Modernism in Uniform. Investment Activities of the Military Accommodation Fund (Fundusz Kwaterunku Wojskowego FWK) in the Eastern Borderlands of the Second Polish Republic

Abstrakt

The subject of the article is the investment activity of the Military Accommodation Fund in relation to the so–called Kresy Wschodnie / Eastern Borderlands (eastern territories of interwar Poland). The aim of the research was presenting these investments, their functions and locations, focusing on issues related with the architectural stylistic forms, with quality of the implemented facilities and with the current state of preservation. The need to discuss these issues is justified by the importance of the MAF investment as an element of Polish cultural heritage abroad, as well as the threat related to the current political situation in Eastern Europe. In 1925, the Sejm adopted an act under which every officer and married non–commissioned officer was entitled to a service apartment. In July 1927, the MAF was established, the purpose of which was the construction of residential facilities for servicemen, their maintenance and conservation. The MAF construction stood out from the interwar investments not only in terms of quantity, but also in terms of quality. Reliability and professionalism of workmanship, large apartment sizes and high quality of finishing works meant that MAF housing construction a very good reputation, and the projects were treated as models for residential buildings designed at that time. The MAF did not formulate precise guidelines on the stylistic character of the designed facilities, so their buildings represent different architectural tendencies, functioning in parallel in the first years. It was only in the 1930s that modernist solutions came to the fore. To streamline the construction process, it was decided to develop repeatable designs, following the example of solutions used in the 1920s. Independently of this, individual solutions and architectural concepts were also designed, each time obtained through public competitions. The eastern voivodeships were the most neglected in terms of housing, so the construction of facilities in the borderland garrison towns was treated as a priority. Of the 219 objects completed in the years 1928–1937, 130 – i.e. 60% – were built in the Eastern Borderlands. They included 17 repeatable projects, 11 individual projects, as well as a large MAF housing estate in Trauguttowo near Brest. Some of these facilities were destroyed as a result of the war or in the post–war period. Most of them have been preserved to this day, but their current condition vary.