Modernist Architecture of East Carpathian Spa Towns – a conversation about the book by Dr Weronika Grzesiak

How did the moods of staying “by the waters”, the specific culture of the Eastern Carpathians and characteristic spatial solutions shape spa architecture? About modernism in a particular form, conditioned by strong regional and cultural traditions and an exceptional landscape, Joanna Bryg-Stanisławska will speak with Paulina Niemczyk, Prof. Marek Zgórniak and Dr Weronika Grzesiak, the author of the book “Modernist Architecture of East Carpathian Spa Towns (former Lwów and Stanisławów voivodeships)”.

The publication, released in the scholarly series “Studia i Materiały” of the POLONIKA Institute, addresses important questions concerning the protection of relatively young architecture. As the upper age boundary of what we consider heritage shifts, we increasingly pay attention to buildings from the 20th century. In her book, Dr Weronika Grzesiak demonstrates that modernist spa architecture in the Eastern Carpathians constitutes an important, though little‑known, part of Polish architectural culture.

Using examples such as Truskawiec, Morszyn, Jaremcze and Worochta, the author analyses the development of sanatorium and leisure infrastructure in the 1930s. Modern sanatoriums, boarding houses and spa pavilions fit into pan‑European modernist trends while arising in the unique context of a region with a rich history and a diverse cultural structure. The mountainous landscape of the Carpathians and the multiethnic mosaic of inhabitants created a special backdrop for the “white spots” of modern architecture appearing in the resorts.

These will be the focus of the meeting, during which we will discuss the factors that influenced the form and specificity of East Carpathian spa towns. The discussion, which will also include Prof. Marek Zgórniak and Paulina Niemczyk from the National Institute of Polish Cultural Heritage Abroad “Polonika”, will reveal the historical context of the places studied by Dr Grzesiak. We will also examine them from the perspective of social conditions, recalling the realities of leisure in such centres in the interwar period. The meeting will be chaired by Joanna Bryg-Stanisławska from the Kraków branch of the Association of Art Historians.

Speakers:

• dr Weronika Grzesiak – a graduate of art history and Slavic philology, PhD in the humanities. She lectures at the Institute of Art History at Jagiellonian University. Associated with the IRSA Institute of Art Research, member of the board of the IRSA Foundation for the Support of Culture. Lanckoroński Foundation scholarship holder from Brzezie (2025). Co-curator of the permanent exhibition “Przekroje. Gallery of Polish Architecture of the 20th and 21st Centuries” at the National Museum in Kraków (2021). She has also worked at the International Cultural Centre in Kraków and the Lviv Art Gallery.
• Paulina Niemczyk – an art historian, graduate of the University of Warsaw and the Institute for Research on Public Space at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. Scholarship holder at the University of Copenhagen. A cultural manager with ten years’ experience, mainly on architecture projects. Currently affiliated with the National Institute of Polish Cultural Heritage Abroad “Polonika”.
• dr hab. Marek Zgórniak – art historian, professor emeritus at Jagiellonian University. He worked on 19th‑century architecture, sculpture and painting, including the work of Jan Matejko. He was the doctoral supervisor of Dr Weronika Grzesiak. Author of numerous publications, including “Around Neo‑Renaissance in 19th‑Century Architecture”, “Titian’s Brush. French Painters and Critics of the 19th Century Regarding Venetian Cinquecento”, “Matejko in Paris. Opinions of French Critics from 1865–1870”, “Jan Matejko, 1838–1893. A Chronology of Life and Work”.
• Joanna Bryg-Stanisławska – an art historian, graduate of Jagiellonian University in Kraków. She specializes in 20th‑century Polish architecture, with particular attention to postwar modernism and socialist realism. Her research focuses on transformations of Kraków’s architecture after World War II. Member of the Association of Art Historians, Kraków Branch.