to adopt a written constitution, in May 1791. However, shortly thereafter it was forcibly divided by its neighbors, the Russian Empire, Austria, and Prussia, which did with her as they pleased. The Republic regained its independence in 1918 with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. However, in September 1939, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union invaded it, an event regarded as the excuse to start World War II. During the war, Germany occupied Poland and established there the most horrific of the extermination camps - Auschwitz, Chelmno, Treblinka, Majdanek, and Sobibor. Following liberation in 1945, Poland became part of the Soviet Eastern Block. In 1989, "free elections" were held - the first since World War II, in which the Solidarity Movement inflicted a decisive defeat to the Communist Party, freeing the country from its ideological dependence on the Soviet Union. In 1997 a newconstitutionwas ratified and in March 1999, Poland was accepted as an official member of the NATO alliance, and in 2004, Poland was included as a full member of the European Union. Although the Polish economy suffered from high unemployment following liberation from Soviet rule, this difference in the governing system probably had a significant impact on Polish architecture as well. In contrast to "democratic" states like Israel (for instance) where clericalism dominates the architectural milieu, Polish architects (still) have the status of decision-makers – an important factor manifested today in their creative freedom of expression, which yields some of the most advanced architecture in the Western World. A fine example of this creative liberty is Robert Konieczny, who has well-utilized the freedom of the possible in current Polish architecture. Born in Katowice, a mining city in the region of Silesia, Konieczny graduated from the Faculty of Architecture of the Silesian University of Technology in Gliwice and was qualified by the New Jersey Institute of Technology in 1996. Konieczny established his own practice, KWK Promes, in 1999, from which he specializes in the exploration of inventive concepts and unexpected solutions, turning some of his projects into one-time social-architectural creations. For this he has gained worldwide recognition and prizes, the most prestigious of which was for the National Museum in Szczecin - Przełomy Dialogue Center, which won the World Building of the Year award. "A house integrated with nature does not have to be built of stone or wood, and buildings do not have to be entirely on the ground to be stable. Our projects don’t follow fashion blindly, they always originate from an idea and therefore their forms are a result of that idea". Architect Robert Konieczny Photo: B. Barczyk
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