Brutal Poland

Hammer-shaped tower blocks, prefab panel housing units, cosmic flying saucers, raw concrete monoliths; these are some of the socialist-era constructions that reshaped the Polish urban landscapes destroyed during WWII.

Explore the modernist and brutalist architecture erected in the former Polish People’s Republic and build some of its most striking edifices, from the massive housing estates of Warsaw, to the brutal Hotel Forum in Kraków.

The first part of Brutal Poland includes chapters with photographs and informative texts providing a valuable insight into the featured buildings and their history. The second part contains nine pre-cut and pre-folded models to press out and assemble with easy to follow instructions: all you need is glue.

The book is bilingual (English & Polish) and includes a foreword by architectural historian Anna Cymer

9 press-out models to assemble:
Za Żelazną Bramą. Warsaw
Smolna 8. Warsaw
Hotel Forum. Kraków
‘Manhattan’. Łódź
Os. Orła Białego. Poznań
Falowiec. Gdańsk
Spodek. Katowice
Superjednostka. Katowice
Os. Plac Grunwaldzki. Wrocław

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Author: Zupagrafika (David Navarro & Martyna Sobecka)
Photographs: David Navarro & Martyna Sobecka (with the exception of Hotel Forum, vv.aa)
Publisher: Zupagrafika © 2020. All rights reserved‍

‍The book compiles illustrated paper models created by Zupagrafika throughout the last decade, and an extensive photographic documentation of the Polish post-war architecture collected by David and Martyna. It is complete with new, unpublished photography and architectural models. All illustrations show original facades from before renovation showcasing elements added by the tenants, such as satellite dishes or graffiti. Zupagrafika would like to thank the tenants who kindly posed with the models in front of their homes: Mrs. Elfrida, Bożena, Jadwiga, Małgorzata and Krystyna.