C20 Society: Polish architecture: From ruins to reconstruction (IHBC Recognised CPD Provider)

When: Wednesday 14 October 2026, 18:30 – 19:45

Where: On-line

When Poland regained independence in 1918, modern architecture exploded across the newly independent country – the capital, Warsaw, gained its first skyscraper, the Prudential, and clubs with revolving dance floors; village of Gdynia was built up rapidly to become a modernist dream-city; Katowice became a ‘Polish Chicago’ for its Art Deco designs. But this was all to change as war in 1939, with the mass destruction.

Post-war, there were further efforts to rebuild the country. The rebuilding of Warsaw’s Old Town was a civic miracle. Yet a socialist realism also took hold, including in the planned socialist realist settlement Nowa Huta in Kraków. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, a new emphasis in architecture has emerged, including the rebuilding of lost interwar constructions, and the protection of twentieth century heritage.

Juliette Bretan is a researcher, writer, and broadcaster.

Cost: 
C20 Society Member £6;
Non-Member £8;
Young C20 member free;
Student £4

For booking: 

https://secure.c20society.org.uk/Default.aspx?tabid=62&EventId=1352