The working masses - the resting masses. Architecture of leisure in communist Poland

Abstract

This study is an analysis of the modernist leisure architecture in the Polish People’s Republic and its relation to the phenomenon of mass holiday in authoritarian and totalitarian European countries. Modernist holiday resorts designed by the leading Polish architects were a reflection of the local reception of the modern movement. Using the scale of a single building or the entire construction complex, the designers supported the process of building a new identity for the communist society. Modern aesthetics was meant to endorse the authorities’ official policy and create the image of a progressive state. The social program implemented the ideology of a socialist country, while the assignation of resorts to particular workplaces reinforced the labour ethos.

Keywords

• socialist modernism
• modernism
• modernisation
• the polish people’s republic
• sanatorium
• post-war architecture
• socialist modernism