Jolanta PAWNIK: How Wrocław Rebuilt Warsaw, Nowa Huta and Other Polish Cities

en Language Flag How Wrocław Rebuilt Warsaw, Nowa Huta and Other Polish Cities

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Jolanta PAWNIK

Journalist, lecturer and media advisor. Enthusiast of new media. A Cracovian in love with her hometown Sandomierz.

The propaganda slogan ‘The whole nation is rebuilding its capital’ had a particular resonance in Wrocław. Between 1949 and 1954, the city became a vast warehouse of bricks used for the reconstruction of towns and cities across Poland. Many Warsaw tenement houses, the oldest part of Nowa Huta, and various other locations were built with bricks from Wrocław – all as part of social campaigns that aligned perfectly with the communist authorities’ narrative about the uncertain future of the so-called Recovered Territories.

.Right after the war, it was widely believed that the newly established borders were temporary and that another armed conflict was inevitable. That atmosphere made it easy to ignore the property left by the city’s former German residents, with the prospect of financial gain appealing not only to thieves and swindlers but also to communist leaders. Thus, in the majesty of the law, ‘the securing post-German property’ was carried out under the guise of ‘historical justice’ and a form of compensation for the destruction caused by the Germans. The practice of reclaiming bricks fitted neatly into the communist narrative of the socialist nation’s collective effort to rebuild the heart of the country – its capital – while simultaneously reducing reconstruction costs and accelerating the clearing of ruins.

Wrocław was particularly affected, with up to 90% of buildings destroyed in the northern and western parts, and between 10% and 30% in the southern and eastern parts. For years, the city was treated as a supply depot for rebuilding other ruined towns and cities. Construction materials were extracted so thoroughly that it took two decades to restore Wrocław to its former appearance. Efforts to improve living conditions for its new residents also progressed at a sluggish pace. Even in the 1960s, large areas of the city remained buried under post-war rubble, while empty plots between tenement houses in the Old Town stood as reminders of its former grandeur.

Throughout the 1950s, communist propaganda effectively mobilised the city’s dwellers to collect bricks. ‘Every Wrocław resident donates 50 bricks for Warsaw’ and ‘We help build the capital’ – these were just some of the slogans that, in the early years after the war, encouraged people to take part in what was ultimately a campaign of destruction. Contests were even held to spur the effort, with rewards for those who could deliver the most bricks to collection points and promises of trips to the rebuilt capital for record-breakers.

Official decrees and communist schedules from 1949 to 1954 mandated the demolition of not only buildings beyond repair but also those salvageable with relatively minor resources and fixes. As a result, Wrocław lost a number of historic public and private buildings, including the Art nouveau Main Post Office.

The brick reclamation effort was overseen by a specially created institution – the Municipal Demolition Company (Miejskie Przedsiębiorstwo Rozbiórkowe). To streamline transport, a dedicated railway line was constructed, running from the Old Town through what is now Dominikański Square, Ofiar Oświęcimskich Street, Wolności Square and along the embankment by the city moat. Hundreds of wagons transported the salvaged materials to construction sites across Poland – following official allocations, as well as based on private arrangements secured through bribery.

Although it was officially maintained that all the bricks from Wrocław were going to the capital, in reality, only a portion of the material ended up there. Many wagons carried bricks to Kraków for the construction of the first housing estates in Nowa Huta – a newly established settlement that today forms the easternmost part of the city – while some were sent to other demolished sites, such as Łódź and Katowice. The transported goods included not only bricks but also infrastructure elements, sanitary equipment, production machinery and finally, trams and printing presses.

.The ‘brick fever’ was not limited to Wrocław. Legnica, Świdnica and Brzeg in Lower Silesia saw hundreds of tenement houses demolished. Western Pomerania suffered considerable losses too. In Szczecin alone, the city’s theatre – which housed a unique revolving stage, unmatched anywhere else in Europe – was torn down, as was the over 300-year-old Harbour Gate.

Jolanta Pawnik

This content is protected by copyright. Any further distribution without the authors permission is forbidden. 31/01/2025
Fot. Zbyszko SIEMASZKO / RSW / Forum