URBAN NETWORKS OF MODERNISM - Instytut Pileckiego

“Urban networks of modernism and the role of Jewish architects – the case of Gdynia (Poland)”

The exhibition presents the interwar architecture of Gdynia through the prism of selected projects by Polish architects of Jewish origin. They constituted an important group of creators involved in modernization efforts focused on the reconstruction and redevelopment of Poland during the interwar period, actively contributing to the advancement of contemporary architectural language. Towards the end of the 1930s, some of them were deprived of the right to practice their profession, and with the outbreak of the Second World War, many were forced to flee for their lives and were persecuted or murdered by the occupying German forces. Due to the wartime events and the fates of these architects in the post-war period, some of these figures remain unknown to this day. Others are still remembered, but their lives and work deserve broader interest and appreciation.

The architectural projects presented at the exhibition represent only an example of the rich legacy of Jewish architects operating in Gdynia during the interwar period. A significant number of these buildings, like those showcased at the exhibition, have survived to this day, often with their original design documentation.

The exhibition was created in cooperation with the Gesellschaft zur Erforschung des Lebens und Wirkens deutschsprachiger jüdischer Architekten (GjA) association and the Pilecki Institute in Berlin as part of the Ćwiczenie Nowoczesności / Exercising Modernity program.

The exhibition was first presented in November 2022 in Berlin as part of the Triennale der Moderne festival. It was showcased in Gdynia in June 2023.