On May 22, 2025 Docomomo Chair Prof. Uta Pottgiesser moderated a panel discussion at the Pilecki Institute in Berlin. Co-organized by the Pilecki Institute and DOM-Publishers, the authors of the architectural guides of Gdansk and Szczecin, Dr. Justyna Borucka and Dr. Jakub Gołębiewski reflected on the history and preservation efforts in both cities after World War II until today.

Gdańsk and Szczecin are two port cities whose urban planning and architecture reflect Europe’s complicated and turbulent 20th century history. With the end of World War II, the national affiliation of both these cities changed, and there was a complete exchange of populations. The new inhabitants had to rebuild and redefine the space they were unfamiliar with. A process of familiarizing themselves with a foreign land began, taking root in it and constructing a new narrative, which was also reflected in the architecture. When deciding on the form and scale of reconstruction, an effort was made to emphasize the significance of objects in the existing cultural landscape, indicating the historical connection of both cities with the Polish state. The change in the political system, manifested in the nationalization of real estate, facilitated comprehensive and top-down spatial development and significantly impacted reconstruction.

Despite this, the reconstruction process in Gdańsk and Szczecin proceeded in different ways today, providing an interesting contribution to the discussion on the determinants of this phenomenon. While in Gdańsk the historical character of the buildings in the old town area was recreated, in Szczecin, it was decided to implement contemporary architecture in the same context. The decisions made at that time left a clear mark on the further spatial development of both cities, and their consequences are visible today.
During our meeting, we want to consider the attitude of contemporary generations towards the legacy of post-war reconstruction and modernisation and how the processes mentioned above are assessed in both cities. Has the attempt to build a new, post-war identity proved effective in the face of the currently observed longing for the past and the pre-war image of both cities? How is the redefinition of the assumptions adopted at that time taking place in the process of further spatial development and the city’s densification? Finally, what does the contemporary architecture of Gdańsk and Szczecin tell us about the perception of the identity of both cities?

More on the event here.