Nowa Huta

Coordinates: 50°04′20″N 20°02′15″E / 50.07222°N 20.03750°E / 50.07222; 20.03750
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Nowa Huta
UTC+2 (CEST)
Area code+48 12
Websitehttp://www.dzielnica18.krakow.pl

Nowa Huta (pronounced [ˈnɔva ˈxuta], literally "The New Steel Mill") is the easternmost district of Kraków, Poland. With more than 200,000 inhabitants, it is one of the most populous areas of the city. Until 1990, the neighbouring districts were considered expansions of the original Nowa Huta district, and were linked by the same tramway system. They are now separate districts of Kraków.

Nowa Huta is one of the largest planned socialist realist settlements or districts ever built (another being Magnitogorsk in Russia) and "one of the most renowned examples of deliberate social engineering" in the entire world.[1] Built as a utopian ideal city, its street hierarchy, layout and certain grandeur of buildings often resemble Paris or London. The high abundance of parks and green areas in Nowa Huta make it the greenest corner of Kraków.[2]

History

The historic area of present-day Nowa Huta is one of the few places in

Cistercian monastery in the village of Mogiła was built.[3][4]

In the nineteenth century and at the beginning of the twentieth century, during the

fortresses there, as well as one of Europe's oldest permanent airfields (Kraków-Rakowice-Czyżyny Airport, currently housing the Polish Aviation Museum
).

Nowa Huta's street hierarchy and certain buildings often resemble Paris

Following the

Vistula–Oder Offensive in 1945, the Socialist government had encountered substantial resistance to their new regime from middle-class residents of Kraków. A referendum held by the authorities was soundly defeated by the people of Kraków – a major cause of embarrassment to the government. To "correct the class imbalance", the authorities commenced building a satellite industrial city to attract people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds to the region, such as peasants and the working-class.[3]

Nowa Huta was created in 1949 as a separate city near Kraków, on terrain repossessed by the Socialist government from the former villages of Mogiła, Pleszów and Krzesławice. It was planned as a colossal center of heavy industry. The city was intended to become an ideal city for Socialist propaganda, and populated primarily by industrial workers. In 1951, it became a part of the city of Kraków as its new district, and in the following year, construction of tramway connections was underway.[3]

On July 22, 1954, the Vladimir Lenin Steelworks was opened, and in less than twenty years, the factory became the largest steel mill in Poland. In the 1960s, the city expanded rapidly. The monumental architecture of the Plac Centralny (Central Square) was surrounded by colossal apartment blocks. In the 1970s, steel production reached seven million tons annually. At the same time, the largest tobacco factory in Poland was opened there, as well as a colossal cement factory.

Post office in the 28th Osiedle ('Estate') of Nowa Huta

The reasons for building such an industrial city near Kraków were primarily ideological, because coal needed to be transported from Silesia, and iron ore needed to be transported from the Soviet Union, while the products were shipped to other parts of Poland, due to local demand for steel being relatively small. Such disadvantages became visible in the 1980s, when the economic crisis halted the city's growth. Nevertheless, the primacy of political reasons for choosing this location is not obvious. Kraków was a center of learning, with established schools of engineering and scientific research departments, providing the necessary expertise along with qualified staff. The presence of good railway links for bringing raw materials and the proximity of the river to supply water also played a role. The site was elevated high enough to avoid flooding, and the historic villages that it replaced were relatively small. All of the above factors quickly made the investment pay off.[5][6]

In line with the then policy of state atheism, one significant type of building lacking from the original urban design of Nowa Huta was a Roman Catholic church. However, the public campaign to construct such a building lasted several years. As early as 1960, inhabitants of Nowa Huta began applying for consent to build a church. During the same year, violent street demonstrations with riot police erupted over a wooden cross that was erected without a permit. The locals were supported by then Bishop Karol Wojtyla, the future

papacy
in 1978, intended to visit Nowa Huta during his first papal pilgrimage in 1979, but was not permitted to do so.

During the 1980s, Nowa Huta became a city of many demonstrations and violent street protests of the Solidarity movement, fought by the police. At that time, almost 29,000 of the 38,000 workers of the Lenin Steelworks belonged to the Solidarity trade union.[9]

Architecture

Before 1956 (socialist realism)

A socialist classicist bookstore in central Nowa Huta

The design movement of

Poland, as in other member-states of the Warsaw Pact, was enforced from 1949 to 1956. It involved all domains of art, but its most spectacular accomplishments were made in the field of architecture. The main lines of this new trend were very precisely indicated in a 1949 resolution of the National Council of Party Architects. Architecture was an extremely important weapon to the creators of a new social order. It was intended to help to form a socialist theme – the ideas sparking citizens' consciousness and outlook on life. During this great work, a crucial role fell to the architect, who wasn't perceived as merely an engineer creating streets and edifices, but as an "engineer of the human soul
". The general outlook of a building was more valued than its simple aesthetics. It needed to express social ideas, to arouse a feeling of persistence and power.

Since the style of the

socrealist
city center is considered a monument of architecture.

After 1956

Solidarity
Avenue, 2010

Following the political liberalization of the

]

Nowa Huta's central "Avenue of Roses" featured a nationally known statue of Vladimir Lenin, unveiled on April 28, 1973. The bronze monument was pulled down in 1989 by the city, as a result of numerous protests by local citizens. Several thousand onlookers came to watch the dismantling.[10]

Sacral architecture should also be noted, particularly the Arka Pana (Lord's Ark) Church, which was built to resemble

Notre Dame du Haut in Ronchamp.[11]

Nowa Huta today

Park Szwedzki (Swedish Park) during winter

Since the

US President.[13][14] However, this decision led to many objections,[15][16] and the traditional name is still widely used.[17] In 2014, a bright green statue of a urinating Lenin was installed as part of an arts festival.[18]

Cultural significance

Kino Świt, a cinema in Nowa Huta

Cultural venues

Landmarks

Arka Pana (Lord's Ark) Church, Bieńczyce

Notable people

Industry

Education

Sport

Nowa Huta is home to several of Kraków's notable sports clubs. Rich in history,

Hutnik Nowa Huta football club has sizeable support in the city, as does Kraków's only speedway club, Wanda Kraków.[33]

The Kraków Speedway Stadium is a 12,000 all-seated stadium on Odmogile road.[34] It has hosted notable events such as the 1960 Poland versus England international that attracted a crowd of 25,000 and a qualifying round of the Speedway World Team Cup in 1964.[35]

See also

Notes and references

  1. ^ "Nowa Huta – Krakow". www.inyourpocket.com. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  2. . Retrieved 14 May 2017 – via Google Books.
  3. ^
  4. ^ "Cistercian monastery in Mogiła webpage". Archived from the original on 10 June 2008. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  5. ^ a b Prof. Alison Stenning (2002), "Living In The Spaces Of (Post-)Socialism: The Case Of Nowa Huta" (PDF file, Wayback direct download), School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham.
  6. ^ Jamie Stokes (February 25, 2011), Nowa Huta: Krakow’s Brutal Brother? Archived 2015-01-04 at the Wayback Machine Krakow Post: News, Events, Lifestyle.
  7. ^ "The Lord's Ark – Sightseeing – Krakow". www.inyourpocket.com. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  8. ^ "History of Nowa Huta, Gates of Lesser Poland informational portal". Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  9. ^ "60 lecie Nowej Huty". www.60nh.pl. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  10. ^ UPHEAVAL IN THE EAST; Lenin Statue in Mothballs, The New York Times, December 11, 1989. Retrieved June 9, 2013.
  11. ^ "The miracle of Nowa Huta – INTI – International New Town Institute". www.newtowninstitute.org. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  12. ^ "Krakow – News – A Day Out In Lenin Land". cracow-life.com. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  13. ^ "Out & About – Expatica Germany". www.expatica.com. Archived from the original on 12 March 2007. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  14. ^ "Nowa Huta". www.nowahuta.org.pl. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  15. ^ "Related story at www.zyciekrakowa.pl". Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  16. ^ "Nowa Huta – Krakow". www.inyourpocket.com. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  17. ^ "Polish town erects statue of a urinating Lenin". Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  18. ^ "Nowa Huta budowa". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  19. ^ "Buble i inne rupiecie (Schlock and other antiques)". Polityka, poezja (in Polish). Unicorn. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  20. JSTOR 25479134
    .
  21. ^ Wojciech Bogusławski at Culture.pl webpage of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, Poland.
  22. ^ a b "Portal główny EN – Magiczny Kraków". www.krakow.pl. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  23. ^ "Łaźnia nowa". laznianowa.pl. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  24. ^ "Teatr Ludowy Krakow – Poland – Local Life". www.cracow-life.com. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  25. ^ "Łaźnia nowa". laznianowa.pl. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  26. ^ Sfinks art-house cinema homepage
  27. ^ "Portal główny EN – Magiczny Kraków". www.krakow.pl. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  28. ^ "The Cyprian Norwid Cultural Centre at www.okn.edu.pl". Archived from the original on 1 October 2011. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  29. ^ "Wanda's Mound – Sightseeing – Krakow". www.inyourpocket.com. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  30. ^ "Nowa Huta Branch of the Historical Museum of Kraków at www.mhk.pl". Archived from the original on 6 February 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  31. ^ "Palin's Travels: Poland, New Europe". palinstravels.co.uk. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  32. ^ "Poland – KS Wanda Nowa Huta Kraków – Results, fixtures, squad, statistics, photos, videos and news – Soccerway". us.soccerway.com. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  33. ^ "Stadion Sportowy KS Wanda". StadiumDB. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  34. ^ "World Team Cup & World Cup". International Speedway. Retrieved 26 January 2024.

Bibliography