Kisiel, Pio
A icle — Published Ve sion
Reco e ing he pas o he u u e: Racibó z a e Wo ld
Wa II
U ban His o y
P o ided in Coope a ion wi h:
Leibniz Ins i u e o Resea ch on Socie y and Space (IRS)
Sugges ed Ci a ion: Kisiel, Pio (2024) : Reco e ing he pas o he u u e: Racibó z a e Wo ld
Wa II, U ban His o y, ISSN 1469-8706, Camb idge Uni e si y P ess, Camb idge, Vol. 51, Iss. 4, pp.
858-878,
h ps://doi.o g/10.1017/S0963926823000779
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h ps://hdl.handle.ne /10419/328340
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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Reco e ing he pas o he u u e: Racibó z a e
Wo ld Wa II
Pio Kisiel
Leibniz Ins i u e o Resea ch on Socie y and Space (IRS), E kne , Ge many
Email: [email p o ec ed]
Abs ac
This a icle del es in o he pos -wa u ban planning o Racibó z (Ge . Ra ibo ), a mid-size
ci y in Poland, shedding ligh on he socialis ci y’s his o ical oo s and i s adhe ence o
socialis u banism models. Using planning maps and o he a chi al documen s, i examines
he econs uc ion p ocess ha aimed a c ea ing g een spaces and quali y housing, while a
he same ime e ealing i s medie al pas . The a icle also in es iga es he ci y’s de ia ion
om known eco e y pa e ns and highligh s a lesse known app oach o c ea ing a ci y wi h
a na ional o m and socialis con en . O e all, his esea ch o e s a comp ehensi e explo-
a ion o a econs uc ion p ocess in a mid-size ci y, en iching he unde s anding o
Eu opean pos -wa u ban his o y.
In oduc ion
In he wake o Wo ld Wa II, Poland acqui ed Silesia, Lubusz Land, Eas e n
Pome ania and sou he n Eas P ussia om Ge many as ‘compensa ion’ o he lands
in he eas los o he So ie Union. The newly acqui ed e i o ies (collec i ely called
he ‘Wes e n and No he n Te i o ies’, o also he ‘Reco e ed Te i o ies’) encom-
passed dozens o owns and ci ies, many o which we e hea ily damaged du ing he
wa . In ac , wi h he excep ion o Wa saw, hey we e much mo e de as a ed han he
ci ies in he ‘co e’o Poland.
1
Thus, he Polish au ho i ies aced he challenges o pos -
wa econs uc ion while a emp ing o make hose owns and ci ies seem Polish and
eshaping hem in o so-called socialis ci ies.
To legi imize he eshaping o he s a e bo de s and he new egime i sel bo h
in e nally and ex e nally, he communis egime in Wa saw ied o link i sel wi h he
Polish s a e(s) in he ea ly medie al pe iod. The e i o ies acqui ed in 1945 we e
he e o e no ‘annexed’bu ‘ eco e ed’. Depending on he loca ion, he lands migh
no ha e been unde Polish (o mo e gene ally Sla ic) ule o hund eds o yea s, bu ha
did no de ail he na a i e o ‘ egaining’ he ‘ ue’Polish e i o y –i s ‘na u al’bo de s.
© The Au ho (s), 2024. Published by Camb idge Uni e si y P ess. This is an Open Access a icle, dis ibu ed unde he e ms
o he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion licence (h p://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by/4.0), which pe mi s un es ic ed
e-use, dis ibu ion and ep oduc ion, p o ided he o iginal a icle is p ope ly ci ed.
1
I. Piwońska, ‘Główne konsekwencje II wojny świa owej dla wa unków mieszkaniowych w Polsce’,
Społeczeńs wo i Ekonomia, 1 (2015), 10, h ps://doi.o g/10.15611/sie.2015.1.07.
U ban His o y (2024), 51, 858–878
doi:10.1017/S0963926823000779
h ps://doi.o g/10.1017/S0963926823000779 Published online by Camb idge Uni e si y P ess
On he g ound, his poloniza ion o he landscape was b ough abou by choosing
app op ia e place and s ee names, es ablishing monumen s o Polish na ional
he oes, and so o h. The econs uc ion o he hea ily damaged ci ies and owns
o e ed an oppo uni y o eshape hei image by eplacing ‘Ge man’a chi ec u e
wi h a ‘Polish’one. Howe e , he p ocess o eco e ing he ‘Polish’pas wen e en
deepe and in luenced he plans o pos -wa econs uc ion. Using an example o he
own o Racibó z in Silesia, his a icle discusses how conce ns o ‘Polish’his o y and
socialis u banism in luenced pos -wa eco e y in he ‘Reco e ed Te i o ies’.
A icle’s scope
This a icle examines he ole o his o y in he planning p ocess o a mid-size ci y in
Eas e n Eu ope in he a e ma h o Wo ld Wa II, using he example o Racibó z. In
pa icula , i p obes he ela i e impo ance o he pas in pos -wa eco e y. In his
way, i con ibu es o he academic deba e on socialis ci ies by ocusing on a smalle
ci y, which was nei he a model own no a capi al ci y. Such places a e unde -
ep esen ed in he li e a u e on he opic. This a icle also examines he na ional
componen o socialis classicism in e ms o u ban planning, a he han a chi ec u e,
which is he ypical angle om which his issue is analysed. Mo eo e , by ocusing on
planning pos -wa econs uc ion, i deepens he unde s anding be ween hose wo
u banca ego ies.The ime ame o his a icle (i.e. 1945–57) is dic a ed by he ocus on
socialis classicism, which in Poland ended soon a e de-S aliniza ion was launched in
1956. Because u ban planning lies a he cen e, he a chi ec u al o m is men ioned
only b ie ly inso a as i is necessa y o unde s and he issue a he co e o his p ojec .
Li e a u e
The exis ing academic li e a u e on he a chi ec u e and u ban mo phology o Racibó z
ocused hea ily on he medie al pe iod.
2
Less a en ion has been paid o o he pe iods,
al hough pos -wa econs uc ion has no en i ely escaped his o ians’a en ion, wi h he
emphasis decidedly on a chi ec u e, a he han u ban planning. The econs uc ion o
Racibó z was guided by he p ese a ion o he his o ical cha ac e o he ci y cen e, bu
also by he in oduc ion o g eene y, and ca -o ien ed de elopmen o he s ee
ne wo k.
3
Al eady in he 1960s, he e we e ini ial desc ip ions o he p ocess ha we e
pa icula ly c i ical o he policy o his o icizing a chi ec u e in he ea ly 1950s.
4
This is
also obse able in mo e ecen schola ship.
5
Howe e , no de ailed and holis ic schola ly
analysis o pos -wa plans has been conduc ed.
2
A. Szecówka, ‘Dzieje a chi ek u y i sz uk plas ycznych’, in J. Kan yka (ed.), Racibó z, za ys ozwoju
mias a: p aca zbio owa (Ka owice, 1981), 102–28; P.J. Newe la, Dzieje Racibo za i jego dzielnic. Mi eine
ku zen Geschich e de S ad Ra ibo in deu sche Sp ache (Racibó z, 2008), h ps://d-nb.in o/1034857398/04.
3
I. Kozina, Chaos i upo ządkowanie: dylema y a chi ek oniczne na p zemysłowym Gó nym Śląsku w la ach
1763–1955 (Ka owice, 2005), 228; I. Kozina, ‘De Wiede au bau on Ra ibo und Gleiwi z nach dem zwei en
Wel k ieg –die Suche nach einem spezi ischen Na ionals il?’,Biule yn Polskiej Misji His o ycznej, 7 (2012),
93–113.
4
M. Ku zne , Racibó z (W ocław, 1965), 36; Z. Ta diw, ‘Rozwój u banis yczny Racibo za w pe spek ywie’,
in M. Suboczowa (ed.), Szkice z dziejów Racibo za (Ka owice, 1967), 459–69.
5
I. Kozina, ‘Rozwój Racibo za w XIX i XX w.’, in M. Sepiałand A. Ba ciak (eds.), Racibó z, ol. IV: A las
his o yczny mias polskich (C acow, 2021), 72–81, h p://a lasmias .umk.pl/a lasy/ acibo z/.
U ban His o y 859
h ps://doi.o g/10.1017/S0963926823000779 Published online by Camb idge Uni e si y P ess
The emphasis on he use o his o izing a chi ec u e as a me hod o polonizing he
ci yscapes o o me Ge man ci ies is no limi ed o Racibó z by any means. Fo
ins ance, Szczepańska demons a ed how Opole was ebuil in a neo-ba oque ashion
o make i look mo e Polish despi e he e y hin his o ici y o such an app oach.
6
Simila ly, W ocław was ebuil wi h an emphasis on Go hic a chi ec u e as a ool o
highligh ing Polish claims o he ci y.
7
Szczecin was made in o a Polish ci y by
econs uc ing i s cas le in Renaissance s yle, while he his o ic ci y was gi en a
(socialis ) mode nis image.
8
This was also he case in Racibó z: in he ea ly 1950s,
houses wi h Renaissance elemen s such as a ics and a cades we e buil on he wes e n
side o he Main Squa e. I mean a adical o e haul om he p e-wa look o he ci y’s
hea (Figu es 1 and 2).
While no denying he impo ance o ‘Polish’his o ical a chi ec u e in he p ocess
o emodelling ci ies in he a e ma h o Wo ld Wa II, his a icle a gues ha ci y
planning was also used o highligh he ‘Polish’pas . The ‘ eco e y’o he ‘Polish pas ’
was no me ely a he o ical igu e bu was an ac ual pa o he planning o pos -wa
Racibó z.
This a icle is conce ned no only wi h he poloniza ion o he own bu also wi h
i s eshaping in o a so-called socialis ci y. The e m is highly con o e sial and has
been he objec o many s udies. Some au ho s ha e examined pa icula ci ies,
especially model examples, whe eas o he s ha e in es iga ed he concep i sel and
he ways in which i di e ed om concep s such as ‘Eu opean ci y’and ‘mode nis
ci y’.
9
No ag eemen exis s on whe he he e was e e such hing as he socialis ci y o
i and how i ela ed o a speci ic model, o whe he i adhe ed o he mode n ci y
concep o o Eu opean ci ies.
This a icle is in o med by he li e a u e on Polish a chi ec u e and u ban planning
du ing he pe iod o socialis ealism (also called S alinis and socialis classicism).
The 1949 speech by Edmund Goldzam a he mee ing o pa y a chi ec s is
6
B. Szczepańska, ‘Pos -wa a chi ec u e and u ban planning as means o ein en ing Opole’s en i y’,
U ban Planning, 8 (2023), 266–78.
7
G. Thum, Die emde S ad : B eslau 1945 (Be lin, 2003).
8
P. Za emba, U banis yczny ozwój Szczecina (Poznań, 1963); W. Ma zecki, P ocesy p zeksz ałcania
zabudowy miejskiej po II wojnie świa owej na p zykładzie mias a Szczecin (Szczecin, 2008); J. Musekamp,
Zwischen S e in und Szczecin: Me amo phosen eine S ad on 1945 bis 2005 (Wiesbaden, 2010).
9
S. Ko kin, Magne ic Moun ain: S alinism as a Ci iliza ion (Be keley, 1995); J. Janssen, ‘S alins ad /
Eisenhü ens ad : a miles one in wen ie h cen u y u ban design in Eu ope’,Jou nal o A chi ec u e, 5 (2000),
307–14, h ps://doi.o g/10.1080/136023600419618; R. May, ‘Planned ci y S alins ad : a mani es o o he ea ly
Ge man Democ a ic Republic’,Planning Pe spec i es, 18 (2003), 47–78, h ps://doi.o g/10.1080/026654
3032000047404; C. Be nha d and H. Rei , ‘Neue Blicke au die S äd e im Sozialismus’, in C. Be nha d
and H. Rei (eds.), Sozialis ische S äd e zwischen He scha und Selbs behaup ung: Kommunalpoli ik,
S ad planung und All ag in de DDR (S u ga , 2009), 7–19; E. Mum o d, ‘CIAM and he communis bloc,
1928–59’,Jou nal o A chi ec u e, 14 (2009), 237–54, h ps://doi.o g/10.1080/13602360802704810; K. Lebow,
Un inished U opia: Nowa Hu a, S alinism, and Polish Socie y, 1949–1956 (I haca, NY, 2013); S. Hi ,
‘Wha e e happened o he (pos )socialis ci y?’,Ci ies, 32 (2013), 29–38, h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.ci -
ies.2013.04.010; R. Wakeman, ‘Re hinking pos wa planning his o y’,Planning Pe spec i es, 29 (2014),
153–63, h ps://doi.o g/10.1080/02665433.2013.871208; Aleksand a Sumo ok, ‘The idea o he socialis ci y.
The case o Nowa Hu a’,Czasopismo Techniczne, 27 (2015), 303–40, h ps://doi.
o g/10.4467/2353737XCT.15.384.5003; J.E. Me ill, ‘High mode nism in heo y and p ac ice: Ka el Teige
and TomášBa ’a’,Sla ic Re iew, 76 (2017), 428–54, h ps://doi.o g/10.1017/sl .2017.85; K.E. Za eco , ‘Wha
was so socialis abou he socialis ci y? Second Wo ld u bani y in Eu ope’,Jou nal o U ban His o y,
44 (2018), 95–117, h ps://doi.o g/10.1177/0096144217710229.
860 Pio Kisiel
h ps://doi.o g/10.1017/S0963926823000779 Published online by Camb idge Uni e si y P ess
unde s ood as he beginning o his pe iod in Poland.
10
The socialis ci ies we e o be
buil on he So ie model while ‘a oiding a numbe o e o s de ec ed and o e come
in he USSR’.‘Socialis con en in na ional o m’was o be s i ed o . This could be
achie ed, acco ding o Goldzam , by es ablishing ‘con inui y be ween he old a chi-
ec u e and he new based on adop ing, p ocessing and de eloping heal hy and
p og essi e adi ions, while ejec ing bad and eac iona y ones’. Mode nism, he
Figu e 1. The wes e n side o he Main Squa e in Racibó z om he ea ly 1950s. Pho o by he au ho (2022).
Figu e 2. The wes e n side o he Main Squa e in Racibó z on a 1906 pos ca d: Reinicke & Rubin, Magdebu g,
Biblio eka Śląska, Ka owice, ŚIBZZ, Sig. PA 594, public domain.
10
A. Ko a biński, Rozwój u banis yki i a chi ek u y polskiej w la ach 1944–1964: P óba cha ak e ys yki
k y ycznej (Wa saw, 1967), 39; Kozina, Chaos i upo ządkowanie, 200; K. Mo dyński, ‘Kompozycja, hie -
a chia, ideologia. Soc ealis yczna p zebudowa Wa szawy według koncepcji jedności u banis ycznej mias a’,
Biule yn His o ii Sz uki, 76 (2014), 535–57.
U ban His o y 861
h ps://doi.o g/10.1017/S0963926823000779 Published online by Camb idge Uni e si y P ess
ga den ci y model as well as ‘bou geois na ionalism’in a chi ec u e and u ban
planning we e ejec ed. Ins ead, Goldzam called o a cohesi e ci y wi h a clea ly
de ined cen e ha would be ‘spa ially dominan ( hough no necessa ily e ically)’
and which would house social ins i u ions.
11
F om hose, admi edly ague, slogans as well as majo p ojec s such as he new
ci y o Nowa Hu a (nea C acow) and Wa saw’s u ban de elopmen , we can deduce
how a socialis ci y in he pe iod o socialis ealism was imagined.
12
In e ms o i s
look, i was o ien ed owa ds he pas wi h he use o his o icizing a chi ec u e. A he
same ime, mode n u ban issues we e also add essed, such as a ic ci cula ion,
access o g een spaces and social in as uc u e (e.g. kinde ga ens and schools). As
o u ban planning, one can no ice he use o monumen al axes and ep esen a i e
squa es, which could be used du ing poli ical celeb a ions and public e en s. As a as
u ban mo phology was conce ned, pe ime e block de elopmen was p e e ed
(ins ead o mode nis soli ai e), hus e aining he adi ional s ee model. Howe e ,
backya ds we e no used. Ins ead, la ge cou ya ds ac oss whole ci y blocks we e a
common ea u e. Finally, ci y blocks we e no closed o , bu a he open since a
connec ed ci y landscape was aimed o .
Kh ushche ’s u n owa ds he indus ializa ion o he building sec o and his
condemna ion o he excessi e spending o S alinis a chi ec u e and u ban planning
in he So ie Union in 1954, as well as he 1956 poli ical condemna ion o S alinism,
b ough abou he demise o socialis ealism in Poland as well.
13
Mode nism in
a chi ec u e and u ban planning, ejec ed in 1949, was emb aced anew in 1956.
Las bu no leas , his phase was also ma ked by he so-called Polish School o
Conse a ion. I was ully applied only in Wa saw, and pa ly in Gdańsk, W ocław
and Poznań, bu i o med an impo an backd op o de elopmen e en in p o incial
Racibó z.
14
The School o Conse a ion called o a econs uc ion o his o ical o ms
in ci ies des oyed du ing he wa , on he bases o w i en and iconog aphic sou ces.
The aim was o c ea e a consis en u ban landscape wi h an idealized image o he
pas . Fo his eason, o ins ance, eclec ic a chi ec u e om he nine een h cen u y
11
E. Goldzam , ‘Zagadnienie ealizmu socjalis ycznego w a chi ek u ze’, in J. Mino ski (ed.), O polską
a chi ek u esocjalis yczną, ma e iały z K ajowej Pa yjnej Na ady A chi ek ów, odby ej w dniach 20–
21.04.1949 oku w Wa szawie (Wa saw, 1950), 18–41.
12
R. Dylewski and M. Benko (eds.), Op acowania z la 1959–1969, ol. I: Polska u banis yka współczesna
(Wa saw, 1975); K.A. Lebow, ‘Re ising he poli icized landscape Nowa Hu a, 1949–1957’,Ci y & Socie y,
11 (1999), 165–87, h ps://doi.o g/10.1525/ci y.1999.11.1-2.165; K. Mo dyński, ‘Ma zenie o idealnym mieś-
cie–Wa szawa soc ealis yczna’,Spo kania z Zaby kami, 30 (2006), 3–8; Mo dyński, ‘Kompozycja, hie a chia,
ideologia’; Sumo ok, ‘The idea o he socialis ci y’; V. Kulić,‘The builde s o socialism: Eas e n Eu ope’s ci ies
in ecen his o iog aphy’,Con empo a y Eu opean His o y, 26 (2017), 545–60, h ps://doi.o g/10.1017/
S0960777316000497; A. Tomaszewicz and J. Majczyk, ‘Town planning and socialis ealism: new academic
dis ic in W oclaw (Poland) –un inished p ojec s om he 1950s’,Planning Pe spec i es, 34 (2019), 579–
600, h ps://doi.o g/10.1080/02665433.2018.1437556.
13
S.E. Reid, ‘Kh ushche mode n: agency and mode niza ion in he So ie home’,Cahie s du monde usse,
47 (2006), 227–68; Ko a biński, Rozwój u banis yki i a chi ek u y polskiej w la ach 1944–1964; K. Za eco ,
‘A chi ec u e in Eas e n Eu ope and he o me So ie Union’, in E.G. Haddad and D. Ri kind (eds.), A
C i ical His o y o Con empo a y A chi ec u e, 1960–2010 (Fa nham, 2014), 255–74, h ps://lib.d .ias a e.
edu/a ch_pubs/10; Kozina, Chaos i upo ządkowanie, 200–6.
14
Kozina, Chaos i upo ządkowanie, 227–8; Ł. Bugalski and P. Lo ens, ‘Pos -Second Wo ld Wa econ-
s uc ion o Polish ci ies: he in e play be ween poli ics and pa adigms’,U ban Planning, 8 (2023), 182–95,
h ps://doi.o g/10.17645/up. 8i1.6116.
862 Pio Kisiel
h ps://doi.o g/10.1017/S0963926823000779 Published online by Camb idge Uni e si y P ess
was no es o ed and e en emo ed, i i su i ed he wa , as i was no conside ed
‘good’a chi ec u e. Fai h ul econs uc ion was only applied o he mos impo an
eligious and secula s uc u es, while less impo an buildings we e only es o ed in
e ms o heigh , olume and açade design. The Polish School o Conse a ion saw
he whole his o ic dis ic as an objec o i s in e es (including a own plan), no jus
indi idual buildings. Fo his eason, whe e in o ma ion was lacking on he his o ical
si ua ion o indi idual buildings o e en whole sec ions, a c ea i e design was used. A
he same ime, imp o emen s in e ms o sani a y s anda ds and ci cula ion o a ic
we e accep ed.
Me hodology
This a icle is based on a close eading o a chi al ma e ial om he S a e A chi es in
Opole, Racibó z and Ka owice as well as addi ional documen s such as a chi ec u e
jou nals. These sou ces we e analysed in o de o unde s and he econs uc ion
p ocess o Racibó z, including who was in ol ed and wha he logic was guiding he
de elopmen .
The e a e 12 maps p ese ed om 1949 o 1952 ha we e made in he p ocess o
de eloping he pos -wa econs uc ion o Racibó z. No maps om he immedia e
pos -wa yea s ha e been p ese ed. The ocus o he exis ing maps a ies; some a e
in en o ies o he si ua ion on he g ound ega ding he wa damages, he s a e o
his o ical monumen s and g een a eas in he ci y. O he s a e o ien ed owa ds he
u u e, including di iding he ci y in o di e en zones depending on land use, he
planned heigh o buildings and planned loca ion o public acili ies.
This a icle ocuses on wo maps om 1952.
15
One is en i led ‘his o ical s udy’and
shows he assumed look o he ci y du ing he i een h cen u y. The o he , en i led
‘Racibó z, [building heigh ]’p o ides an o e iew o he econs uc ion in en ion,
including he loca ion o he public buildings and se ices. These wo documen s
we e selec ed because o hei hema ic ocus, le el o de ail and p ese a ion s a e. By
compa ing he wo maps, i is possible o examine i and how he assumed u ban
mo phology o he medie al pe iod in luenced he planning o he socialis ci y.
O he maps, in pa icula wa damage maps, we e used pa ially o ex ac in o ma-
ion no a ailable om he wo main sou ces.
To analyse he maps in de ail, i was necessa y o geo e e ence hem. This was
conduc ed using QGIS so wa e ( e sion 3.22.11-Białowieża), wi h common e e -
ence poin s (such as chu ches, school buildings and a ew squa es) applied o all he
maps. Manual con ol was conduc ed o each map o con i m ha he p ocess was
success ul, which mean ensu ing ha he building used o e e encing as well as
s ee s on he his o ic maps ma ched hose on he Open S ee View map. I
necessa y, he p ocess was enewed un il a sa is ac o y le el o geo e e encing’s
p ecision was achie ed. The o e lay o he maps was hus possible, which in u n
allowed o he examina ion o pa e ns and a be e unde s anding o he ca o-
g aphic images.
15
‘Racibó z, s udium his o yczne’, 1952, 45/224/0/67/6102, A chiwum Pańs wowe w Opolu,
www.szukajwa chiwach.go .pl/jednos ka/-/jednos ka/4649142;‘Racibó z, [wysokośćzabudowy]’, 1952,
45/224/0/67/6105, A chiwum Pańs wowe w Opolu, www.szukajwa chiwach.go .pl/jednos ka/-/jed
nos ka/4649145.
U ban His o y 863
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The con ex ualiza ion o he ca og aphic ma e ial was achie ed by a close eading
o he a chi al sou ces, such as minu es o he municipal and egional ( oi odeship)
councils, documen s ega ding he his o ical monumen s and iles on building
cons uc ion and demoli ions in Racibó z. This allowed an unde s anding o no
only who made he plans and on wha basis bu also wha he objec ions aised a he
ime we e. Howe e , no all he documen a ion o he ime has been p ese ed, and
hus, some o he ques ions a ising om he maps do no ha e a de ini i e answe .
Case-s udy
Racibó z (Ge . Ra ibo ) in Uppe Silesia da es back o he medie al pe iod, simila o
many o he se lemen s in he egion. Ci y igh s ( he so-called loca ion p i ilege)
we e g an ed in he mid- wel h cen u y. I was i s uled by he dukes om he Pias
dynas y and la e by he House o Přemyslid. A i s , i was an independen duchy; in
he ea ly ou een h cen u y, i became a ie o he Bohemian kings. F om he i s
hal o he six een h cen u y, i was in he hands o he Habsbu gs, who handed i o
a ious nobles un il P ussia acqui ed i du ing he Silesian Wa s in he mid-
eigh een h cen u y.
16
In he in e -wa pe iod, i became a bo de own, wi h a
Polish–Ge man bo de c ossing loca ed abou 4 km om he Main Squa e. As a
esul o Wo ld Wa II, he own was aken o e by Poland. As ea ly as June 1946,
Racibó z was inco po a ed (only un il Augus 1950) in o he Silesian Voi odeship,
which mean ha echnically i was no longe pa o he No he n and Wes e n
Te i o ies, ha is, a ‘ eclaimed’ own.
17
In spi e o hese adminis a i e changes, i is
undeniable ha he ci y s ill belonged o he ‘Reco e ed Te i o ies’, gi en i s his o y
ou side he Polish ealms.
Despi e i s long his o y, he ci y was no pe cei ed o be o pa icula signi icance
when i comes o his o ical monumen s. The 1894 egis e o monumen s lis s h ee
chu ches, wo columns (Ma ian column and Nepomuk igu e), a ci y wall (only a
small po ion o which su i ed) and a chi ec onical de ails in a ew houses.
18
In
1927, Klemens Ra elsie en, he own planning o ice (S ad bau a ), was mo e
gene ous, and ecognized no only he abo e, bu also he synagogue and he emains
o he cas le, he ci y hall (‘calm and elegan ’), he dis ic cou and a ew gabled
houses.
19
Howe e , since he belie ed ha he ci y was no isually appealing enough,
he own planning o ice also made a s ep by s ep e o o emo e he ugliness
(Hässlichkei ) om he s ee s. A 1949 map showing he ci y’s his o ical monumen s
ma ks no only he chu ches bu also a la ge numbe o o he buildings, 60 buildings
in o al wi hin he bo de s o he walled ci y, plus he cas le on he o he side o he
16
W. Dziewułski and S. Golachowski, Racibó z, ed. P acownie Konse wacji Zaby ków and Ins y u
U banis yki i A chi ek u y, P ace Ins y u u U banis yki i A chi ek u y (Wa saw, 1957), 213–24;
A. Nowa a, ‘Za ys dziejów Racibo skiego’, in I. Niewińska (ed.), Wypisy do dziejów Racibo skiego (Opole,
1975), 85–108.
17
T. Dziki, ‘Podziały adminis acyjne polski w la ach 1944–1998. Z badańnad us ojem ziem polskich w
XIX i XX w.’,S udia Gdańskie. Wizje i Rzeczywis ość, 10 (2013), 433–50.
18
H. Lu sch (ed.), De Reg.-Bezi ks Oppeln, ol. IV: Die Kuns denkmäle de P o inz Schlesien (B eslau,
1894), 335–45.
19
K. Ra elsie en, ‘Die Baukuns in Ra ibo eins und je z ’, in K. Ra elsie en (ed.), Ra ibo (B.-Halensee,
1927), 16–41, h ps://biblio ekacy owa.pl/dlib a/publica ion/edi ion/106663.
864 Pio Kisiel
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i e . O hese his o ic buildings, 39 we e labelled as des oyed.
20
A no poin in he
exis ing pos -wa documen s is he ‘Ge manness’o he his o ical monumen s
men ioned.
Racibó z was a small own when i was acqui ed by P ussia in he mid-eigh een h
cen u y, wi h less han 2,000 inhabi an s. Indus ializa ion d ama ically changed he
si ua ion. A he beginning o he nine een h cen u y, i s popula ion was app oxi-
ma ely 3,500, bu by 1910, i had eached 38,000. In he 1921 Uppe Silesia plebisci e,
he ci y o ed decidedly in a ou o Ge many: 90.3 pe cen o he o es, wi h a o e
u nou o 97.4 pe cen . Following he Po sdam Ag eemen (2 Augus 1945), he
ci y’s popula ion became i ually Polish. By he end o he wa , he popula ion had
declined o jus 3,000 bu eached 20,000 a he end o 1945. The p e-wa numbe o
inhabi an s was no eached again un il he la e 1970s.
21
As men ioned, he Polish go e nmen claimed a his o ical (and mo al) igh o
Racibó z ( oge he wi h all he ‘Reco e ed Te i o ies’) based on he link be ween he
(communis ) Polish s a e a e Wo ld Wa II and he medie al Sla ic s a es. A good
example o his na a i e a he local le el can be ound in a bookle p epa ed o an
exhibi ion in he Racibó z museum in 1955 on he occasion o he 10-yea anni e -
sa y o he Polish People’s Republic: ‘A e 600 yea s o sla e y and o eign ule, wi h
he ic o y o e ascism, o e Teu onic ba ba ism, Racibó z oge he wi h all o Silesia
e u ned o e e o i s Polish Mo he land.’
22
I is wo h no ing he e ha he People’s
Republic o Poland was p oclaimed only in 1952 (in he new cons i u ion), which
shows ha p ecision was no always a ea u e o public his o y in he pos -wa pe iod.
Wo ld Wa II mean signi ican changes o he ci y in e ms o no only he
poli ical egime and popula ion (ex)change bu also i s u ban s uc u e and mo -
phology. The limi ed a chi al ma e ial does no allow us o p ecisely say wha was
des oyed du ing he wa , wha in he wake o he So ie akeo e o he ci y, and wha
was demolished in he i s pos -wa yea s. The li e a u e a ies g ea ly in i s
assessmen o wa damages, om app oxima ely 60 pe cen up o 100 pe cen .
23
While i was ce ainly no wiped o he ace o he Ea h, i was indeed hea ily
damaged. This mean ha he Polish au ho i ies aced a iple challenge: u ban
econs uc ion, eshaping i in o a socialis ci y and emaking i in o a Polish ci y.
While he Silesian egion as a whole played an impo an ole in he communis plans
o he Polish economy, wi h i s emphasis on hea y indus y, Racibó z i sel had only
limi ed impo ance in his s a egy. I s economy was based on he ood sec o (suga ,
chocola e and con ec ione y plan s), household chemical wo ks as well as a boile
elec odes ac o y.
24
The municipal documen s sugges ha his modes indus ial
base did no ansla e in o big esou ces o econs uc ion and ci y de elopmen . Fo
example, in Feb ua y 1957 he u gen need o secu e he ain s a ion building agains
20
‘Racibó z, plan zaby kowy’, 1949, 45/224/0/67/6106, A chiwum Pańs wowe w Opolu, www.szuk
ajwa chiwach.go .pl/jednos ka/-/jednos ka/4649146.
21
Newe la, Dzieje Racibo za i jego dzielnic, 18, 71; Kozina, ‘Rozwój Racibo za w XIX i XX w.’, 73.
22
J. G uszka and A. Polanski, Ziemia acibo ska wczo aj i dzis: p zewodnik po wys awie zo ganizowanej z
okazji 10-lecia Polski Ludowej (Racibó z, 1955), 24.
23
G. Wawoczny, ‘P awda o la ach 1945–1950’,Nasz Racibó z, 20 Aug. 2008, www.nasz acibo z.pl/si e/
dodaj_komen a z/5/14/387/107208.
24
A chiwum Pańs wowe w Ka owicach, ‘P zemysłRacibo za’,A chiwum Pańs wowe w Ka owicach
(blog), 2017, h ps://ka owice.ap.go .pl/ap/ eks /p zemys- acibo za.
U ban His o y 865
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s ee s owa ds he no h, wes and sou h ( oday’s Od zańska, Długa, Nowa), as well
as he Main Squa e as highly buil -up a eas, and he es o Racibó z being less
de eloped. No s uc u es ou side he ci y walls we e shown; hus, he his o ical zone
was singled ou and cu o om i s u ban and na u al (geog aphical) con ex .
Un o una ely, no addi ional in o ma ion abou hese maps can be gleaned om
he w i en documen s. The e is a desc ip ion o he p ojec by Helena Sawczuk-
Nowa a as well as wo expe opinions: one by Al ed Fiebige om Gliwice and he
o he by Kazimie z Smalec om Opole.
57
Nei he expe men ioned he his o ical
s udies o Racibó z. Sawczuk-Nowa a oo e ained om men ioning any o hese
maps in he exposé and e e ed o he his o y o he place only once. In he wo ds,
while he a ea o he medie al ci y was an his o ic monumen ollowing he
conse a o - es o e ’s decision ( om June 1949), he buildings loca ed he e we e
no p o ec ed and hus could be demolished, excep o a o me b ewe y building.
Such clea ances we e in ended o p o ide ligh and g eene y o he cou ya ds. I
seems, he e o e, ha he pos -wa plans o Racibó z we e oo ed squa ely in he
concep o he socialis ci y and ha his o ical s udies we e o no consequence.
Howe e , i was no ha s aigh o wa d.
Medie al oo s o he socialis ci y
How does he p ojec o he socialis ci y compa e o he his o ical s udies o
Racibó z in he i een h cen u y? As men ioned in he in oduc ion, he communis
egime wen o g ea pains o demons a e ha he ‘Wes e n and No he n Te i-
o ies’we e ‘ eco e ed’. Olga Toka czuk desc ibes his p ocess o poloniza ion as
making i mo e Sla ic and mo e Pias -like (usłowiańszczyć, upias owszczyć).
58
The
Pias -Poland ( om he name o he i s dynas y) was iden i ied wi h Poland
s e ching o he Ode Ri e and con as ed wi h he Jagiellonian-Poland, which
included lands in he eas , in oday’s Bela us and Uk aine. In e ms o a chi ec u e,
his was done in Racibó z by building houses on he wes e n side o he Main Squa e
in he neo-Renaissance, supposedly Polish, s yle. As men ioned, he açades a e
decisi ely di e en om how hey looked in he p e-wa pe iod (see Figu es 1
and 2). O cou se, his con adic ed he me a-na a i e, as he Renaissance was, i
any hing, connec ed wi h he Jagiellonian pe iod (six een h cen u y) a he han wi h
he ea lie Pias dynas y.
Howe e , whe he he ‘ eco e y’o u ban his o y emained a he supe icial le el
o building s yles o wen much deepe in o he e y plan o he ci y emains unclea .
In his ega d, he compa ison be ween he wo 1952 maps – he ‘his o ical s udy’and
he ‘building heigh ’plans –p o ides some insigh s.
59
The socialis Racibó z was by no means a simple ec ea ion o he medie al
Racibó z. While he s ee ne wo k was la gely p ese ed, he e we e some e y
impo an changes. As men ioned abo e, Rzeźnicza S ee , which can be seen in
nea ly all he his o ical plans o he ci y, was o be ans o med in o an in a-block
alley. Simila ly, he a ch-shaped Młyńska (Mill) S ee in he eas e n pa o he
his o ical ci y, isible on he medie al plan, was also u ned in o an in a-block alley
57
‘Założenia p ojek u’,2–15.
58
O. Toka czuk, G a na wielu bebenkach: 19 opowiadań(Wydawn, 2001).
59
‘Racibó z, s udium his o yczne’;‘Racibó z, [wysokośćzabudowy]’.
872 Pio Kisiel
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(see Figu e 4). Second, in he sou he n pa o he his o ic ci y, sou h om he ci y
chu ch, whe e acco ding o he ‘his o ical s udy’, a s ee once exis ed be ween he
ga dens, a new s uc u e was en isaged. Acco ding o he 1952 map, a ya d lanked
om all sides by houses and an a ch(?) was o be c ea ed wi h a small pond in he
middle. Nei he o hese co esponded o he p e-wa si ua ion (Figu e 5). B owa na
(B ewe y) S ee , which acco ding o Dziewoński did no exis in he i een h
cen u y, was e ained, as i exis ed in he mode n ci y. Mo eo e , he g eene y o
he medie al pe iod was eplaced pa ly by he houses along he s ee . Simila ly, he
eas e n pa o he his o ical co e, which supposedly was la gely unde eloped in he
medie al pe iod, was no le emp y, bu was planned in a simila ashion o ha on
he wes e n side. Finally, he e was no plan o econs uc he ci y hall in he middle o
he Main Squa e. The Renaissance ci y hall building was demolished a e he ci y i e
in he eigh een h cen u y and a new building in a classical s yle was no e ec ed un il
1825 in a di e en loca ion on he Main Squa e.
60
The socialis Racibó z did no simply igno e i s medie al oo s, howe e . Fi s , he
ci y was o egain pa s o he ci y walls ha da ed back o he hi een h cen u y and
we e demolished in he la e eigh een h and ea ly nine een h cen u ies. The g een bel
su ounding he his o ical co e aced he his o ical line o he ci y walls.
61
Su p is-
ingly, he plan indica ed an in en ion o build some so o ga e on he no he n side o
he ci y. The a ailable sou ces p o ide no a ionale behind i .
The des uc ion o he houses s ill s anding in he ea ly 1950s was conside ed an
accep able p ice o c ea e he g een bel su ounding he ci y cen e. Fu he mo e, he
newly buil houses, in he o m o a semi-closed qua e , also ollowed he bo de s o
he medie al ci y. This is especially isible in he no h, nex o he newly buil ci y
Figu e 5. O e lay o he 1952 econs uc ion plan and he 1952 ‘his o ical s udy’showing he sou he n edge
o he his o ical cen e. A g een cou ya d wi h a pond (blue ec angle) was planned on he si e o a
medie al s ee . ‘Racibó z, s udium his o yczne’, 1952, 45/224/0/67/6102, A chiwum Pańs wowe w Opolu;
‘Racibó z, [wysokośćzabudowy]’, 1952, 45/224/0/67/6105, A chiwum Pańs wowe w Opolu.
60
Ra elsie en, ‘Die Baukuns in Ra ibo eins und je z ’, 28; Dziewułski and Golachowski, ‘Racibó z’, 219.
61
Dziewułski and Golachowski, ‘Racibó z’, 219; R. Tu akiewicz, ‘Fo y ikacje miejskie Racibo za w świe le
badańa cheologicznych’,Eunomia –Rozwój Z ównoważony –Sus ainable De elopmen , 1 (96) (2019),
63–84.
U ban His o y 873
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ga e, and along he wes e n pa o he g een bel . Nex o Od zańska S ee , he
ou side wall o a newly buil house also ollows he cou se o he ci y walls. Mo eo e ,
acco ding o maps, no buildings we e o s and beyond he line o he medie al walls.
Those ha we e le a e he wa we e o be demolished (Figu e 6). Su ounding he
his o ical co e wi h a g een bel was ha dly a solu ion unique o Racibó z. On he
con a y, i was commonly used in pos -wa Poland and was seen as he p e e ed
solu ion in many cases. This u ban s a egy had been used h oughou Eu ope since
he nine een h cen u y and can be s ill ound in many places oday (e.g. Vienna,
Wü zbu g, C acow).
62
Finally, he e was a plan o edi ec he small s eam owa ds he edge o he
his o ical co e (Figu e 4). The compa ison wi h he i een h-cen u y map explains
he possible mo i e he e. Namely, he s eam was supposed o ollow he cou se o he
ci y walls, esembling a moa . This would se e he dual pu pose o highligh ing he
bo de o he his o ic dis ic , e en wi hou he need o ec ea e he walls, and o
emphasizing he only en ance o he cen e om he wes h ough a b idge o e he
‘moa ’on o Długa S ee , he his o ical wes –eas oad h ough he ci y.
A blessing in disguise
O cou se, adical plans o eshape he exis ing u ban mo phology we e no a a i y in
he la e 1940s and ea ly 1950s. A desi e o elimina e ‘insalub ious’qua e s, p o ide
quali y housing and allow easy ci cula ion o a ic shaped plans d awn ac oss
Figu e 6. F agmen o he o e lay o he 1952 econs uc ion plan and he 1952 ‘his o ical s udy’showing
O zanska S ee in he middle o he pic u e. Planned houses on he igh along he ci y wall. Some so o
ci y ga e was planned, and no buildings we e en isaged beyond his poin . The ci cles symbolize he ees/
plan s. ‘Racibó z, s udium his o yczne’, 1952, 45/224/0/67/6102, A chiwum Pańs wowe w Opolu; ‘Racibó z,
[wysokośćzabudowy]’, 1952, 45/224/0/67/6105, A chiwum Pańs wowe w Opolu.
62
M. P zyłecki, ‘Uwagi na ema p og amów och ony konse wa o skiej zaby kowych zespołów miejskich’,
Och ona Zaby ków, 100 (1973), 29–39; K. Kimic, ‘The loca ion and ole o old walls as g een bel s in shaping
he landscape o owns in he 19 h cen u y’,Czasopismo Techniczne, 1-A (5) (2016), 143–66, h ps://doi.
o g/10.4467/2353737XCT.16.081.5445.
874 Pio Kisiel
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Eu ope.
63
In ac , an Ame ican a chi ec eg e ed ha he US ci ies we e no bombed,
hus obbing hem o he oppo uni y o a glo ious eshaping.
64
In his sense, he e
was no hing pa icula ly unusual in he way a chi ec s imagined pos -wa Racibó z.
Whe e Racibó z de ia es om well-known pa e ns o eco e y is how he p ojec
was p epa ed and wha i aimed o achie e. Fi s , he municipali y, i s leade s and he
inhabi an s we e no in ol ed in he planning p ocess. Acco ding o he ci y council
minu es, nei he he a chi ec s no he egional pa yand s a e unc iona ies bo he ed
o ask o e en in o m he locals abou he econs uc ion o hei ci y. I was e y
much a op-down a ai . No ace o any in ol emen by anyone om he ci y could
be ound. No ably, howe e , he ci y also expe ienced a adical change in 1945 in
e ms o i s popula ion. P edominan ly Ge man-speaking inhabi an s we e eplaced
by hose whose mo he ongue was Polish. Racibó z, wi h a popula ion o 49,724 in
1939, sh ank o 3,000 in May 1945, bu he popula ion bounced back o 20,000 in
Decembe o ha yea .
65
Mo eo e , he ac ha i was ea ed as an objec a he han
a subjec o planning migh also be connec ed o bo h i s size and he lack o a s ong
local eli e.
This disempowe men was no necessa ily a ea u e o pos -wa econs uc ion
p ocesses in all ci ies in Poland. Fo ins ance, in he case o Szczecin (Ge . S e in)
he e we e indeed disag eemen s among a chi ec s and ci y planne s in ol ed in he
p ocess, bo h om he local ins i u ions as well as ex e nal ac o s.
66
Simila ly, in
Chemni z ( om 1953, Ka l-Ma x-S ad ) in Eas Ge many he e we e also li ely
deba es and nego ia ions on he bes s a egy o pos -wa econs uc ion and
emaking i in o a socialis ci y.
67
The e y op-down app oach in Racibó z a guably
was a esul o i s small size and weakness (o absence) o he local eli e. Wha does
seem ypical o many socialis ci ies is he e y limi ed in luence o he inhabi an s o
he ci y, as he p ocess was e y much echnoc a ic in na u e.
63
P.J. La kham, ‘Planning o econs uc ion a e disas e o wa : lessons om England in he 1940s’,
Pe spec i as U banas / U ban Pe spec i es, 6 (2005), 3–14; S. Coupe us, ‘The in isible econs uc ion:
displacing people, eme gency housing and p omo ing decen amily li e in Ro e dam, Hambu g and
Co en y’, in J. Düwel and N. Gu schow (eds.), A Blessing in Disguise: Wa and Town Planning in Eu ope
1940–1945 (Be lin, 2013), 66–87; O. Ha he ley, Landscapes o Communism: A His o y h ough Buildings
(London, 2015); M. Popiołek, ‘Keine S unde Null. Das Wiede au baup og amm on Jan Zachwa owicz ü
die polnischen Al s äd e nach dem Zwei en Wel k ieg’, in U. Schädle -Saub and A. Weye (eds.), Ge eil –
Ve ein ! Denkmalp lege in Mi eleu opa zu Zei des Eise nen Vo hangs und heu e (Pe e sbe g, 2015), 190–
206; J. Bough on, Municipal D eams: The Rise and Fall o Council Housing (London and B ooklyn, NY, 2018).
64
J. Düwel and N. Gu schow, ‘Communi y and own planning –deba es o he i s hal o he 20 h
cen u y’, in Düwel and Gu schow (eds.), A Blessing in Disguise, 46.
65
Kozina, ‘Rozwój Racibo za w XIX i XX w.’, 73.
66
G. Labuda (ed.), Dzieje Szczecina. 4: 1945–1990 (Szczecin, 1998); P. Knap, ‘“Sylwe a zapowiadała sie ak
ko zys nie…”: Kon owe sje wokółodbudowy szczecińskiego S a ego Mias a (1945–1970)’,Biule yn Ins y-
u u Pamieci Na odowej, 7 (2007), 74–81; M. Gwiazdowska, ‘Szczecin w os a nim siedemdziesiecio eciu.
Re leksje do yczące działańkonse wa o skich’, in K. Kozłowski (ed.), Pomo ze Zachodnie z Polską: p aca
zbio owa (Wa saw and Szczecin, 2015), 132–48.
67
J. Kassne , ‘S ad planung in Chemni z 1900–1945’,inChemni z im 20. Jah hunde , ed. Chemni ze
Geschich s e ein, ol. I, Mi eilungen des Chemni ze Geschich s e eins (Chemni z, 2000), 57–75;
J. S abenow, ‘Chemni z im Wiede au bau: Wechsel älle de Zen umsplanung 1946–1959’,inChemni z
im 20. Jah hunde , ed. Chemni ze Geschich s e ein, 76–94; K.-J. Beuchel, Die S ad mi dem Monumen :
Dokumen e und No izen eines S ad baudi ek o s zu Baugeschich e on Chemni z, 1. Au l., ol. IX, Aus Dem
S ad a chi Chemni z (Chemni z, 2006).
U ban His o y 875
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Using he wa ’s des uc ion o ‘ esu ec ’ he pas was no unique o Racibó z.
In pa icula , pos -wa ‘co ec ion’o açades o c ea e a desi able image o he ci y
was qui e common.
68
Many ci ies, including Sain -Malo in F ance, we e econ-
s uc ed in an his o ical ashion, bu wi h some ‘adjus men s’ o he needs o mode n
housing, and making i somewha iendlie owa ds ca s.
69
We can clea ly see i in
he case o Racibó z (Figu e 7). While building lines in he Main Squa e emained
unchanged and his was also he case o some smalle s ee s, o he s we e planned o
a majo eshaping. I is e y clea ly isible in he case o Długa S ee ; i s no h side was
o be se back, hus widening i . Conside ing ha he old own was planned as a
housing es a e, i was mo e o do wi h he quali y o apa men s (especially p o ision
o sunligh in he la s), han he needs o mo o ized a ic. I could be a gued ha
hose changes we e in ended o p o ide a mo e ‘legible’ci y plan as well as a mo e
‘uni ied’image o he s ee s.
I is p ecisely his ension be ween he u u e and he pas (wi h dis ega d o he
p esen ) ha makes Racibó z an in e es ing case-s udy o pos -wa u ban planning.
Undoub edly, i i s he scheme o a socialis ci y, bu i also d aws a en ion o ac o s
o he han poli ical ideology and mode nis conce ns. The e i al o he ( emodelled)
his o ic ci y was a guably consis en wi h he p inciple o socialis ealism o de el-
oping a ‘p og essi e adi ion’.
70
Fu he mo e, i was used o legi imize he
Figu e 7. F agmen o he o e lay o he 1952 econs uc ion plan and he 1949 ‘ eco d o des uc ion’
showing Rzeźnicza S ee in he middle o he pic u e and he Main Squa e on he igh . The solid lines show
he unchanged building lines, he dashed lines show he change o he planned alignmen lines. The shaded
polygons show he qua e s o be demolished. ‘Racibó z, inwen a yzacja u banis yczna S a ego Mias a,
s an zniszczeń’, 1949, 45/224/0/67/6109, A chiwum Pańs wowe w Opolu; ‘Racibó z, [wysokośćzabudowy]’,
1952, 45/224/0/67/6105, A chiwum Pańs wowe w Opolu.
68
M. Sme s, ‘The econs uc ion o his o ical co es in Belgian ci ies a e hei des uc ion in he Fi s
Wo ld Wa ’(Washing on: US/ICOMOS, 1987), pp. 776–83; M. Popiołek, Powojenna odbudowa ulicy Nowy
Świa w Wa szawie (Wa saw, 2012).
69
M. Kip, ‘Si es o con o e sy: pos wa public squa es and he eassesmen o mode nis a chi ec u es’,in
K. F ieling and M. Kip (eds.), P ese ing he Mode n: New Pe spec i es on Pos wa Mode nis A chi ec u e
(Da ms ad , 2018), 9–23.
70
Goldzam , ‘Zagadnienie ealizmu socjalis ycznego w a chi ek u ze’, 35.
876 Pio Kisiel
h ps://doi.o g/10.1017/S0963926823000779 Published online by Camb idge Uni e si y P ess
communis egime by placing i wi hin a na ional me ana a i e. A he same ime,
ecalling he pas helped o jus i y Polish ule in he ‘Reco e ed Te i o ies’.
Conclusions
A a mee ing o he MPs om Racibó z wi h he membe s o he ci y council, he
p aesidium and he ci y’s a chi ec in No embe 1956, an in ense c i ique o he ci y’s
econs uc ion was deba ed. Te mina ion o he ‘p oduc ion o alse monumen s’
(i.e. Neo-Renaissance a chi ec u e) was demanded. Ins ead o his, a ci y cen e
sui able o mo o ized a ic should be designed, acco ding o he pa icipan s o
he mee ing. Mo eo e , ‘se ice poin s’loca ed in he cen e should se e he whole
ci y. Thus, he concep unde lying he whole p ojec –ci y cen e as a housing es a e –
was indi ec ly ques ioned. Acco ding o he pa icipan s, his iew was sha ed by he
popula ion o he ci y a la ge.
71
This e lec ed he clima e o he la e 1950s and he
ejec ion o u banism as ‘na ional adi ion’du ing socialis classicism. The 1952 plan
was ne e ully ealized.
Wha do we make o he plans o he Polish and socialis Racibó z om he i s
hal o he 1950s? La ge pa s o he p ojec could be explained by socialis and
mode nis ideas abou he ci y: ge ing id o na ow and da k backya ds and
p o iding all housing wi h plen y o ligh , ai and access o g een spaces. The his o ic
cen e was o be u ned in o a housing es a e wi h good social in as uc u e, wi h
a ic edi ec ed away om he a ea. A poli ical agenda is e iden behind he plan: a
la ge squa e is sui able o poli ical demons a ions and se es as a p ominen
loca ion o he s a e and pa y adminis a ion.
Howe e , his alone is insu icien o ully explain he logic o he 1952 plans. I is
highly doub ul whe he he mas e s o mode nism, o indeed ad oca es o socialis
ci ies, would applaud a p oposal o ec ea e pa s o he ci y walls o build a ci y ga e.
Howe e , i was e y much in line wi h he ‘Polish School o Conse a ion’, which
lobbied o he ec ea ion o los he i age.
72
Bu as his a icle demons a es, i was no
‘jus ’abou building in a his o icizing ashion bu also abou planning he ci y on
his o ical ounda ions, e en i ha mean des oying buildings ha su i ed he wa .
Buildings along Od zańska S ee we e supposed o be buil only as a as he
medie al ci y eached, and he cou se o he houses ollowed exac ly he cou se o
he medie al ci y walls. This ocus on he ‘Polish pas ’o Racibó z mean , pa adox-
ically, ha he h ee his o ical chu ches we e o emain he mos impo an e ical
elemen s o he socialis ci yscape.
The eco e y o he Polish pas was, o cou se, selec i e and, a imes, a he
p oblema ic. The i een h-cen u y plan o he ci y was used o guide he econs uc-
ion o he Polish and socialis ci y o Racibó z. Howe e , in he i een h cen u y, he
ci y was no longe pa o he Polish kingdom, no was i uled by he local b anch o
he Pias dynas y. Mo e impo an ly, he eco e y o he pas did no mean ha he
his o ical s uc u es had he u mos impo ance. As men ioned, ‘ ake’monumen s
we e buil while no econs uc ing he ac ual his o ical monumen s, excep o
chu ches. Reconciling he need o build a socialis and Polish Racibó z was no
71
‘Odbudowa mias a, plany i założenia’, 40.
72
Kozina, Chaos i upo ządkowanie; Bugalski and Lo ens, ‘Pos -Second Wo ld Wa econs uc ion o
Polish ci ies’.
U ban His o y 877
h ps://doi.o g/10.1017/S0963926823000779 Published online by Camb idge Uni e si y P ess
always easy. I could be a gued ha whe eas a chi ec u e was used o demons a e he
(gene ic) Polish cha ac e o he ci y, u ban planning was used o ac ually eco e he
u ban his o y, e en i i was no ac ually a Polish one. Finally, hese plans we e only
pa ly ealized. Thus, we canno know wha his ci y ‘na ional in o m, socialis in
con en ’would eally look like, bu we can be ce ain ha eco e ing he pas was no
me ely a he o ical igu e bu did a ec he planning o he pos -wa ci y.
Acknowledgmen s. An ea ly e sion o his a icle was p esen ed a he U ban His o y G oup Annual
Con e ence 2023 –Reco e y and he Ci y. I am e y g a e ul o D Lau a Deme e (O o-F ied ich Uni e si y
Bambe g) who ook he ime o ead and commen on his a icle, which helped in i s de elopmen .
Funding s a emen . This esea ch was suppo ed by he Ge man Fede al Minis y o Educa ion and
Resea ch (Bundesminis e ium ü Bildung und Fo schung, BMBF) P ojec U banMe aMapping: Planung
(01UL2004C).
Ci e his a icle: Kisiel, P. (2024). Reco e ing he pas o he u u e: Racibó z a e Wo ld Wa II. U ban
His o y,51, 858–878, doi:10.1017/S0963926823000779
878 Pio Kisiel
h ps://doi.o g/10.1017/S0963926823000779 Published online by Camb idge Uni e si y P ess
