Rediscover modernist architecture in Wrocław

A gigantic cupola that seems to levitate - the Centennial Hall of 1913 wrote architectural history. The landmark arena, which was built when Wrocław was the German city of Breslau, can accommodate as many as 10,000 people. Architect Max Berg called his construction "dome of democracy." It has been named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The World Heritage Site around the Centennial Hall includes the Four Domes Pavilion, both originally constructed in 1913 as part of the city's exhibition grounds. The pavilion was designed by German architect Hans Poelzig, who was a teacher and director at the Breslau Academy of Art and Design. After extensive restoration work, the Pavilion is to house a museum for contemporary art.

How can housing improve the quality of life in overcrowded cities? In 1929, several local architects, mainly members of the Werkbund association, participated in creating an exhibition in which 37 different types of buildings were presented to serve as "standards." This formed what is known as the WuWa, short for "Wohnungs- und Werkraumausstellung" or living and work space exhibition.

The 37 buildings, ranging from detached and terraced houses to apartment blocks, were constructed in just three months. The eleven participating architects included Theo Effenberger, who designed cubic residential buildings with plain coarse plaster. Effenberger was made professor of architecture at Berlin's University of Arts in 1950. He had been banned from working under Nazi rule.

Architect Hans Scharoun responded to the growing isolation in large cities by designing this hostel for singles. The building made up of small apartments provided community space for the resident singles and young unmarried couples to meet and mingle. These days, this prominent WuWa building serves as a hotel.

The experimental new buildings also provided a day-care center in the part of the residential areas planned for families. As it was conceived to be a temporary display within the exhibition, it was constructed using simple wooden structures. The building however survived and has now been carefully reconstructed by the Lower Silesian Architects Association to serve as its headquarters.

WuWa was only one of many experiments in "New Objectivity" in modern architecture. So why not gather all the examples in one place? This year, Wrocław is hosting an exhibition of architectural designs from Stuttgart, Brno, Vienna, Zurich and Wrocław/Breslau. Here you can also admire furniture and interior designs that were part of the architectural concepts.

German Modernist architect Adolf Rading also left his mark on the city of Breslau, as here on the re-design of the Mohrenapotheke pharmacy. In 1928 it was the first modern building in the old town center. In 1990 the facade with its emphasis on horizontal lines was carefully reconstructed according to its original design.

When the main post office building was constructed from 1927 to 1929, it was only the second high-rise east of Berlin. Today the listed building is home to the Polish Post and Telecommunication Museum. The eleven-story steel-frame building structure was covered with bricks and expressionistic trim such as cornices and decorative door frames.

The municipal savings bank building is the second and last high rise from that era in Wrocław. Architect Max Berg, back then serving as the city's urban planning commissioner insisted this design was ideal for businesses but could not overcome the public's skepticism. This high rise was supposed to mark the beginning of the Market Square's re-design - which ultimately never happened.

On the other hand, in the 1920s and early 1930s, the city center experienced a veritable building boom: Before the Nazi party took power, ten department stores were constructed. This one for C&A Brenninkmeyer was designed by Sepp Kaiser. To this day, the building has been preserved in its original design.

This department store, designed by Hermann Dernburg for the Wertheim consortium, was the biggest in the city and the first in the region to use escalators. The Jewish Wertheim consortium was expropriated in 1937, and the store was badly damaged in the fighting in Breslau in 1945. It was re-opened in 1948. In 1977, it was added to UNESCO's World Heritage list.