The Village of Piaseczno as a Post-war Experimental Center in the Context of European Implementations and Earlier Theoretical Concepts

Abstract

Just after the end of Wolrd War II, the entire country of Poland was struggling with economic difficulties, and almost every area of life required investment. Architects and planners faced the critical task of rebuilding the country. In addition to reconstructing cities, and mainly the capital city of Warsaw, there was the problem of villages and small towns, or more precisely of how to quickly and effectively repair the losses caused by the war, and at the same time to improve the quality of life of villagers. This had been an urgent issue not only according to architects but also hygienists even before the war. In a short time, Stefan Tworkowski created the concept of an experimental village. The village of Piaseczno near Warka was chosen as the place of the experiment. It was to fulfil not only the basic functions of a settlement but also to be a field for gaining new experiences including planning, ruralism, architecture and construction, which could then be implemented in other villages in Poland. Several development concepts were drawn up, and specialists and residents selected a variant from them that was implemented. Several types of houses and farm buildings were created thanks to participation of invited architects and based on older studies. Nonetheless, despite the ambitious plans, the village was reconstructed with delay and only to a limited extent. Years later, the topic of Piaseczno came back several times as part of research and analysis, which still partially fulfils the didactic function of the experiment.