MDM

Housing/Urban space

@. Plac Konstytucji

architect. Stanislaw Jankowski, Jan Knothe, Jozef Sigalin, Zygmunt Stepinski

finished. 1953

MDM stands for 'Marszałkowska Dzielnica Mieszkaniowa', the Marszalkowska Apartment Neighborhood. It is built in the socialist-realist style that was mandatory from 1949. Socialist-realist architecture was meant to be monumental - it was part of the regime's propoganda machine. The architects took liberty with the classical vocabulary they had to work with. The facades have massive arcades, well defined windows, imposing heights and impressive relief sculptures of the 'noble' working class. The materials of choice were sandstone and polished marble which have weathered remarkably well. The architecture of the plaza organizes the intersection of four different streets, disquising the entrance to the smaller ones with arcades.

MDM was part of an urbanistic conception that widened Marszalkowska Street from Krolewska (Ogrod Saski), past the Palace of Kulture, to Koszykowa. To achieve this the Western side of Marszalkowska was demolished. Plac Konstytucji (Constitution Plaza) was to serve as the end point for official May Day parades.

It is a shame to see the plaza used for parking and the lack of life along Marszalkowska which is populated by banks and stores unchanged from the early 90's. However as an example of truly massive populist architecture it is worth exploring, especially with an eye for detail.

check it out back then...