What They Left Behind

Abstract

The Second Republic of Poland (1918-1939) was hopeful of rebuilding the nation. The country regained its independence after 123 years and got shaped by newly distributed borders in the Treaty of Riga. Following, 35% of the population identified themselves as ethnic minorities (14% Ukrainians, 10% Jews, 3% Belarusians and 2% Germans). The population worked on developing culture, architecture, and national identity. According to the Small Versailles Treaty (1919) non-poles had to have equal rights and be provided with free access to their own education and religion. The Jewish, living mostly in urban areas (74% of the minority's population), were the only ones to create their own science institutions and higher education facilities. They had literacy rates higher than non-Jews (24% amongst non-Jews were illiterate and only 15% among Jews) and became present in all social classes. In the first decades of the 20th century, it became common that Jewish people from privileged social classes would design tenement houses that they would later profit from or inhibit themselves. However, the representation of their influence on architecture became insignificant with the intensification of their persecutions after the rise of Nazi Germany in the 1930s. This previous heritage, part of Polish cities’ history, has been marginalized ever since. Especially in the newly founded city of Gdynia (located on the North coast) which was experiencing rapid growth, the Interwar period played a crucial role. The city mustered numbers of young architects to practice their profession as it was blooming. As Poland regained its independence and people strived for a rebirth of culture, the new and fast to build modern architecture became favored. Central European Jewish architects played a crucial role in its growth. The research studies various works of the architects with Jewish roots like Władysław Grodzieński (1895-n.d.), Edward Fuhr­schmied (1909-n.d.) and Eliza Unger (1899-1983). Moreover, it examines how working couples (Eliza Unger (1899-1983) and Oswald Eryk Unger (1896-1967)) operated in the architecture profession with their modernistic approach. The analysis methods are the literature review, together with studying the city's archival materials, and conducting site visits. All in all, this research seeks to understand the role that this minority played in the establishment of Polish modernism in Gdynia’s built environment which has been largely overlooked.