Zarys rozwoju architektury w powojennym Gdańsku. 1945-1956

Pod koniec II wojny światowej historyczne śródmieście Gdańska zostało niemal całkowicie zrujnowane, poważne zniszczenia dotknęły także innych dzielnic miasta. Już we wrześniu 1945 roku Władysław Czerny zaprezentował wstępną koncepcję odbudowy historycznego śródmieścia, którą ostatecznie podjęto w 1949 r. Odbudowa stanowi w dziejach gdańskiej architektury po 1945 r. rozdział najważniejszy, ale nie jedyny. Równolegle do dyskusji na temat ewentualnej rekonstrukcji śródmieścia Gdańska w formach historycznych, już od 1945 roku podejmowano tu przecież także inne przedsięwzięcia architektoniczne.

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The reconstruction of the historical centre is the most important, but not the only, chapter in the history of Gdańsk architecture after 1945. Other architectural projects were tackled in parallel with the topic of reconstruction. The "Gdańsk 1946/47" plan was an attempt of comprehensive design. Although it has not been fully executed, buildings including the "Orbis hotel" (design: Witold Kuczewski, Stefan Listowski, Wacław Tomaszewski) were erected. This building represented modern, although not avant-garde, stylistics, where all modernistic elements coexisted with monumental and neoclassicistic orientation. Such projects also included the office building of Tax Office (design: Wanda Wyszyńska) and the Centrozbyt building (design: Witold Minkiewicz). Many social realistic buildings were designed in Gdańsk from 1949, however only several of them were executed, including the "Czytelnika" office building from 1949, belonging to the earliest manifestations of the new formula across the country (design: Wacław Rembiszewski). This building was intended to refer to the local architectural tradition, in particular to the Gdańsk tenement house module. This tendency is also noticeable in another importance piece of art of this period - the post office at ul. Długa (design: Lech Kadłubowski). The relationship between the newly designed architecture and the architectural tradition of old Gdańska was eagerly addressed at that time, as it included a noticeable feature of specific local environment. However not all pieces of art participated in this dialogue. Socio-realistic forms appeared in the not executed concept of reconstruction of ul. Szeroka from 1952, which proved that even the highly historical area could not avoid designing buildings of a significant scale. The strategy of confronting the old with the new is pictured the best in the development plans of the area west from Główne Miast. In a great competition for developing this fragment of the city (1953), the most important position was given to the meeting place with the Central Culture House dominating over the historical centre, which was intended to become a "dominant in the artistic city structure". As soon as January 1955, the first announcement of a thaw in architecture appeared in the local press, one year later the socio-realistic formula was completely rejected.