Authors

Discussion

Housing became a central challenge for Polish authorities after the establishment of a sovereign state in 1918. The severe housing crisis was not only a practical problem—marked by a shortage of affordable homes and overcrowding—but also a focal point of national debates about modernization and identity. Architectural discourse became a political and cultural lever, as Martin Kohlrausch has shown in his book, Brokers of Modernity, highlighting how the metaphor of the “glass house” in Stefan Żeromski’s novel Przedwiośnie (Early spring, 1925) symbolized the hope that socially oriented architecture could drive broader societal transformation.

These discussions of the 1920s–1930s unfolded in dialogue with the international modernist movement, particularly within Congrès international d'architecture moderne (CIAM). The Polish branch, represented by the Praesens group, actively promoted the idea that architecture should serve as a tool of social reform. Questions of hygiene and health lay at the heart of this conception: modern housing was understood not only as a means of improving the everyday life of workers, but also as a foundation for their social and political subjectivity. This emphasis gave housing design a significance far beyond the provision of shelter—it became an instrument of emancipation and collective empowerment. Such ideas found resonance among left-wing activists and leaders of the cooperative movement—most notably Teodor Toeplitz and Stanisław Tołwiński—who established lasting collaboration between modernist architects and the Warsaw Housing Cooperative (WSM). WSM, founded in 1921 by members of the Polish Socialist Party, soon became more than a provider of affordable housing: it was envisioned as a miniature socialist cooperative republic in the Żoliborz district, complete with its own legislative and executive bodies.

The work of Praesens and WSM led to the creation of the first experimental modernist neighborhoods in Warsaw, notably in Żoliborz and Rakowiec. These projects went beyond construction, engaging sociologists, economists, and doctors in large-scale research to design new spaces for collective life. Central to their program was the creation of easily reproducible, economical, hygienic, and healthy housing as a step toward a better society.

This paper will examine how ideas about hygienic and healthy housing were articulated in the specialized press (Dom, Osiedle, Mieszkanie; Życie WSM) and implemented in key projects: the Żoliborz colonies by Barbara and Stanisław Brukalski (1927–1939) and the Rakowiec neighbourhood development by Helena and Szymon Syrkus (1930–1936). Through these case studies, it will explore how architecture, health, and social reform intersected, emphasizing WSM's role as a unique laboratory of modernist housing and social imagination in interwar Europe.