Wrocław modernism, Wrocław modernisation 2006–2021

Abstrakt

This article is an attempt to outline the phenomenon of protecting the heritage of post-war architecture in Wrocław – the birth of its systemic form and its 15-year-long development. The turning point for this history was a discussion on the possible redevelopment (involving eventual demolition) of part of the Nowy Targ residential estate in Wroclaw, which swept through the Wroclaw media in 2006. It resulted in a joint initiative of the Association of Polish Architects in Wroclaw (SARP. Wroclaw Branch) and Wroclaw art historians, whose aim was to compile a list of contemporary cultural heritage assets in the city and initiate systematic research on its post-war architecture. Ultimately this process brought about the inclusion of several dozen objects and architectural complexes under various forms of protection. The author looks at the consequences of these decisions by analysing the fate of several selected objects, postulating the need for a paradigm shift – from protecting outstanding works of modernism to protecting the traces of modernisation.