Arthur Kickton (1861–1944) – architect of churches and his designs in Silesia. Between tradition and modernity

Monika Ewa Adamska

doi:10.37190/arc220201

Abstract

Arthur Kickton is a German architect educated at the Technical University in Berlin, specializing in sacred architecture, professionally connected mainly with East Prussia and Silesia. The article presents Kickton’s most important implementations and designs of sacred objects in Silesia, in a chronological way, with an outline of the architect’s occupational biography. The aim of the publication is to indicate formal solutions applied by the architect, distinguish elements contributing to the individual character of his architectural works and define the features of his style. The article makes use of the method of historical investigations and interpretation and the method of logical argumentation based on analysis and synthesis. The research carried out has shown that Kickton’s sacred architecture in Silesia combines solutions between tradition and modernity. The architect freely drew from the heritage of the styles of past epochs. He creatively transformed and modernized historical patterns of sacred art using the language of contemporary forms and innovative material solutions.

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2022

2(70)

DOI: 10.37190/arc220201

Monika Ewa Adamska*

Arthur Kickton (1861–1944)

– architect of churches and his designs in Silesia.

Between tradition and modernity

Introduction

The rst four decades of the 20

century witnessed si

gnicant spatial development as well as architectural and

urbanplanning transformations in the cities of Silesia

– the region being a multicultural borderland. Buildings

constructed then and architectural designs created at that

time reect numerous artistic trends of that period. These

trends fall between tradition and modernity – a style com

bining historical architectural features with regional fea

tures and the Modernism of the interwar period. A new face

and “spatial” uplifting was given to the cities of Silesia in

thethen German provinces of Lower Silesia and Upper

Silesia (Niederschlesien and Oberschlesien), rst during

the reign of the German Empire and then in the Wei mar

Republic. These architectural changes, in the scope of de

signing public buildings of sacred architecture, were pos

sible thanks to many renowned German architects of that

period, such as Dominikus Böhm, Otto Linder, Carl Mayr

and Karl Schabik. This group of architects also includes

Arthur Kickton, an expert on sacred architecture, the de

signer of signicant churches in the cities of Bytom, Opole

and Wrocław (former Beuthen, Oppeln and Breslau).

State of research, objectives and methodology

The architecture and urban planning of Silesia in the pe

riod of German rule has been a subject of intensive research

for several decades. The knowledge concerning the years

1900–1945, the time of dynamic spatial changes of the urban

areas of this region, has been considerably supplemented.

The already nonexistent Evangelical Church of St.

Paul along with a parish building complex in Wrocław

(former Breslau) was described in the work entitled: Daw-

ny ewangelicki kościół św. Pawła [Former Evange li cal

Church of St. Paul] by A. ZabłockaKos [1]. The churches

in Opole (former Oppeln) designed by Arthur Kick ton

were briey presented in nonpublished elaborations on

the city of Opole [2], [3]; and more extensively in the fol

lowing articles: the rst one concerning the sacred archi

tecture of Opole in the interwar period [4] and the second

one regarding architects being active in the city in that pe

riod [5]. The history of foundation of St. Peter and Paul’s

Church in Opole along with the parish history was con

tained in book St. Peter und Paul in Oppeln 1925–2000.

Geschichte der zweiten Oppelner Stadtpfarrkirche, ihrer

Gemeinde und ihrer Seelsorger [6]. Basic information on

St. Barbara’s Church in Bytom (former Beuthen) was in

cluded in a catalogue of churches and chapels of the city

of Bytom [7]. Selected implementations of buildings de

signed by Kickton were presented against a background

of the sacred architecture of the region in monographs on

the art of Upper Silesia [8] and the architecture of Mod

ernism in Silesia in the period of 1900–1939 [9].

However, there is no monographic elaboration encom

passing the full scope of Arthur Kickton’s artistic work in

Silesia in connection with his occupational biography. The

primary purpose of this publication is to ll in this gap by

presenting Kickton’s most important implementations and

designs in Silesia, in a chronological way, against a back

ground of the architect’s professional career. The detailed

targets aim to: 1) indicate formal solutions applied by this

architect, 2) distinguish elements contributing to the indi

vidual character of his architectural works, 3) dene the

features of his style. Moreover, on the basis of the con

ducted analyses, the author dened traditional and modern

* ORCID: 0000000178213143. Faculty of Civil Engineering and

Architecture, Opole University of Technology, Poland, email: mo. adamska

@po.edu.pl

Published in open access. CC BY NC ND license

4 Monika Ewa Adamska

the family of a forester for the princely House of Hohen

lohe. Kickton completed studies in the scope of art and

architecture, and graduated from the Technical University

in Berlin (Technische Hochschule Berlin) [10].

At the beginning of his professional career, as the go

vernment master builder (Regierungsbaumeister) at the

Prussian Ministry of Public Works (Ministerium der öen

tlichen Arbeiten) he was in charge of the conservation

works in the Malbork Castle (Marienburg) in 1889. Sub

sequent years of his work for the Ministry (1903–1910)

brought him considerable experience in the scope of sacred

architecture, as he supervised the construction of many

churches. Next, he worked for the building regulation of

ce of the Poznań (former Posen) province (1910–1913)

and Potsdam province (1913–1915) [9], [10]. In that peri

od Kickton designed the already nonexistent manor house

church in Kadyny (Kadinen) as a part of a summer country

residence of German Emperor Wilhelm II, in a NeoGoth

ic (Gothic Revival) style. Simultaneously, Kickton partici

pated in architectural competitions and, among other priz

es, he was awarded the second prize in the contest for the

design of an Evangelical church in Zehlendorf (1902) and

the rst award for the design of the Evangelical Church of

St. Paul along with a parish building complex in Wrocław

(1907) [10], [11]. From the year 1916 on, he held a po

sition of a privy councillor of building construction (Ge

heimer Baurat), and from 1920 on – a privy chief coun

cillor of building construction (Geheimer Oberbaurat) in

the ministry structure. In the years 1918–1925, working as

an ocer in charge of the sacred buildings construction in

Prussia, he was involved in the rebuilding of churches in

East Prussia (Provinz Ostpreußen) which were destroyed

during the World War I [12]. The following churches

(among others) were rebuilt in accordance with Kickton’s

designs: in Alembork (Allenburg; currently Drużbaw in

Russia), Ełk (Lyck), Nidzica (Neidenburg) and approxi

mately 20 country churches of the province of East Prus

sia, including the church in Pisanica (Pissanitzen) [10].

This group encompasses also the church in the village of

Kalinowo (Kallinowen) in Mazury – the Masurian Lake

District, which was erected to replace a former wooden

temple burnt during the war. The new singlenave church

has a small size and features steep roofs, a massive tower

and elevations cladded with eldstones.

In 1926, Arthur Kickton retired, but still continued his

designing activities (Fig. 1). The 1920s witnessed the im

plementation of the majority of his designs in Silesia. The

last grandscale design implemented by this architect was

the Evangelical Church of the Holy Cross in Königsberg

(presentday Orthodox Church of the Exaltation of the

Holy Cross in Russian Kaliningrad) [10]. The building

was erected between 1930–1933 and features a massive

west façade anked by two octagonal towers of an expres

sionist character, with a massive, arched niche incorporat

ing the image of the cross made from Kadyny majolica

(Fig. 2). An individual character of the temple is creat

ed by its connection with parish buildings from the east,

a round nave with internal galleries with a clearly readable

form in the building’s body as well as grey and red eleva

tion made from clinker brick.

features of the sacred objects presented in this article, re

ferring to the wording of the title “between tradition and

modernity”.

The article makes use of the method of historical in

vestigations and interpretation providing explanations of

past events as well as the method of logical argumentation

based on analysis and synthesis. In the preparatory research

for this article the following investigation techniques were

applied: literature studies, preliminary archival and press

search as well as onsite visits. The chronological scope

encompasses the rst four decades of the 20

century.

A signicant source of information on the subject matter,

apart from the literature review, was found in trade maga

zines and press releases from the period of Kickton’s pro

fessional activity

. Archival iconographic and cartograph

ic materials supplemented the author’s knowledge of the

analysed architectural objects and the applied solutions.

An outline of Arthur Kickton’s

occupational biography

Arthur Kickton was born in 1861 in Kwidzyn, West

Prussia (former Marienwerden, Provinz Westpreußen), in

Among others: “Deutsche Konkurrenzen” and “Zentralblatt der

Bauverwaltung”.

Fig. 1. Portrait of Arthur Kickton (1861–1944) published in 1936

on the occasion of the architect’s 75

birthday (source: [10, p. 541])

Il. 1. Portret Arthura Kicktona (1861–1944) opublikowany w 1936 r.

z okazji 75. urodzin architekta (źródło: [10, s. 541])

Arthur Kickton: architect of churches and his projects in Silesia 5

Kickton pursued a successful career also in the aca

demic eld; from 1906 on he lectured on the conservation

of monuments and homeland culture at his alma mater in

Berlin [9], [10], [12]. He was also a talented painter and

a drawing artist. Between 1902 and 1905, he took part

in the Great Berlin Art Exhibition presenting watercol

ours depicting the castle in Malbork and the cathedral in

Kwidzyn [10]. Kickton’s works of art are part of the col

lection of the Museum of Architecture in Berlin [13].

Arthur Kickton died in 1944 in Neubabelsberg (a dis

trict of Potsdam) at the age of 83.

Arthur Kickton’s designs and implementations

in Silesia

Arthur Kickton’s designs which were implemented in

Silesia (former Schlesien) have been presented in chrono

logical order in this elaboration. They include four archi

tectural objects: Evangelical Church of St. Paul along with

a parish building complex in Wrocław (1911–1913) and

Catholic churches: St. Peter and Paul’s Church in Opole

(1923–1924), St. Joseph’s Church in Opole Szczepanowice

(OppelnSzczepanowitz) (1928–1929) and St. Barbara’s

Church in Bytom (1928–1931). The architect’s design which

was never implemented, yet is subject to studies, is his con

cept of St. Joseph’s Church in Zabrze (Hindenburg), devel

oped around the year 1930. Kickton was also the author of

the design of a Catholic church in the vicinity of Opole, in

the village of Chrząszczyce (Chrzumczütz)

, which was de

stroyed in the re at the beginning of the 19

century and

rebuilt in the 1920s

[14]. The abovementioned architec

tural object is not included in this elaboration.

To attain the objectives dened in this article, the author

conducted the analysis of each of the ve churches accord

ing to a cohesive scheme in the scope of: 1) loca tion in

the urban tissue, 2) plan system, 3) body form, 4) ma terial

solutions, 5) applied means of artistic expression, 6) deni

tion of characteristic features of the style, 7) determination

of the elements contributing to an individual character of

a given architectural object. In addition, a brief history of

the buildings’ foundation was provided.

Evangelical Church of St. Paul along with

a parish building complex in Wrocław-Szczepin

(1911–1913, destroyed in 1945)

In 1907, Arthur Kickton was awarded the rst prize

in the national architectural contest for the Evangelical

Church of St. Paul along with a parish building complex

in WrocławSzczepin (BreslauTschepine). The competi

tion could be entered by German architects of Evangel

ical denomination. A total of 78 designs was submitted

Original design from the year 1916 was partially transformed

during the implementation in 1920–1921 carried out by Kickton and

supervised by councillors of building construction of the province. An

individual artistic image of the threeaisle basilica, built on a Latin

cross plan, is created by the tower and gables having NeoRenaissance

features as well as a preserved Gothic chancel (presbytery) having the

function of a chapel.

for assessment [11]. The jury of the contest was presid

ed over by Oskar Hoßfeld (an architect from Berlin, the

author of numerous church designs). The composition of

the jury included: Ludwig Burgermeister (Conservator of

the Province of Silesia) and architects: Karl Grosser and

Karl Klimm. The conditions which had to be met by par

ticular objects of the complex, namely the church, parish

house and priest’s house, were dened in detail. The tem

ple was supposed to hold, including the internal galleries,

1400 seats for the faithful; the parish house required an

auditorium for 1000 seats, whereas the clergyman’s house

was supposed to contain three ats of 160 m

in size each

[15], [16]. The award winning design had features of a tra

ditional architectural style and explicit references to the

forms of Silesian Renaissance. It constituted an example

of architecture based on a local style (regional style).

The sacred complex was located in WrocławSzczepin,

in a new workingclass district, on the west side of the

city. Its construction was to meet the needs of a rapidly de

veloping Protestant community in the area of the suburbs

of Przedmieście Mikołajskie (Nikolai Vorstadt), where

a small medieval Church of St. Barbara failed to accom

modate the growing number of the faithful. At the same

time, the aim of the investment of the sacred architectural

object was to create a signicant evangelising centre in

that part of the city. The territory of the former St. Bar

bara’s cemetery was chosen for the location of the invest

ment, to be precise, the area between Legnicka Street and

Strzegomska Street (Frankfurter Strasse and Striegauer

Strasse), in the vicinity of Strzegomski Square (Striegau

er Platz). Along with the development of the district, the

selected spot gradually became its focal point. The con

struction of the sacred complex was carried out between

1911–1913.

The Evangelical complex was built on an irregular plan

of letter C with the temple in its central part, the wings

of the parish buildings on both sides and priests’ private

gardens situated from the south side. Kickton designed the

Fig. 2. Evangelical Church of the Holy Cross,

Królewiec (Königsberg) (1930–1933), now the Orthodox Church

of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Kaliningrad, Russia

(source: [10, p. 551])

Il. 2. Kościół ewangelicki św. Krzyża,

Królewiec (Königsberg) (1930–1933), obecnie Sobór Podwyższenia

Krzyża Świętego, Kaliningrad, Rosja (źródło: [10, s. 551])

6 Monika Ewa Adamska

church as a threeaisle hall with the internal gallery on

a longitudinal plan and the eastwest axis. The body of

the church, featuring a high steep roof, was accentuated

by the east elevation facing the city centre and consti

tuting the dominant feature of the complex (Fig. 3). The

architect located there two towers on a rectangular plan,

the system similar to the form of medieval westworks,

combined into a massive block in their lower part with

numerous blind arches having a vertical rhythm and trans

forming into two octagonal cupolas in their upper part.

The form of the cupolas had an explicit reference to the

Renaissance cupola of the tower of St. Elizabeth’s Church

in Wrocław [1] (Fig. 4), the main Protestant church in the

city. Similar solutions were also used by the architect in

his subsequent designs [9]

. Each of the two towers was

crowned with a soaring lantern spire. Apart from the mas

sive westwork with the two towers, other distinguishing

features of the church included: arcaded gables of the west

elevation and avantcorps on the side walls inspired by

the architecture of the Silesian Renaissance. The architec

tural form of the church was also shaped by a diversity

of window openings having connotations to Gothic and

Renaissance styles.

The monumental form of the church was accompanied

by the parish building complex, cosy and of a small scale,

having a picturesque spatial form and features of residen

tial architecture (Fig. 3). The buildings of the clergyman’s

house and the parish house had high gabled roofs, nu

merous decorated gable walls, bay windows and arcades

drawing their form from the heritage of the Silesian Re

naissance.

A characteristic element of the octagonal Renaissance part of the

tower of St. Elizabeth’s Church in Wrocław is an attic made from the

segments of a circle being the base of the gloriette at the top of the tower.

References to this form of attic can be found in Kickton’s designs.

The abovepresented Evangelical church and parish

complex, as for its scale – one of its kind in Wrocław and

one of the largest in thethen Germany [1], was destroyed

in March 1945 during the preparations for the oncoming

war front and the Soviet oensive [9].

St. Peter and Paul’s Church in Opole (1923–1924)

The idea to build this church came up even before World

War I. Its design in the NeoGothic style ( Gothic Revival)

was elaborated by architect Josef Welz from Berlin. Sever

al locations within the downtown area were taken into con

sideration. However, after the war (WW I) Welz’s concept

was abandoned [6]. It was Kickton who was entrusted with

the design of the church, as he was already wellknown in

Silesia for his design of the abovementioned Evangeli

cal Church in Wrocław [9]. In the designing phase Kick

ton collaborated with the councillor of building construc

tion of the province – Arthur Reck, who later supervised

the construction of the temple [6]

. The Catholic Church

Finding out more about both architects’ involvement in the project

and designing of this church would require further research; copyright

issues are complicated also nowadays. It was common practice in the

interwar period in the case of statenanced public investments that

if the design was developed by an “external” architect from another

distant city, then other local architects also participated in the project.

They could be councillors of building construction of the province who

carried out the construction and supervised the implementation of the

investment; sometimes, they collaborated also in the designing phase.

The majority of subject literature points to Kickton as the designer and

Reck as his collaborator in the design of St. Peter and Paul’s Church

in Opole [5], [6], [9]. As a result, such authorship was adopted in this

article. Reck is rarely mentioned as the only author of the church design

[8]. The author of this article was not able to nd an explicit answer to

the question concerning the authorship of the design of St. Peter and

Paul’s Church in the archival materials dating back to the prewar period,

before the year 1945.

Fig. 3. Evangelical Church of St. Paul

with the parish building complex in WrocławSzczepin

(1911–1913; destroyed in 1945) in 1926

(source: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pauluskirche_(Breslau))

Il. 3. Kościół ewangelicki św. Pawła

wraz z zespołem parafialnym we WrocławiuSzczepinie

(1911–1913; zniszczony w 1945) w 1926 r.

(źródło: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pauluskirche_(Breslau))

Fig. 4. Church of St. Elizabeth in Wrocław in the 17

century

(Prospectus Templi primarii Evangelicorum S. Elisabethae Vratislaviae),

engraving by C. Remshart according to fig. of F.B. Werner,

album Prospectuum […] Urbis Vratislaviae, ed. M. Engelbrecht,

Augsburg, ca 1735 (source: [17])

Il. 4. Kościół św. Elżbiety we Wrocławiu w XVII w.

(Prospectus Templi primarii Evangelicorum S. Elisabethae Vratislaviae),

ryt. C. Remshart według rys. F.B. Wernera,

album Prospectuum […] Urbis Vratislaviae, wyd. M. Engelbrecht,

Augsburg, ok. 1735 (źródło: [17])

Arthur Kickton: architect of churches and his projects in Silesia 7

of St. Peter and Paul was eventually situated in the east

part of the downtown area of Opole, which was under

going rapid development in the interwar period. The pre

cise location was the northern frontage of the presentday

K. Miarki Street (former Blücher Strasse). The building

plot of the area of around 0.75 ha for the construction of

the church and parish house was provided free of charge

by the city [4]. The church was built in 1923–1925 thanks

to Prelate Josef Kubis’s eorts and activities for the new

lycreated parish. Kickton located the church on an arti

cial elevation of the terrain so that its silhouette would

be emphasised against a background of newlybuilt resi

dential complexes in its vicinity. In front of the church,

a 0.5 ha yard was arranged to play a function of an urban

square and serve a compositional purpose of highlighting

the modern, concrete body of the church [18].

The temple of a relatively compact (dense) body is an

oriented, threeaisle basilica with the transept and trigonal

ly closed chancel (presbytery). It is built on a Latincross

plan. The main aisle and both “arms” of the transept are

covered with gable roofs of the same height, whereas

lower side aisles are equipped with singlepitched roofs.

Kickton balanced a horizontal system of the church with

a tower situated at the corner of the west façade (Fig. 5).

The tower is quadrilateral in its lower part and octagonal

in its upper part, with a characteristic domelike cupola

inspired, once again, by the form of the Renaissance part

of the tower of St. Elizabeth’s Church in Wrocław [5], [9]

(Figs. 5, 6). The sculptures of angels and grins at the

top of buttresses at the tower corners as well as narrow

slot windows contribute to the image of massiveness and

make an impression of defence architecture. On the out

side, the church body is not uniform due to its central

lylocated chapel on a circular plan and arcaded narthex

located in the front elevation along with the vestry exten

sion. Kickton “carved o” or “desculptured” the church

body by applying various types of window openings: win

dow slots in the tower, windows of dierent sizes in the

system of biforas and triforas, closed with a semicircular

arch, located in rectangular niches and oculi. The interior

features a wooden coer ceiling, walls with a semicircu

lar arcade system dividing side aisles from the main aisle

and large arches opening into the transept and chancel

(presbytery). The temple was constructed using concrete

technology, a raw texture of the walls bears traces of shor

ing boards [5]. Materials solutions resulted both from the

architect’s artistic concept and practical reasons. Concrete

was an easily available material produced in local cement

works, contrary to brick, which was in short supply during

the time of ination [6], [9]. The grey colour of the con

crete walls and the red colour of the ceramic roof tiles of

the church constitute the basis of its colour scheme.

Fig. 5. Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Opole (1923–1925).

General view from the west

(photo by M.E. Adamska, 2022)

Il. 5. Kościół św. Piotra i św. Pawła w Opolu (1923–1925).

Widok ogólny od strony zachodniej

(fot. M.E. Adamska, 2022)

Fig. 6. Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Opole (1923–1925).

Detail of the upper part of the tower with sculptures of angels

and griffons crowning the corner buttresses, a viewing platform

and a domed cupola with an attic in the form of semicircles

(photo by M.E. Adamska, 2022)

Il. 6. Kościół św. Piotra i św. Pawła w Opolu (1923–1925).

Detal górnej partii wieży z rzeźbami aniołów i gryfonów wieńczącymi

narożne przypory, platformą widokową i kopulastym hełmem

z attyką w formie półkoli (fot. M.E. Adamska, 2022)

8 Monika Ewa Adamska

St. Peter and Paul’s Church in Opole has features of

monumentalism and draws from the styles of previous ep

ochs. The building consists of many, simplied in their

form, “quotations” from the architecture of Gothic (em

brasures, high rhythmic windows of the chancel), Renais

sance (coer ceiling, chapel with the dome in the west

elevation), and regional architecture (tower cupola). The

building also carries obvious connotations to old Christian

patterns (arcaded portico of the entrance) and Romanesque

systems (rectangular interior with semicircular arches).

Kickton’s design represented thethen common trend of

moderately modern sacred architecture of that time [9].

On an urban scale, St. Peter and Paul’s Church has be

come an inherent part of the eastern part of the downtown

area and harmonizes well with other public buildings [5].

Its characteristic tower, visible from afar, formally denes

this part of the city.

St. Joseph’s Church in Opole-Szczepanowice

(1928–1929)

St. Joseph’s Church – Kickton’s second construction in

Opole is a building which stands out in the leftbank city

scape. Similarly to St. Peter and Paul’s Church in Opole,

this temple was also built thanks to the eorts of Prelate

Josef Kubis [19]. It was also Kickton who was commis

sioned with the church design, whereas the supervision of

its construction, taking place between 1928 and 1929, was

entrusted to Anton Mokross, the councillor of the building

construction of the province [20]. The church was built

in Prószkowska Street (Proskauer Strasse) in the plot of

the area of 1 ha, which was given for this purpose by the

Baron sisters, inhabitants of the village of Szczepanowice

(Szczepanowitz) merged with Opole in 1936 [20], [5].

Kickton designed the church in Szczepanowice in the

form of a nonoriented threeaisle basilica without the

transept, with the pentagonal chancel (presbytery) at the

nave’s termination. The high main aisle (nave) has a ga

ble roof, whereas lower side aisles are covered with sin

glepitched roofs having ceramic roof tiles in a shade of

red. The horizontal, “slim” body of the church designed

in a compact system is counterbalanced with a massive

vertical system of soaring towers (Fig. 7). Flanking the

front elevation, the twin octagonal towers, in the form of

a westwork, topped with spires contribute to an individual

character of the temple (Fig. 7). The church entrance is

accentuated by three portals, the bigger central one is ful

ly arched with a stepped embrasure. Similar to previous

implementations, also this time Kickton applied diverse

forms of window openings – introduced in a consequent

and orderly way – such as: narrow rectangular windows

in the bifora system in the walls of the side aisles and in

the trifora system in the walls of the nave; high double

windows of the chancel (presbytery) as well as narrow

window slots, squares and rectangular openings with

shutters in the westwork (Fig. 8). The wooden ceiling in

the interior carries connotations to the solution of a bar

relvaulted ceiling with lunette windows. The church was

constructed using concrete, however, nowadays only side

elevations bear austere traces of shoring boards due to the

Fig. 7. Church of St. Joseph in OpoleSzczepanowice (1928–1929).

General view from the east, front elevation flanked by twin towers

in the form of a westwork (photo by M.E. Adamska, 2022)

Il. 7. Kościół św. Józefa w OpoluSzczepanowicach (1928–1929).

Widok ogólny od strony wschodniej, elewację frontową flankują

bliźniacze wieże o formie westwerku (fot. M.E. Adamska, 2022)

Fig. 8. Church of St. Joseph in OpoleSzczepanowice (1928–1929).

View from the chancel, varied forms of window openings

(photo by M.E. Adamska, 2022)

Il. 8. Kościół św. Józefa w OpoluSzczepanowicach (1928–1929).

Widok od strony prezbiterium, zróżnicowane formy otworów okiennych

(fot. M.E. Adamska, 2022)

Arthur Kickton: architect of churches and his projects in Silesia 9

fact that the westwork towers and the presbytery part were

plastered in the postwar period.

On the one hand, spatial solutions of the church draw

from tradition and have references to verticalism of the

Gothic style. On the other hand, the design denitely pur

sues modernity using certain restraint in the forms and de

tails. Modernist approach is also expressed in the concrete

texture. The silhouette of St. Joseph’s Church, which is

located in the vicinity of green areas on the Odra (Oder)

riverside, is a dynamic landmark of this part of the city

counterbalancing the open horizontal landscape of the riv

er valley [5]. Today, in the close vicinity there is a cam

pus of the Opole University of Technology (Politechnika

Opolska) situated in the former military complex dating

back to the 1930s.

St. Barbara’s Church in Bytom (1928–1931)

The designs of the churches in Bytom and OpoleSzcze

panowice were created in a similar period and have com

parable solutions of some parts of the buildings. Kickton,

who at that time was already a retired state ocial, still

remained active as a professional architect.

St. Barbara’s Church was constructed in the northern

part of the downtown area of Bytom, in the corner building

plot at the crossroads of S. Czarnieckiego and A. Grott

gera Streets (former Wilhelm Strasse and Gabelsberger

Strasse), in the district undergoing rapid development in

the 20

century. The planned investment, in its scale and

functional programme, was to rival the basilica in nearby

Piekary Śląskie, located in the Polish part of Upper Silesia

[8]. The construction of the church according to Kickton’s

design was supervised by Theodor Ehl, the councillor of

building construction of the province [7].

The temple is not oriented, it has a semicircularly closed

chancel (presbytery) facing the west, with a dome at its top

featuring oculi all around the dome base (Fig. 9). St. Bar

bara’s Church, similarly to the temple in OpoleSzcze

panowice, has a form of the threeaisle basilica without

the transept, with the high main aisle covered by a gable

roof and low, narrow side aisles under singlepitched

roofs (Fig. 10). The Bytom temple is a twostorey edice,

i.e., the lower level is usually used during some church

holidays and organisational parish meetings, whereas the

upper part serves the purpose of the Holy Mass celebra

tion. The front elevation facing the east, in the form of

a massive westwork, constitutes the dominating element

contributing to the individual character of the church. In

the lower part of the front elevation there is an arcaded

portal, whereas above the massive westwork is accentu

ated by a high niche closed with a segmented arch and

topped with a pair of semioctagonal towers (Figs. 10, 11).

Fig. 9. Church of St. Barbara in Bytom (1928–1931).

A semicircular chancel with narrow, double windows

and an arcaded ambulatory, topped with a dome with a lantern

(photo by M.E. Adamska, 2022)

Il. 9. Kościół św. Barbary w Bytomiu (1928–1931).

Półkoliście zamknięte prezbiterium z wąskimi, podwójnymi oknami

i arkadowym obejściem, zwieńczone kopułą z latarnią

(fot. M.E. Adamska, 2022)

Fig. 10. Church of St. Barbara in Bytom (1928–1931).

View towards the walls of the side aisle and the main aisle,

a fragment of the sacristy in the foreground, a westwork with a pair

of octagonal towers in the background (photo by M.E. Adamska, 2022)

Il. 10. Kościół św. Barbary w Bytomiu (1928–1931).

Widok na ściany naw: boczną i główną, na pierwszym planie

fragment zakrystii, w tle westwerk z parą oktagonalnych wież

(fot. M.E. Adamska, 2022)

10 Monika Ewa Adamska

The tower cupolas, with galleries in the part of the bell

section, again refer in their form to the characteristic Re

naissance cupola of the tower of St. Elizabeth’s Church

in Wrocław. Similarly to other Silesian designs, Kickton

applied a panoply of window forms: narrow, “shooting”

slots in the westwork; rectangular biforas placed in the

niches in the side aisles and semicircular triforas in the

form of thermal windows (Diocletian windows) in the

main aisle as well as oculi and high twolight windows in

the chancel (presbytery) (Fig. 10). Such numerous window

openings ll the interior with light, which enters from the

sides and through the oculi in the chancel (presbytery) and

thus highlights the symbolic meaning of the altar [9]. The

monumentalism of the church body of a modernist char

acter and austere tectonics is moderated by means of the

chancel (presbytery) dome which smoothly blends with

the church roof as well as by a slightlybent wall of the

sacristy, decorated with a picturesque gable. The eect of

the “desculpturing” of the church body is created by the

arcades in the south elevation and those around the chan

cel. In the elevation of the chapel adjacent to the chancel,

Kickton used small buttresses topped with the sculptures

of angels and grins, like in the tower of St. Peter and

Paul’s Church in Opole. These details may weigh in fa

vour of Kickton being the author of the Opole temple.

St. Barbara’s Church in Bytom was erected using a re

inforced concrete frame structure lled with ceramic ma

terials. The nave is covered with a barrelvaulted ceiling,

whereas the side aisles, divided by means of arcades, have

at ceilings. The initial palette of colours in the interior

was created by a geometric polychrome in the shades of

blue on the vault of the nave. The polychrome was con

trasted with light walls, whereas the chancel (presbytery)

featured mosaics. The interior design was created by artists

from Silesia, Berlin and Munich [7]. The church elevation

is smoothly plastered. The grey colour of the external walls

contrasts in an interesting way with the greenblue shade

of the copper roong patina.

Formal solutions used in St. Barbara’s Church combine

modernity with traditional elements. The applied forms

contain references to many architectural styles of sacred

ar chitecture, contributing to an eclectic character of the

building. The connotations to the Romanesque and preRo

manesque art arise from the compact church body, basilica

system and a massive tower westwork. The associations

with the Gothic architecture are demonstrated in the high,

steep roofs, ogee arches, and vertical narrow windows in

the chancel (presbytery). On the other hand, the dome situ

ated on the base with oculi, the barrelvaulted ceiling with

lunette windows and semicircular arcadelike systems

constitute features of the Renaissance provenance. The

monumental body of the church of a moderately modern

form and references to tradition is characterised by certain

indecisiveness and lack of cohesiveness [9]. From an ur

banplanning perspective, the body of St. Barbara’s Church

constitutes an interesting landmark in this part of the city,

which dominates the vista seen from Stefana Czarnieckie

go Street (former Wilhelm Strasse) and Słowiański Square

(former Wilhelm Platz).

Non-implemented design

of St. Joseph’s Church in Zabrze (around 1930)

In the 1920s, an urbanplanning concept of the south

district of the city of Zabrze was developed. The concept

included a housing estate along with green and recreation

al areas as well as a church. The green light to build the

church was given in the face of a considerable increase

in the number of inhabitants in this part of the city due to

mass relocation of the population. The initially planned

location of the church building changed several times. Fi

nally, it was decided to situate the temple in presentday

F. Roosevelta Street (former Kampfbahn Allee), at the ter

mination of K. Damrota Street (Pfarr Strasse) [20]. Kick

ton developed the design of the new church attributing the

features of the preRomanesque architecture to it. Accord

ing to his concept, the temple obtained the form of a mas

sive threeaisle hall with a semicircularly closed chancel

(presbytery) highlighted by a lower level of the ambula

tory (Fig. 12). The church body was anked with a huge

westwork, at the top of which there was a pair of towers

with hipped roofs, designed on a square plan (Fig. 12).

Verticalism of the church was emphasised by the rhythm

of high, oblong windows located in the side walls and in

the chancel (presbytery). The artistic image of the church

Fig. 11. Church of St. Barbara in Bytom (1928–1931).

A fragment of the westwork with a high niche

and a pair of octagonal towers

(photo by M.E. Adamska, 2022)

Il. 11. Kościół św. Barbary w Bytomiu (1928–1931).

Fragment westwerku z wysoką wnęką i parą oktagonalnych wież

(fot. M.E. Adamska, 2022)

Arthur Kickton: architect of churches and his projects in Silesia 11

was dened by a traditional, cohesive body with a mod

ernist simplication of the composition, which blended

well with the interwarperiod architecture of the DEWOG

housing estate [10]. However, Kickton’s concept, dated

1930, was never implemented [8]

. The nal winning de

sign which was selected had been developed by Domini

kus Böhm, an architect being connected with the city

of Cologne at that time. Böhm’s St. Joseph’s Church in

Zabrze, which was constructed between 1930–1931 and

has a complex symbolic system [20], is not only the most

signicant implementation of Böhm’s design in Upper

Silesia, but also one of the most remarkable examples of

modern sacred architecture in the region [8].

Formal solutions, individualism and style features

of Arthur Kickton’s sacred architecture in Silesia

On the basis of the conducted analysis of the Silesian

sacred architecture designed by Kickton, the synthesis of

the collected data was performed and compiled in three

tables. Table 1 contains information on the time of con

struction, location, denomination, design commissioning

procedure and cooperating architects in relation to the ve

analysed architectural objects.

The presented sacred architectural objects were de

signed by Kickton for the cities of Wrocław, Opole, By tom

and Zabrze. Wrocław is the historical capital of the region.

In the 19

and 20

centuries, the city was the capi

tal of the

Wrocław province in the German administrative system.

In the early 19

century, the city of Opole was appointed

the capital of the Opole province (encompassing a con

siderable part of Upper Silesia and a fragment of Lower

Silesia), which sparked dynamic development of the city,

particularly intensive in the interwar period. Bytom and

Zabrze were important Uppersilesian industrial centres,

which in the 1920s and 1930s were developing rapidly

in terms of spatial development in the newlyurbanised

areas. With reference to the time of implementation of

the analysed architectural objects, only St. Paul’s Church

in Wrocław was constructed before World War I, during

the rule of the German Empire and in the Wilhelmine era.

Other designs were created in the interwar period, under

the political rule of the Weimar Republic. The temple in

Wrocław is Kickton’s only design in Silesia for the Evan

gelical community. The spatial solutions of the design

include, in compliance with the contest conditions, inter

nal galleries typical of Protestant churches. Other sacred

buildings were designed for the newlycreated Roman

Catholic parishes. St. Paul’s Church in Wrocław along

with the parish building complex was implemented by

Kickton as a result of his winning design in the architec

tural competition. The Wrocław church implementation

reinforced Kickton’s professional standing, which trans

lated into the commission of further projects in Silesia to

him, without the contest procedure.

The spatial concept of the design of St. Joseph’s Church in Zabrze

from around 1930 is similar to the solutions applied in St. Anthony’s

Church in Zdzieszowice (Deschowitz), which was implemented between

1936–1937 acc. to the design by Berlin architect Felix Hinssen.

Table 2 contains the compilation of data regarding the

buildings’ oor plan, body shape, materials solutions and

the main feature of the composition. The dominating

system used by the architect was a threeaisle solution

implemented in the basilica (3) or hall (2) systems. The

transept was introduced only in the design of St. Peter and

Paul’s Church in Opole, whereas in the Wrocław temple

the solution of a gallerylike pseudotransept was applied.

The chancels in Kickton’s designs are closed in dierent

ways: rectangularly (1), trigonally (1), pentagonally (1)

and in a semicircular way (2). The only church which

is oriented is St. Peter and Paul’s Church in Opole. The

church bodies are characterised by monumentalism and

various levels of compactness and “desculpturing”. St.

Joseph’s Church in Opole has the most compact body,

in a similar way to the design of the Zabrze church of

the same patron saint. The nonexistent Wrocław church

seemed to be of the least uniform character due to its

elaborate system of roofs and additional connection to

the parish building complex. The basilica systems impart

the horizontal features to the bodies of churches in Bytom

and Opole, whereas the hall systems of the churches in

Wrocław and Zabrze emphasise their verticalism. In all

the analysed objects, the principal element of the com

position of an individual character is the height dominant

in the form of massive two towers (4) or one tower (1).

The spatial solution of the massive block of two towers,

which is present in three architectural objects, forms their

façades. Only the temple in Wrocław has the tower solu

tion in the chancel (presbytery) part. The bulk of the two

towers having a monumental character carries connota

tions to the forms of a medieval westwork. It is generally

based on a cuboidal (or cuboidallike) form in its lower

part and an octagonal form in its upper part, with indi

vidually adopted proportions and connecting methods.

In the case of the Wrocław church, octagonal forms with

their cupolas take up approximately one third of the total

height of the whole block, whereas in St. Joseph’s Church

in Opole its octagonal towers joined by means of a con

necting passage “begin” just above the zone of portals on

Fig. 12. Nonimplemented design of St. Joseph’s Church in Zabrze

(around 1930) (source: [10, p. 549])

Il. 12. Niezrealizowany projekt kościoła św. Józefa w Zabrzu (ok. 1930)

(źródło: [10, s. 549])

12 Monika Ewa Adamska

the ground level. In the case of Zabrze church design, the

towers have a square crosssection. The tower of St. Peter

and Paul’s Church in Opole is also a part of the front el

evation structure, forming the corner of the temple. The

tower is formed according to a similar scheme, having

a cuboidal form in its lower part and an octagonal one in

its upper part. The highest parts of the towers in Kickton’s

designs have forms with a considerable degree of individ

ualism. The solutions used in the three churches in Bytom,

Opole and Wrocław carry connotations to the form of the

Renaissance part of the tower of St. Elizabeth’s Church

in Wrocław (attic and domed cupola). In the case of the

Wrocław Evangelical temple, this connotation has a sym

bolic character, whereas in the case of Catholic church

es, it is of a rather formal nature. In the Wrocław church,

each tower was topped with a cupola with a gallery and

a spire, while in Bytom – a small dome of a structural

form. A dierent solution was used by the architect in St.

Joseph’s Church in Opole, where octagonal towers were

provided with slim, pointed spires. On the other hand,

in the Zabrze church Kickton designed low, pyramidal

spires on top of the towers of a square crosssection. An

individual character of each dominant was also shaped

by the rhythm of window openings and openwork in the

bell section, clocks, buttresses topped with sculptures or

geometrical forms, cornices, balustrades and panels with

geometrical motifs. Attention should be drawn to modern

materials solutions applied by Kickton in the Silesian de

signs. The two churches in Opole were constructed using

concrete technology, whereas the external walls of the By

tom church were made using a reinforced concrete frame

structure and ceramic lling. Ceramic materials and cop

per sheets were used as the roof cladding, while wood was

used for the rafter framing and parts of the ceilings.

The chief formal solutions characteristic of Kickton’s

Silesian designs are as follows:

– application of threenave (threeaisle), both basilica

and hall systems, usually with no transept,

–

various geometrical solutions closing the chancel (pres

bytery): semicircular, trigonal, pentagonal or rectangular,

– monumental, relatively compact (dense) church bod

ies featuring high roofs,

– presence of the height dominant in the form of a mas

sive bulk of two towers or a single tower contrasted with

a horizontal, oblong body,

– characteristic and meticulous location of the building

in the urbanplanning context.

Elements that contribute to an individual character of

Kickton’s architectural works include solutions both on

a scale of the whole object and those expressed in details.

The abovementioned elements have been dened for par

ticular sacred buildings in their description. To conduct

a synthesis and indicate the most explicit and signicant

elements shaping the individualism of Kickton’s works,

the following features have been distinguished:

– forms and details of the height dominants (high dom

inating elements) were individually designed for each ar

chitectural object,

– composition of the front elevation including the west

work block,

– wide range of forms of window openings,

– roong (ceramic or metal sheets),

– concrete as a building material creating an architec

tural image of the object,

Architectural

object

Time of

construction

Location Denomination

Design

commissioning

procedure

Cooperating

architects

St. Paul’s

Church

1911–1913,

destroyed

in 1945

Wrocław:

west part of the downtown area;

district of WrocławSzczepin,

Frankfurter Strasse and

Striegauer Strasse

Evangelical

church

prize

in a contest

no information

St. Peter and

Paul’s Church

1923–1924 Opole: east part of the downtown

area, in K. Miarki Street

Roman Catholic

parish church

commissioned

by state

councillor of the building

construction of the province

Arthur Reck

(design and implementation)

St. Joseph’s

Church

1928–1929 Opole: leftbank part of the city,

district of OpoleSzczepanowice,

Prószkowska Street

Roman Catholic

parish church

commissioned

by state

councillor of the building

construction of the province

Anton Mokross

(implementation)

St. Barbara’s

Church

1928–1931 Bytom: north part of the down

town area; S. Czarnieckiego and

A. Grottgera Streets

Roman Catholic

parish church

commissioned

by state

councillor of the building

construction of the province

Theodor Ehl (implementation)

St. Joseph’s

Church

around 1930 Zabrze: south part of the down

town area, Roosevelta Street

Roman Catholic

parish church

no information Arthur Kickton’s design

concept

Table 1. Summary of data on the time of construction, location, denomination, design commissioning procedure and cooperating architects

in relation to the analysed architectural objects (elaborated by M.E. Adamska)

Tabela 1. Zestawienie informacji o czasie powstania, lokalizacji, wyznaniu, trybie zlecenia projektu oraz współpracujących architektach

analizowanych obiektów (oprac. M.E. Adamska)

Arthur Kickton: architect of churches and his projects in Silesia 13

Architectural

object

Layout of the plan Body Materials

Chief elements

of the composition

St. Paul’s

Church,

Wrocław

threeaisle hall

with internal galleries

forming a pseudotransept;

shallow, rectangularly

closed chancel

(presbytery)

not uniform, connected

to the parish building

complex; high, steep,

gable roofs; the body

flanked with a massive bulk

of two towers

ceramic materials

stone (walls,

ceilings, vaults);

wood (rafter framing);

ceramic roof tiles

(roofing);

metal sheets (tower

cupolas and spires)

massive tower bulk, in the cuboidal

form with blind arches and narrow

windows in the lower part, openings

with shutters in the bell section,

topped with a gallery in the upper part

in the form of two octagonal cupolas

topped with attics having

semicircular elements and lantern spires

St. Peter and

Paul’s Church,

Opole

threeaisle basilica

with the transept;

triangularly closed chancel

(presbytery)

relatively compact (dense),

slightly nonuniform,

“desculptured” body;

gable roof and

singlepitched roofs;

the tower dominating

the church body

concrete (walls,

ceilings);

wood (rafter framing,

ceilings);

ceramic roof tiles

(roofing);

metal sheets (tower

cupola, chapel dome)

tower at the southwest corner of the

church, quadrilateral in its lower part,

octagonal in its upper part; the corners

reinforced with buttresses crowned

with the sculptures of angels and

griffins, between them there are

openings with shutters; the main

section of the tower is topped with

a viewing platform with a metal

balustrade;

above there is an octagonal part of

a smaller diameter with an attic formed

by semicircular elements, topped

with a segmented domed cupola

St. Joseph’s

Church, Opole

threeaisle basilica

without the transept;

pentagonally closed

chancel (presbytery)

strongly compact (dense),

slim body; gable roofs

and singlepitched roofs;

the church body

is counterbalanced

with a vertical bulk

of two towers

concrete (walls);

wood (rafter framing,

ceilings);

ceramic roof tiles

(roofing of the main

aisle);

metal sheets (roofing

of the side aisles and

tower cupolas)

massive bulk of two soaring towers in

the front elevation being connected on

the ground floor with the zone of

portals; the towers in the octagonal

form with a connecting passage;

window slots, upper part of a smaller

dimension with rectangular openings

featuring shutters, buttresses

decorated with spheres, above that

square openings; each tower is topped

a spire

St. Barbara’s

Church,

Bytom

threeaisle basilica

without the transept;

semicircularly closed

chancel (presbytery)

majestic, compact body,

slightly nonuniform,

“desculptured”

in the chancel (presbytery)

zone; gable roofs

and singlepitched roofs;

church body

is counterbalanced

with a vertical bulk

of two towers

reinforced concrete,

ceramic materials

(walls, ceilings);

copper sheets (roofs,

presbytery dome and

tower cupolas)

massive bulk of two soaring towers

in the front elevation, the towers

in a cuboidal form with the portal

zone in their lower part, whereas their

upper part is octagonal with

a connecting element in the form of

a deep niche topped with a segmented

arch; the body “desculptured”

by means of slot openings,

openwork in the bell section;

above: the panel featuring the motif

of the cross and the attic made of

elements featuring ogee arches; between

the towers – a small connecting

piece

with the clock; each tower topped

with a cupola with a small dome

of a structural form

St. Joseph’s

Church,

Zabrze

threeaisle hall without

the transept;

semicircularly closed

chancel (presbytery)

monumental, massive,

compact body, slightly

nonuniform “desculptured”

in the chancel (presbytery)

zone (ambulatory and tower),

considerably simplified

forms; horizontal church

body is counterbalanced

with a vertical bulk

of massive towers

no data a massive bulk of two towers

in the front elevation in a cuboidal

form, with a square crosssection

in their upper part, a lot of openwork,

the towers with low cupolas

of a smaller crosssection,

topped with a low pyramidal spire

Table 2. Summary of data on the layout of the plan, body, materials and chief elements of the composition of the analysed objects

(elaborated by M.E. Adamska)

Tabela 2. Zestawienie danych o układzie rzutu, bryle, materiałach i głównym akcencie kompozycji analizowanych obiektów

(oprac. M.E. Adamska)

14 Monika Ewa Adamska

– ceiling solutions (at coer ceiling, barrelvaulted

ceiling, cross vault),

– individual details dierent in each object, such as Neo

Renaissance gables (Wrocław), the dome of the chancel (By 

tom), arcaded narthex and tower buttresses topped with

sculptures (Opole, St. Peter and Paul’s Church).

Table 3 attempts to determine traditional and modern

features of the sacred buildings presented in this article,

thus elaborating on the article’s title: “between tradition

and modernity”. The meanings of the words: “traditional”

and “modern” were provided on the basis of the compila

tion of dictionary and encyclopaedic denitions. “Tradi

tional” means something that has been longestablished

and used for a long time, in accordance with tradition, i.e.

cultural content which has been handed down from gener

ation to generation. “Modern” relates to new, recent times,

moving with the times, innovative, contemporary.

The juxtaposition of traditional and modern features in

Table 3 shows a relatively balanced use of both means.

The table may be useful when it comes to dening the

characteristic features of the style of Silesian sacred ob

jects designed by Kickton as the merger of tradition and

modernity. On the one hand, the applied spatial solutions

indicate that the architect freely drew from historical her

itage, on the other hand, the moderation of forms and de

tails as well as the way of their transformation denitely

make their way towards modernity and the aesthetic of

Modernism. The forms introduced by the designer contain

his own references to many historical styles of sacred ar

chitecture, contributing to an eclectic (to various degrees)

image of Kickton’s buildings. The Evangelical church

complex in Wrocław, which was constructed before

World War I, was designed according to the principles of

historical architectural styles. The applied cohesive and

harmonious solutions carried connotations to the forms of

the Silesian Renaissance, thus becoming part of the ar

chitectural trend based on the regional style. The church

es designed by Kickton in the interwar period contain, in

a simplied form, many “quotations” from the Gothic and

Renaissance architecture and refer to the Early Christian,

PreRomanesque and Romanesque architectural systems.

On the other hand, Kickton’s churches constitute modern

(in its form, interpretation and construction) individually

shaped buildings, which were carefully integrated into the

urban context. Massive westwork, which was also applied

in the Evangelical church in former Królewiec (German

Königsberg, presentday Kaliningrad) built in 1930–1933,

constitutes one of the principal distinctive features of Ar

thur Kickton’s sacred architecture in Silesia.

Conclusions

Arthur Kickton, similarly to other German architects

Hans Poelzig and Max Berg, graduated from the Tech

nical University in Berlin (Technische Hochschule Ber

lin). The architect devoted his whole professional career

to sacred architecture, being active mainly in East Prussia

(Provinz Ostpreußen) and Silesia (Schlesien). His work

in administrative oces with a simultaneous designing

activity contributed to his experience and knowledge.

The architect’s works encompass not only designs of new

buildings, but also numerous designs of the reconstruction

of churches destroyed during World War I as well as im

plementation projects.

Kickton’s Silesian designs implemented during the in

terwar period became a part of thethen trend of moderate

lymodern sacred architecture, resulting from traditional

aesthetic tastes of the clergy. The designs of new churches

in Silesia had to be submitted for approval and the per

son in charge was head of the Wrocław diocese, Cardi

nal Adolf Bertram, who was sceptical about avantgarde

solutions departing from the traditional sacred art [8], [9].

An example of the temple designed in compliance with

Cardinal Bertram’s views on new sacred architecture

Traditional features Modern features

Plan:

application of threenave (threeaisle) basilica or hall systems,

usually without the transept, with a semicircularly or polygonally

closed chancel (presbytery) being the solution which continues

the architectural tradition of the styles from previous epochs

Body:

fusion of a horizontal form (the main body) with a vertical form

(tower bulk / tower) carrying connotations to early Christian

and medieval spatial solutions of the sacred architecture

Ceiling of the main aisle:

application of a cross vault, barrelvaulted ceiling with lunette

windows and wooden coffer ceiling – the solutions drawing from

the heritage of historical architectural styles

Architectural details:

use of forms referring to historical architectural styles

(including: forms of window openings, use of arcades, system

of three portals, form of the dome) and to the architectural heritage

of Silesia (mainly the tower cupola inspired by the Renaissance

cupola of St. Elizabeth’s Church in Wrocław)

Body and plan:

modernist simplification of the applied formal and compositional

solutions, made possible, among other things, thanks to the use of

modern materials and construction solutions

Architectural form:

artistic interpretation and conversion of the solutions of historical

architectural styles, using them in moderation and with restraint

in the merger of details; the reduction of architectural form

Materials and structure:

prevailing application of modern materials and construction

solutions, including concrete and reinforced concrete frame structure,

shaping an individual character of the architectural object and

providing it with innovative features

Urbanplanning context:

meticulous incorporation of a new object into the local spatial and

landscape context; supplementation of the existing urban structure

with a spatial dominant which shapes an individual character of

a given urban district

Table 3. Summary of traditional features and modern features of the analysed objects (elaborated by M.E. Adamska)

Tabela 3. Zestawienie cech tradycyjnych i cech nowoczesnych analizowanych obiektów (oprac. M.E. Adamska)

Arthur Kickton: architect of churches and his projects in Silesia 15

was, apart from Kickton’s interwar designs, St. Anthony’s

Church in GliwiceWójtowa Wieś (former GleiwitzRich

tersdorf). The temple was erected between 1925 and 1927

according to the design by Karl Schabik and Hans Sat

tler. The church constituted a contemporary interpretation

of a threeaisle basilica with the transept and combined

a simplied style of Romanesque buildings with elements

of modernist aesthetic.

Catholicism, which was deeply rooted in the cultural

tradition of Upper Silesia, was a dominating religion in

the part of the region remaining under the rule of German

administration. Due to the conviction of the signicance

of religion for the social stabilisation, the construction

of new churches in this region, in the period of the Wei

mar Republic (1919–1933), was nancially supported by

the state programme for Upper Silesia (Oberschlesien)

– “Ost hilfe” (“help for the east”) [9]. The spatial and de

mographic development of the major cities of the region,

the construction of many new housing estates, the migra

tion of the population caused by the division of Silesia

– all those phenomena resulted in the canonical erection of

new parishes and the construction of new large churches.

The implementations of Kickton’s designs in Opole and

Bytom constituted a part of the abovementioned process.

In Wrocław, several important churches, both Catholic

and Evangelical, were constructed before World War I. St.

Paul’s Church along with the parish building complex de

signed by Kickton was one the abovementioned church

es. It was erected for the developing city district and a new

parish with the purpose of reinforcing evangelical activi

ties in the west part of the city. The majority of other sa

cred buildings created in the interwar period for the new

districts and housing estates in Wrocław did not have such

large sizes and originality of solutions in comparison with

the implementations in Upper Silesia.

The sacred architecture designed by Kickton in Sile

sia combines solutions between tradition and modernity.

The architect drew from the heritage of styles of previous

epochs, however, he artistically recreated and interpret

ed historical patterns using the contemporary language of

simplied forms and innovative material solutions.

Translated by

Monika Cesarz

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded by Opole University of Technology.

16 Monika Ewa Adamska

Abstract

Arthur Kickton (1861–1944) – architect of churches and his designs in Silesia. Between tradition and modernity

Arthur Kickton is a German architect educated at the Technical University in Berlin, specializing in sacred architecture, professionally connected

mainly with East Prussia and Silesia. The article presents Kickton’s most important implementations and designs of sacred objects in Silesia, in

a chronological way, with an outline of the architect’s occupational biography. The aim of the publication is to indicate formal solutions applied by

the architect, distinguish elements contributing to the individual character of his architectural works and dene the features of his style. The article

makes use of the method of historical investigations and interpretation and the method of logical argumentation based on analysis and synthesis. The

research carried out has shown that Kickton’s sacred architecture in Silesia combines solutions between tradition and modernity. The architect freely

drew from the heritage of the styles of past epochs. He creatively transformed and modernized historical patterns of sacred art using the language of

contemporary forms and innovative material solutions.

Key words: church, sacred architecture, Arthur Kickton, Silesia

Streszczenie

Arthur Kickton (1861–1944) – architekt kościołów i jego projekty na Śląsku. Pomiędzy tradycją a nowoczesnością

Arthur Kickton to wykształcony na berlińskiej politechnice niemiecki architekt specjalizujący się w architekturze sakralnej, związany zawo

dowo głównie z Prusami Wschodnimi i Śląskiem. W artykule w układzie chronologicznym zaprezentowano główne projekty budowli sakralnych

autorstwa Kicktona na Śląsku, z zarysem biograi zawodowej architekta. Celem publikacji jest wskazanie stosowanych przez architekta rozwiązań

formalnych, wyróżnienie elementów kształtujących indywidualność jego dzieł oraz zdeniowanie stylistyki. W pracy zastosowano metodę badań

historycznointerpretacyjnych oraz metodę argumentacji opartej na analizie i syntezie. Przeprowadzone badania pokazały, że śląska architektura

sakralna autorstwa Kicktona wpisuje się stylistycznie pomiędzy tradycję a nowoczesność. Architekt korzystał swobodnie z dziedzictwa stylów mi

nionych epok, twórczo przekształcając i modernizując historyczne wzorce sztuki sakralnej przy użyciu języka form współczesnych i nowatorskich

rozwiązań materiałowych.

Słowa kluczowe: kościół, architektura sakralna, Arthur Kickton, Śląsk