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For most of us communist architecture brings to mind tall gray housing estates on the edges of Eastern European cities. Some of us have lived in them, some of us have run away from them and others have done everything possible not to even come near them. These much hated panel towers built mostly in 70’sand 80’s started with a good idea but ended up being referred to as “modernism on the cheap” or brutalism and have become the symbols of their times. Paneláky though are not the only architectural legacy of communism.
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Decorative details on a roof ledge
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For
a short period starting with the communist takeover in 1948 till the mid 50’s there
was a much more aesthetic and decorative style of building which is known today
as Sorela indicating Socialist realism.
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A pair of decorative balconies
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Although hard to believe, this passageway was
built in the 50’s,rectangular windows are a giveaway.
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Czechoslovakia saw
relatively few big scale Sorela buildings
as it was used predominantly in places which had suffered a lot of
wartime bombing such as the former GDR or Warsaw. In Prague, the prime example is
Hotel Internacionál in Dejvice built to resemble the Lomonosov Moscow State
University which itself has something of the Empire State Building. Despite it’s
over imposing façade, the interiors of Hotel Internacionál showcased some of
the best craftsmanship of the period in glassmaking, furniture design or metal
work. Most other examples are public buildings such as “houses of culture”, war
memorials or embassies.
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An entrance with classical columns, a house
sign and rustication.
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Sorela was used mainly in the construction of
housing estates such as in Karviná or Ostrava,cities with a dire housing shortage. Contrary to popular
belief these housing estates were well planned and were something of a novelty
in urban planning. To start with most of the apartment houses were 3 to 5
storeys high making them quite livable. They were also built of brick unlike
the panel blocks of later years .Further, all the units has all the mod cons of
the period such as central heating but also dedicated laundry rooms and storage
space in every building. There was also much thought given to sports and
leisure activities which included playgrounds, sitting areas as well as
abundant greenery.
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The whole façade.
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To symbolize a new
beginning or the postwar rebirth of society
Sorela looked at the renaissance and brought back sgraffiti which unlike their Italian
predecessors did not portray maidens or mythical creatures but featured scenes
of the victorious Soviet liberators, tanks and factory workers. These sgraffiti were most
often red or brown, the former being a popular soviet color. In a similar vein
classical columns decorated the facades of workers houses along with porticos,
decorative balconies and neo –baroques elements. Much of this was reminiscent of
the second half of the 19th century before the predominance of art nouveau,
when Europe did not have a unified architectural language and turned to revival
styles. Another local element which was reused by the architects of the early
1950’s were house signs which adorn many historical buildings in Prague .These new signs often illustrate flowers,
sports or zodiac signs. Much of the
decoration was meant to convey optimism and joy in the new communist state
while dissidents were being sent to work in coal mines not far away.
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House signs
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By the mid 1950’s Stalin
had died and frivolous decoration began to be seen as unnecessary. Czechoslovak
design would then be channeled into the Brussels Expo 58 and the applied arts of the 1960’s.
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A bas relief depicting a female worker.
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