The wartime destruction of Wroclaw severely perforated the historic fabric of the city. In addition to the many rebuilt and reconstructed buildings, there was also room for architectural exploration in this forcibly fissured space. The then-modern buildings, contemporary witnesses of their time, today arouse extreme emotions, especially when they are planned to be demolished.
A void is left after Solpol (1992, designed by Wojciech Jarząbek, Paweł Jaszczuk, Jan Matkowski, Jacek Sroczyński), which did not live to see conservation protection. However, we already know the plot owner's idea for its new development [What will be built in place of Solpol?]. A few days ago, on the other hand, there was a lot of noise about Trzonolinowiec (1961, designed by Jacek Burzyński, Andrzej Skorupa) — there was talk about the bad technical condition of the experimental block. According to gazetawroclawska.pl, the building's administration has begun efforts to have it listed in the register of monuments, hoping to raise its profile and thus increase its chances of getting funds for renovation. Meanwhile, the former headquarters of the ZETO Electronic Computing Technology Plant returned to public discussion a few days ago.
Wrocław's ZETO on Ofiar Oświęcimskich Street was built in the 1960s to a design by Anna Tarnawska and Jerzy Tarnawski. Considered an outstanding example of post-war modernism, the building was thoroughly modern — not only in form, but also in function, as the three-story block with a reinforced concrete structure housed Poland's first electronic digital machines, which passersby could view through large glass windows on the first floor. The interior design was created in cooperation with Józef Chierowski, author of the famous Armchair 366.
entrance to the building
Source: Information Technology, 1974 | Wikimedia Commons
After years of splendor, however, came a phase of oblivion; the building deteriorated over time. Although the 2006 local zoning plan considered the possibility of demolishing the building, in 2021 the Towarzystwo Upiększania Miasta Wrocławia and the Wrocław branch of the SARP applied for its protection [we wrote about this in the article That What - ZETO!]. Among the arguments that were raised in the process of including the building in the register of monuments, attention was paid to the high scientific and artistic value, the compatibility of form and function, as well as aesthetics and functionality.
The shape of the body, the structures and materials used, and on the facades the juxtaposition of white and black, as well as geometric forms — circles, squares, neon, borrowed from op-art, herald a modern interior and consciously, clearly cut off from the surrounding historicizing buildings.
When in March 2022 the Lower Silesian Provincial Historic Preservation Officer entered ZETO in the register of monuments (this decision was upheld by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage in October 2022 after the owner appealed), lovers of the architect duo's realization breathed a sigh of relief. It turns out, however, that it was premature joy. For at the end of July an application for permission to demolish ZETO was received. How is this possible?
ZETO in Wroclaw
Photo: Evidamii019 | Wikimedia Commons © CC BY-SA 4.0
The decision of the General Conservator could only be overturned by the Administrative Court in Warsaw. As it turns out, this happened on March 31, 2023.
The court does not dispute that the building is a representative example of post-war modernist architecture of the communist era, but it cannot be said that the building possesses universally and evidently discernible above-average qualities that indisputably mandate its inclusion in the register of monuments regardless of its state of preservation [...]. According to the Court, there was a violation of the principle of proportionality resulting from the failure to balance the interest of the owner of the building with the public interest. It does not follow from the authorities' assessment that securing the substance that prejudices the authenticity of elements important for architecture in order to avoid their loss requires such a far-reaching interference with the right to property — reads the decision's justification.
As Daniel Gibski, Lower Silesia Regional Monument Conservator, assures tuwroclaw.com, the demolition of ZETO can still be stopped. What scenarios are possible in this situation?
The verdict of the Provincial Administrative Court in Warsaw [...] has not become final, as the Minister of Culture and National Heritage has filed a cassation complaint to the Supreme Administrative Court in this case. The above judgment did not negate the historic value of the building. [...] If the court's verdict were to become final, which is not certain due to the cassation complaint filed, its effect would not necessarily be a decision to deny entry into the register of historic monuments, but rather a re-examination of the historic values in the proceedings. The court questioned not the historic nature of the building itself, but the legitimacy of the entry "within the boundaries of the perimeter walls, with the annex, the garage exit, retaining walls and the roofing of the entrance area" — explains Towarzystwo Upiększania Miasta Wrocławia.
© Towarzystwo Upiększania Miasta Wrocławia
Will ZETO share Solpol's fate? We will keep you posted on developments.
