Wroclaw, Poland : by Joann Pai
In the South of Poland there is a picturesque highland region known as Podhale, the beginning of the Carpathian Mountains. I made a stop in the touristy town of Zakopane, a place that since the mid 19th century is a rising resort area. What is special regarding architecture, is a particular building style called Zakopane Style or Witkiewicz Style architecture. When the place began to become a mountain resort the swiss chalet- or austro-hungarian alp-style where common for cabins and villas. Until Stanislaw Witkiewicz, an art critic, architect, painter, novelist and journalist, was chosen to design a villa for Zygmunt Gnatowski around 1892. In his plans, Witkiewicz decided against using these foreing building styles and instead chose to utilize the local traditions used by the native people of the region (the Górals) and their modest but richly decorated houses, incorporating selected elements of Art Nouveau. This building is now known as Villa Koliba (Koscieliska Street in Zakopane) and is now a museum of the Zakopane Style of Architecture. Today even new villas and hotels are built in this style and give the area that special atmosphere. More works by Stanislaw Witkiewicz "Dom pod Jedlami" in Koziniec (picture source) "Dom pod Jedlami" in Koziniec Villa "Oksza" Zamojski Street in Zakopane Church of the Holy Family on Krupówki Street inZakopane Korniłowicz family chapel in Bystre Stanislaw Witkiewicz once wrote on the idea of the Zakopane style: "The idea was not to build yet one more beautiful, typical house. The focus was something else entirely: to build a home which would settle all existing doubts about the possibility of adapting folk architecture to the requirements deriving from the more complex and sophisticated needs of comfort and beauty. To design a home that would inherently withstand all common grievances and undermine all customary prejudices. To erect a house that would prove that one can have a home, a dwelling in the dominant style of Zakopane and yet be confident that this home will not disintegrate, that it will effectively protect one from storms, gales and the cold, that it will possess the full range of comforts yet simultaneously be beautiful in a fundamentally Polish way." The Zakopane Style soon found proponents among other outstanding architects, including Jan Witkiewicz-Koszyc, Wladyslaw Matlakowski, and Walery Eliasz-Radzikowski. A beautiful example of Zakopane Style (picture source) This is the fifth post of my little itinerary through Eastern Europe Prague-Brno-Ostrava-Krakow-Zakopane-Presov-Beograd. First post: Soviet Style Architecture in Prague Second post: Brno Architecture Third post: Socialist Realism in Ostrava Forth post: Brutalist architecture and soc realism in Krakow
What is most stunning Kraków in Poland is its gorgeous architecture. Located along the Vistula River, you can experience sweeping views of the Wawel Royal Castle and Father Bernatek's Bridge. Other attractions include St. Mary’s Basilica, St. Joseph’s Church, Kościuszko Mound, Florianska street, and
Map of Polish typical historical houses depending on the area - please beware this is not the full list, it's just a couple of examples featuring main...
Jelenia Góra, located in southwest Poland, is filled with beautiful architecture, Gothic and Baroque churches, thermal baths and more.
Stary Rynek, Poznań, Poland
Explore mariusz kluzniak's 1504 photos on Flickr!
I'm feeling very excited right now. You know the kind of excitement you get when you can barely stay still inside your own skin? That's me r...
Cathedral. Processing from single jpg in Machinery HDR Effects and CEP. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wawel
Krynica Zdrój, Poland
Download this photo by Valeriia Slobodeniuk for free on Pexels
Frog House (Polish: kamienica Pod Żabami) is an example of art nouveau architecture in the city of Bielsko-Biała.
Park Etnograficzny - skansen
I'm feeling very excited right now. You know the kind of excitement you get when you can barely stay still inside your own skin? That's me r...
Polish architecture is as varied and surprising as the country’s culture itself. Read on to learn more about Europe’s architectural melting pot!
Zamek w Baranowie Sandomierskim
Artur Bednarczyk photographs Polish modernist architecture in the blok districts to ensure the buildings are captured for posterity.
Exclusive stock photos. Taken with love and shared for free for you to enjoy!
