Gotyk polski?

Architektura jako narzędzie budowania granic rzeczywistych i wyobrażonych w II połowie XIX wieku

Abstract

Polish Gothic? Establishing Real and Imaginary Boundaries through Architecture in the II Half of the 19th Century

Intensive development of national identities is a characteristic feature of the 19th century European science, culture and politics. In Poland this process was of great importance. Disintegration of the state and lack of its institutions resulted in even more determined attempts to define and divide what is “ours” from what is “foreign”. One of the most important ways of constructing this boundary was through architecture – its history and theory. In the second half of the 19th century more and more authors started to give their answers to the emerging question: are there any exceptional, individual features of Polish architecture? In this context I would like to investigate the concept of “Vistulian‑Baltic” style, which is interpreted by scholars as a first attempt to define Polish national style in architecture. Closer insight into 19th century narratives reveals how imaginary and real boundaries were established through architecture and its theory.