Architecture of industrial complexes of the Central Industrial Region (COP) in south-east Poland

2010

Nr 2(28)

The process of building the Central Industrial Region

(COP) was preceded by a period of intensive investments

aimed at improving the living conditions of the citizens

of the reborn state. The period from November 1918

until 1922 can be described as the time of building the

economic basis of new Poland. It was during this dif-

cult time that the administration and army were created

from scratch, provision control was organized by the state

and the agriculture and industry were reconstructed after

the war destruction. The basis for the state development

policy was formed. New migration processes from rural

areas to cities occurred. Despite all these activities, not

all the regions of the state developed equally. The rst

problems with the balanced level of life on the whole ter-

ritory of Poland began to appear. The basic components

of a change in the image of Poland were the agricultural

reforms and the reconstruction of the Polish industry. The

year 1923 can be treated as the end of the postwar indus-

trial reconstruction. The years of hyperination slowed

down these reconstruction processes, but very soon a sta-

bilization was achieved due to the scal reforms. In 1927

the government exempted the enterprises created or de-

veloped in Gdynia harbor from taxes and fees. In 1928

Poland reached the highest level of the industrial produc-

tion and the lowest unemployment.

The successful development of the country was in-

terrupted by the world economic crisis which appeared

in Poland in 1929. Starting from 1932 we can observe

a gradual growth in factory production whereas after 1935

there was a visible acceleration in production.

After the experiences of the Polish-Soviet war, in 1921

General Kazimierz Sosnkowski came up with the propos-

al to locate the Polish arms industry in the so called secu-

rity triangle, i.e. in the area of Sandomierz in the forking

between the Vistula and San rivers. The years 1923–1929

saw the newly erected arms industry plants on the areas

of the Old-Polish industrial region (Skarżysko, Radom,

Starachowice, Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, Pionki).

Elżbieta Przesmycka*

Architecture of industrial complexes

of the Central Industrial Region (COP) in south-east Poland

Introduction.

Economic conditions of the Second Polish Republic

Central Industrial Region

In 1928 the concept of creating the central industrial

region was taken up again. It was then that special tax re-

liefs for the enterprises created and acting in the so called

security triangle were granted. The COP was divided into

three regions: ‘A’ – Kielce resource region, ‘B’ – Lublin

provision region, ‘C’ – Sandomierz processing region – the

area in the forking between the Vistula and San rivers. The

planned borders of the COP underwent some changes and

nally they included forty four counties within the area of

four districts: Kielce, Kraków, Lublin and Lvov and com-

prised them only partially (Fig. 1, see p. 156) [2, 6].

Location of the COP resulted from a relatively great

geographical distance from Germany and USSR as well

as from the willingness to eradicate the geographical dif-

ferences between the territories of west and central Po-

land (the so called Poland A) and under-developed ter-

ritories of east and south Poland (the so called Poland B).

Wrocław University of Technology, Faculty of Architecture.

160 Elżbieta Przesmycka

The area of the region comprised 15% of the country’s

territory and 18% of the population. This idea could not

be quickly carried out due to the world economic crisis.

Its implementation was not possible until 1937 when

a new Treasury Minister Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski was ap-

pointed. Poland had to develop its own industrial sector

because only thanks to the own modern national indus-

try was it possible to provide the army with the neces-

sary technical equipment as importing the arms always

depended on the international political situation; on the

other hand, it was necessary to create working conditions

for the young people who were growing in number and

solve unemployment problems in towns as well as prob-

lems with rural agrarian overpopulation. Therefore, new

workplaces were constantly in great demand.

Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski prepared a four-year eco-

nomic plan comprising the period from 1936 to April

1940, which assumed the funding of investments mainly

in the scope of the infrastructure.

Within the framework of the COP, many architectural

objects were started or accomplished. As for the power

industry, construction works on the water power plant in

Rożnów were started as well as on the power plants in

Stalowa Wola, Mościce, Poręba, Starachowice and Lub-

lin. The power system was to be supported by the local

water power plants. At the same time, high voltage lines

connecting the particular COP plants with one another

and with Warsaw were developed. Also, a network of gas

piping was created. New railways were started to be built,

trafc capacity of 69 railway stations was increased and

ten new railway station halls were built. 1300 km of new

telecommunication connections were constructed, roads

were improved and works were begun in a water connec-

tion between Silesia, Sandomierz and Stalowa Wola.

While carrying out the program of the COP, many in-

dustrial plants were started and completed. In Staracho-

wice, the factory producing cannons and ammunition was

developed (Fig. 2), in Radom an arms factory was built,

in Rzeszów H. Cegielski Machine Tool Factory which

was also supposed to produce 37 and 40 mm cannons,

Aircraft Engine Factory, Leszczyński light alloy foundry

and head-light factory. In Sanok M. Zieleniewski Arms

and Machine Tool Factory was built. A plane factory was

built in Mielec. In Dębica ‘Stomil’ Tyre Factory, Articial

Rubber Factory and Meat Processing Factory were built.

In Pustków an explosives, igniting devices and model-

ling paste factory was built and in Pionki Gunpowder

and Crushing Materials Factory was erected. A gunpow-

der factory was built in Krajowice, semi-precious metals

foundry in Gorzyce, colour metals rolling mill in Pusty-

nia, ammunition factories in Majdan-Dąb and Jawidz,

Fig. 1. Central Industrial Region (COP) boundaries.

Photo by author, 2009

Fig. 2. Starachowice,

factory of ammunition.

Photo by author, 2009

Architecture of industrial complexes of the Central Industrial Region (COP) in south-east Poland 161

chemical works ‘Nitroza’ in Sarzyn, cellulose factory in

Niedomice and a sawmill in Sędziszów Małopolski. In

Mościce Nitrogen Plant was developed. In Stalowa Wola

works on Steel Plant along with a cannon factory were

commenced (Fig. 3) [13].

In Tarnobrzeg a copper renery was built. Mili-

tary Rocket Factory and magnet factory were created in

Bliżyn. A porcelain factory was built in Boguchwał. In

Sanok a factory producing storage batteries was built.

Such factories producing storage batteries were also

built in Łańcut and Tarnobrzeg. In Lublin a plane factory

‘Plage i Laśkiewicz’ was created as well as a gas mask

and barbed wire factory and works on a truck factory li-

cenced by General Motors were started [12]. In Kraśnik

a bearing factory was built and in Kurów a leather plant

was erected. An armoured tower foundry was built in Os-

trowiec Świętokrzyski (Fig. 4).

Near Dębica works were started on a copper and alu-

minum rolling mill while in Poniatowa a technical materi-

als and apparatuses factory was commenced.

In all of these places, the speed of carrying out the

investments was impressive. In the so called Southern

Works (Stalowa Wola) at the end of March workers start-

ed cutting down trees at the place of the future investment

Fig. 3. Stalowa Wola,

the management building.

Photo by author, 2009

Fig. 4. Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski,

the foundry of armored

towers building.

Photo by author, 2009

162 Elżbieta Przesmycka

and already in December 1937 the rst machine tool was

produced, in April 1938 the rst cannon red at the plant

shooting range and in December 1938 the rst precious

steel was melted down.

The building of the so called COP became the great-

est economic enterprise of the Second Republic. Today,

when assessing the implementation of these projects, we

can state that some structures which survived until today

reect the process of a comprehensive change in lifestyles

of many people. We cannot analyse the industrial build-

ings with no reference to the accompanying processes of

erecting residential estates, usually called colonies, along

with the necessary infrastructure.

The building of factories in the COP was accompanied

by residential buildings for the employees. In total, about

7100 residential buildings were started or accomplished.

Residential colonies for physical workers as well as es-

tates for ofce workers were built (Fig. 5).

Fig. 5. Stalowa Wola.

Factory workers district.

Photo by author, 2009

Fig. 6. Chełm. “The New City”

design, area 430 ha (arch. Adam

Kuncewicz, Adam Paprocki),

so called “The management”

for the railway workers which

were supposed to move there from

Radom (realisation 1926–1939).

Drawn by author [7]

Architecture of industrial complexes of the Central Industrial Region (COP) in south-east Poland 163

In 1926 the Polish authorities decided to transfer the

Polish State Railways Headquarters from Radom to Chełm

as it was situated more centrally within the present state

borders. Consequently, the local authorities ordered a land

development concept of a new railway district. The project

of ‘New Town’ was prepared by the architects Adam Kun-

cewicz and Adam Paprocki for the area of 430 hectares

Kuncewicz A., Paprocki A., Opis techniczny do szkicu rozbudowy

miasta Chełma, 1926.

The project implementation was started with building

a colony for ofce workers, the so called ‘Head Ofce’ for

the railway workers who were to move in here from Radom

(Fig. 6) [5, 7].

Lack of funds caused by the economic crisis and

a change of the government decision as to locating the

Railways Headquarters on the territory of Chełm sig-

nicantly extended the project. It was only in 1938 that

a modern estate was built with an explicit urban compo-

sition with residential buildings in the style of ‘eclectic

modernism’ mixed with national motifs. The develop-

Chełm

Fig. 8. Chełm,

a residential colony (1938).

Photo by author, 2009

Fig. 7. Chełm, building of “the management of the state railways” (1938) designed by Henryk Gay. Photo by author, 2009

164 Elżbieta Przesmycka

ment plan of New Chełmno which was carried out from

1926 until the outbreak of the World War II was accom-

plished only partially. In accordance with the program

of the Ministry of Transportation, the area of 50 hec-

tares, situated east of the old town, was designated for

the needs of the investment; the land was given by land

owners for the benet of the state treasury. The axis of

the architectural structure was the Edice of ‘Head Of-

ce’ designed by Henryk Gay. Its modern form was very

different from the residential buildings which had been

erected some time before. It was designed on the pro-

jection of the letter H closing the axis of the main av-

enue which connected the railway station with the town

(Fig. 7) [9].

The residential colony consists of one-storey houses

with a utility attic and two-family houses whose form re-

fer to the Polish mansions as well as two-storey multi-

family houses and 3-storey blocks of ats situated in the

frontages of the main avenue

. All the residential build-

ings are equipped with characteristic high mansard roofs

covered with ceramic tiles having various fronton solu-

tions

(Fig. 8) [11].

According to the project, there were plans to build 533 ats in

dense development with an average at size of 94,5 m

(the smallest were

two-room ats of the area of 70 m

, then three-room ats of the area of

90 m

and the biggest ones – four-room ats of the area of 120 m

). In

addition to this, in 30 twin houses there were designs of 60 ve-room

ats of the area of 150 m

while in 3 twin houses 6 six-room ats of the

area of 175 m

. Together with the chairman’s house (not completed), 600

ats were planned to be built (State Railways Head Ofce Development

1929). Despite the numerous nancial difculties, the program of the

railway estate was carried out almost in full.

Przesmycka E., Pytlarz E., Chełm – „Nowe miasto”, modernisty-

czne założenie urbanistyczne, Teka Komisji Architektury, Urbanistyki

i Studiów Krajobrazowych, PAN/O Lublin, tom IVA, Lublin 2008,

pp. 244–260.

Lublin

The fact of including the southern part of Lublin Prov-

ince as a provision region into the program of the Central

Industrial Region in 1936 contributed to the development

of the agriculture and food industry plants existing in

Lublin (mills were extended, a new slaughterhouse was

built and cold storage and tobacco plants were erected.

From 1930 the slaughterhouse facilities were partly tak-

en on lease by the company Poels & Co – producers of

tinned food. Due to this action, the slaughterhouse was

extended by another facility in the years 1936–1938

(Fig. 9).

Apart from the agriculture and food industry plants,

also various military sector works were built in Lublin.

The most important plant in Lublin was the Aeroplane

Factory (which continued the activities of the liquidated

plant Plage i Laśkiewicz. The rst planes were produced on

the Italian licence. They were monoplane ghters ‘Balilla’

– about 100 pieces were made and line biplanes ‘Ansaldo’

– about 120 pieces were produced. They were made for

the army. These planes were infamous because they were

very accident-prone. The airport, air-sheds and new pro-

duction halls covered the area of about 14 hectares. The

plane factory was situated at the junction of the transit

road to Zamość and the railway line on the route Warsaw

–Kowel and comprised more than 20 structures, among

other things: four brick air-sheds, one wooden air-shed,

Fig. 9. Lublin.

The ofce building of the city

slaughterhouse from 30-ties.

Photo by author, 2010

Architecture of industrial complexes of the Central Industrial Region (COP) in south-east Poland 165

workshops, warehouses, ofce buildings and auxiliary

facilities

The factory had its own railway side-tracks. In 1935

the company was nationalized and transformed into Lublin

Plane Factory producing mainly RWD-14 planes. A few fac-

tory facilities are preserved until today: air-sheds, workers’

residential building and construction ofce dating back to

the 1930s (according to the design by Tadeusz Paprocki).

Kierek A., Rozwój gospodarczy Lublina w latach 1918–1939, [in:]

Dzieje Lublina, t. II, S. Krzykała (ed.), Wydawnictwo Lubelskie, Lublin

1975.

The air-shed buildings are especially interesting.

Due to their particular function, large size constructions

had to be employed. Therefore, the most recent tech-

nological ideas appeared and they were characterized

by simplicity and neness of technological solutions.

The most characteristic one is the air-shed building pre-

served until today in the reinforced concrete construction

[10, 12].

Radzik T., W latach dwudziestolecia międzywojennego, [in:] Lublin

dzieje miasta, t. II, Lublin 2000.

Skarżysko-Kamienna

In 1922 in Warsaw the Design Bureau of Military

Production Central Management was created. This in-

stitution’s task was, among other things, preparation of

design documentations of the three big modern ammu-

nition factories based on the modern technologies; they

were completed thanks to receiving a nancial loan from

the French government. These factories were: Ammuni-

tion Factory in Skarżysko, Gunpowder Factory in Pionki

and arms factories in Radom. This region was referred

to as the security triangle

. In the subsequent years,

the main role in creating military sector factories was

played by the Military Production Central Management

in Warsaw. The budget of this institution was decided

by the Minister of Military Affairs in cooperation with

Juchnowicz B., Szkice o państwowej Fabryce Amunicji w Skar-

żysku-Kamiennej w latach 1922–1939, typescript.

the Treasury Minister in form of the so called additional

budget

[2, 8].

The location of the Ammunition Factory in Skarżysko

was decided long before the creation of the COP. It result-

ed from the analyses of the results of using military planes

during the First World War. That is why the factories were

located in hidden places in forests, but close to the rail-

way tracks. At the same time, these objects were perfectly

masked in case of air raids because the factory buildings

were specically planned in a form that was similar to the

urban systems of residential estates with streets and addi-

tionally planted trees if necessary as well as with roofs that

were masked by various plants growing there. There was

even a plant cultivation department with a gardener

[4].

Dziennik Nr 21 Rozkazów Ministerstwa Spraw Wojskowych z dnia

5 czerwca 1923 roku.

Kotarba Z.P., 1924–2004 Monografia Zakładów Metalowych

MESKO S.A., Skarżysko-Kamienna, 2004.

Fig. 10. Skarżysko-Kamienna.

The remains of postindustrial

buildings of State Factory

of Ammunition (PFA) localized

in the forest. Its urban layout

is specic for residential

with street planted with trees

and roofs covered by greenery.

Photo by author, 2010

166 Elżbieta Przesmycka

The factory buildings were erected by means of a frame

construction with the use of a steel girders. The most often

used material was sand brick and in the buildings with the

supporting structure of reinforced concrete the walls were

made of sand brick and joint sandstone plates (which is

identical with the façade nishing technologies employed

in residential buildings) (Figs. 10, 11).

The residential estates accompanying the factories

were located in their vicinity so that the employees did

not have to commute long to get to work. The urban sys-

tem forms of these estates as well as their architectonic

expression referred to the factory complexes.

In these factories, apart from military sector production,

civil products were also made because the factory capaci-

ties were higher than the demands from the army. Until

1939 in Skarżysko the factory produced machines, market

devices and articles as well as car parts for Polish Fiat

In the years 1938–1939 also ammunition, detonators

and air bombs were produced. Shooting took place in

a special closed factory shooting range.

In Radom bicycles were produced, a gun factory additionally

produced typewriters and in Stalowa Wola turbines were produced.

Fig. 11. Skarżysko-Kamienna.

A housing district built in the steel

frame construction system. Photo

by author, 2010

Fig. 12. Skarżysko-Kamienna.

Different types of housing

estate – Skałka (1934)

and Ofcial Colony (1924, 1925).

Photo by author, 2010

Architecture of industrial complexes of the Central Industrial Region (COP) in south-east Poland 167

In 1923 construction works were started on residential

houses for the management members in Kolonia Górna. In

1924 the building of the rst barrack was nished on Armii

Ludowej Street – this served as the director’s ofce. At the

same time, building works were conducted on an ofce, re-

station and factory buildings of the Military Rocket Plant. In

the distance of circa 1 kilometer from the factory residential

estates were built – Ofce Workers’ Colony

and Workers’

Colony

. In the subsequent years, several more barracks

and residential houses were erected (Fig. 12).

Estate for Ofce Workers (1924–1925) consisted of 10 two-storey

houses made of brick, in total 24 four-room ats, 18 ve-room ats,

8 six-room ats and 1 nine-room at.

In 1923 in Factory Workers’ Colony there were already 34 one-sto-

rey houses with tiled roofs, equipped with running water, WC, basements

and gardens. In ten houses there were 19 one-room ats, 210 two-room

ats, 19 three-room ats, 24 four-room ats (in total 272 ats).

Most of the buildings were made of sand brick with the

employment of joint sandstone plates for nishing façades.

Their architectonic form resembled ‘modernised’ tene-

ment houses, while the smaller ones referred to the national

forms. A very interesting form can be seen in the complex

Kolonia Rejów built as barracks situated on a hill slope

In 1934 next to the Military Rocket Plant which was

built in 1929 a residential estate was built and it was called

Skałka. The factory and the estate were surrounded by

a high barbed wire fence.

Concurrently with the factory and residential houses,

other building were also erected such as schools, kinder-

gartens, outpatient clinics, clubs, cinemas, sports centres

and Roman Catholic churches [3].

Kolonia Rejów (Colony Rejów) consisted of ten barracks, each with

8 two-room ats, two one-storey brick houses with 5 three-room ats and

one four-room wooden house.

Stalowa Wola

An example of a newly created plant is the so called

Zakłady Południowe – Southern Works Limited in Nisko

– a factory centre in Stalowa Wola erected on the territory

of the former village Pławno (in the northern part of San-

domierz Forest between Nisko and Rozwadów on the river

San). The owners of the shares in the company were Huta

Pokój (Ironworks) and Starachowice. The reasons for such

location of the metallurgical and mechanical works were

economical and social conditions as well as security.

The entire project of the works was prepared by a spe-

cially appointed team of experts supervised by Engineer

Roman Juszkiewicz. The factory buildings were designed

in the frame and steel construction. Pile foundations made

of reinforced concrete under the factory structures were

made already in May 1937. It was already during the win-

ter of 1937/38 that the rst steel constructions produced in

Huta Pokój were xed. The building works were accompa-

nied by laying railway side-tracks thanks to which building

materials could be delivered, building access roads, execu-

tion of water supply system, canals and power network.

The rst steel was cast on 5 September 1938 and the whole

investment was accomplished in March 1939 (open-hearth

furnace, two arc furnaces). The total area of all the factory

industrial facilities amounted to 89.868 m². Ofcially, the

Southern Works (ZP) started work at the end of February

and at the beginning of March 1939 – all the production

departments worked in full swing then (Fig. 13) .

In spring 1938 in the vicinity of the ZP, building works

on a power station were started where the rst 20 KW tur-

bine started working on 1 May 1938. The second turbine

and two boilers started work in August 1939.

In January 1937 a decision was made as to building

aluminum works near the ZP but it did not come to pass

until the outbreak of the war.

At the beginning the builders of the ZP as well as

its employees lived in various towns and villages in the

Fig. 13. Stalowa Wola,

industrial halls of Metal

Factory in the steel frame

construction system.

Photo by author, 2010

168 Elżbieta Przesmycka

area. In 1937 rst six barracks adapted for living purposes

equipped with sewage system and water supply system

were built for employees and in June 1937 works on the

rst residential houses were begun according to the ap-

proved urban plan elaborated by Architect Rudziński.

The estate was for 20 thousand residents and later this

number was to be increased to 50 thousand people. The

construction works on the houses were to be supervised

by the Military Quartering Fund. Later on, the building

works were to be nanced by the Social Security Insti-

tution (houses already erected) and the Working Estates

Association (workers’ districts and two-family houses). In

the beginning the residential estate consisted of two colo-

nies: one for physical workers and one for ofce workers

and they were divided by railway tracks. The estate was

managed by Estate Administration and Forest and Agri-

cultural Economy. Cutting down the trees at the estate and

in the ZP required a permit from the Forest Farm.

The houses were erected ‘in series’ – several residen-

tial houses were opened for residents’ use at a time. In

total, within the period of three years until the outbreak of

the war 970 ats were built. In the course of time, the fol-

lowing colonies were created: Workers’, Masters’, Ofce

Workers’ and Directors’ (Fig. 14) [13].

In 1938 two more hotels were built with 90 rooms,

later on one more hotel with 30 rooms was built.

Also in 1938 a multi-story wooden building was erect-

ed which was to serve as a temporary outpatient clinic and

in 1939 construction works on a hospital for 400 beds were

started. In mid April 1939 the building site for a lower sec-

ondary school was marked out and the school year could

begin already on 17 September 1938. The project of a so-

cial club was prepared at the beginning of 1939 but its con-

struction was not started before the outbreak of the war. In

March 1939 W. Kubicki began building works on a cinema

but they were not accomplished before 1 September 1939.

The building of a playing eld was commenced in the

autumn of 1937 and the stadium was completed in the

spring of 1939. In the summer of 1937 tennis courts were

started. At the end of 1938 four tennis courts were ready.

These investments were nanced by the FKW.

We can state that Stalowa Wola residential buildings

are the most stylistically consistent, with some features of

functionalism. The materials employed in the particular

buildings are similar, i.e. nishing façades with mineral

plaster, clinker faced pedestals, ashing sheet elements,

grating, interior terrazzo, oors and woodwork gave the

estates their consistent elegant character. The structures,

minimalist in their form and mass, create the late mod-

ernism architecture. Similar forms, although on a larger

scale, can also be noticed in the power station and metal-

lurgical works. [10]

Summary

Fig. 14. Stalowa Wola,

the building complex

of the Management Colony

(1937–1939).

Photo by author, 2010

The end of the war in 1918 and the rebirth of the Polish

state initiated the process of the economic development of

the country. It resulted in intensive investment and build-

ing activity and this inuenced the spatial development

of towns.

In most of the cases, the industrial and communal in-

vestments of that time performed their function for many

years in the future. The architectural structures located

on the outskirts of towns in the 1920s are now gradually

absorbed into the downtown zone. Economical, political

Architecture of industrial complexes of the Central Industrial Region (COP) in south-east Poland 169

and legal conditions of the recent years made these facto-

ries stop production processes and change their functions

and if there is no interest in further investment activity

of a given structure, it is abandoned which leads to its

technical death. This is what happens with the majority

of the industrial complexes discussed here. Fragmenta-

tion of these complexes which is introduced in order to

create new consistent forms of usage mostly leads to un-

controlled devastation of the buildings and physical de-

struction of those which are not needed at a given point

in time [10].

The residential buildings which accompany the facto-

ries change owners and forms of management. They un-

dergo thermo-renovation processes; roof covers as well as

window woodwork are replaced with the materials which

do not belong to the time at which the buildings were

erected. Divisions of windows are changed, risalits and

other architectural elements that are covered with heat in-

sulation materials disappear. Through the employment of

modern colours, facades of many buildings change their

articulation.

During the recent decades, right before our eyes, the

Polish architectonic style of the interwar modernism in its

regional variants has been disappearing. The architecture

of such structures, diverse as regards their size, form and

nishing materials, frequently associated with the features

of native ‘national’ architectural art, is changing its ap-

pearance and function, with no sign of respect from the

local communities.

In my opinion, it is high time we took some system ac-

tions aimed at protecting our architectural heritage dating to

the time of the rebirth of Poland. The technical condition of

the interwar buildings, despite the fact that they are already

seventy years old, is evidence of the high level of building

culture (which was lost under the Communist regime), high

technological quality as well as the employment of innova-

tive functional and spatial solutions which can still serve as

a model of rational space formation until today.

References

[1] Dzieje Lublina, Vol. II, S. Krzykała (ed.), Wydawnictwo Lubelskie,

Lublin 1975.

[2] Dziennik Nr 21 Rozkazów Ministerstwa Spraw Wojskowych z dnia 5

czerwca 1923 roku.

[3] Garbacz D., Narodziny, Stalowa Wola 1937–1939, Stalowa Wola

2005.

[4] Juchnowicz B., Szkice o państwowej Fabryce Amunicji w Skarżysku-

-Kamiennej w latach 1922–1939, typescript.

[5] KaczuraW., Struktura przestrzenna miasta Chełma, Chełm 1997.

[6] Kierek A., Rozwój gospodarczy Lublina w latach 1918–1939, [in:]

Dzieje Lublina, Vol. II, S. Krzykała (ed.), Wydawnictwo Lubelskie,

Lublin 1975.

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Architektura zespołów przemysłowych Centralnego Okręgu Przemysłowego (COP)

w Polsce południowo-wschodniej

W artykule przybliżono niektóre wybrane realizacje z obszaru Cen-

tralnego Okręgu Przemysłowego (COP) i pokazano charakterystyczne

cechy zarówno ich form architektonicznych, techniki wznoszenia, jak

i układów urbanistycznych. Do analizy wybrano reprezentatywne przy-

kłady z miast obszarów A, B, C, tj. z Lublina, Skarżyska-Kamiennej,

Ostrowca Świętokrzyskiego, Chełma Lubelskiego i Stalowej Woli.

Omówiono wybrane przykłady zabudowy związanej z tworzącym

się okręgiem przemysłowym w okresie 1918–1939. Realizując program

COP, w Polsce międzywojennej rozpoczęto i dokończono budowę wielu

zakładów przemysłowych. Po doświadczeniach wojny polsko-sowieckiej,

w roku 1921 powstała koncepcja zlokalizowania polskiego przemysłu

zbrojeniowego w tzw. trójkącie bezpieczeństwa – w widłach Wisły i Sanu.

W latach 1923–1929 w Polsce udało się zbudować kilka zakładów prze-

mysłu zbrojeniowego na terenach staropolskiego zagłębia przemysłowego.

Budowa tzw. COP stała się największym przedsięwzięciem gospodar-

czym Rzeczpospolitej. Oceniając dziś realizację tych zamierzeń, można

stwierdzić na wielu przykładach pozostałych jeszcze obiektów, iż był to

proces kompleksowej przebudowy sposobu życia wielu mieszkańców.

Budowie zakładów przemysłowych w COP towarzyszyło budownictwo

mieszkaniowe dla ich pracowników. Łącznie zbudowano lub rozpoczęto

budowę około 7100 budynków mieszkalnych. Wznoszono zarówno kolo-

nie mieszkaniowe dla robotników, jak też osiedla dla kadry urzędniczej.

Towarzyszące fabrykom osiedla mieszkaniowe lokalizowano w ich pobliżu

tak, aby pracownicy mieli blisko do pracy. Formy układów urbanistycznych

osiedli i ich wyraz architektoniczny nawiązywał do zespołów fabrycznych.

Techniki wznoszenia uwzględniały najnowsze rozwiązania konstrukcyjne,

ale jednocześnie respektowały miejscowe tradycje i materiały budowlane.

W artykule omawiono przykłady zabudowy COP powstałe w Polsce połu-

dniowo-wschodniej oraz przedstawiono ich stan zachowania.

Key words: Central Industrial Region (COP), industrial architecture,

housing, modernism

Słowa kluczowe: Centralny Okręg Przemysłowy (COP), architektura

przemysłowa, budownictwo mieszkaniowe, modernizm

Architecture of industrial complexes of the Central Industrial Region (COP) in south-east Poland

Elżbieta Przesmycka

Abstract