The Writers' House () is an unofficial name of a socialist realist

multifamily residential Multifamily residential, also known as multidwelling unit (MDU), is a classification of housing where multiple separate housing units for residential inhabitants are contained within one building or several buildings within one complex. Units can ...

building in

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

, Poland, at 68/70 Marszałkowska Street, next to the corner with Skorupki Street. Opened in 1960, the building is known as a historic residence of numerous artists, scientists, and diplomats.

History

The building was constructed between 1959 and 1960, and designed in socialist realist style, meant be reminiscent of the . It was built in place of a former tenement house from the turn of 20th century, designed by Edward Goldberg. It shared a twin design of the nearby Taubenhaus Tenement. An identical socialist realist multifamily residential building was built in the 1960s at 74 Marszałkowska Street. The building became residence of numerous artists, scientist, and diplomats, including Maria Dąbska, Julia Hartwig,

Zbigniew Herbert Zbigniew Herbert (; 29 October 1924 – 28 July 1998) was a Polish poet, essayist, drama writer and moralist. He is one of the best known and the most translated post-war Polish writers. While he was first published in the 1950s (a volume tit ...

, Adam Kępiński, Arkadiusz Konarzewski, Artur Międzyrzecki, Danuta Płocka-Zabłocka, Bogusław Śmiechowski, and Ryszard Szawłowski, among others. It was also visited by

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...

winners

Henry Kissinger Henry Alfred Kissinger (May 27, 1923 – November 29, 2023) was an American diplomat and political scientist who served as the 56th United States secretary of state from 1973 to 1977 and the 7th National Security Advisor (United States), natio ...

and

Czesław Miłosz Czesław Miłosz ( , , ; 30 June 1911 – 14 August 2004) was a Polish Americans, Polish-American poet, prose writer, translator, and diplomat. He primarily wrote his poetry in Polish language, Polish. Regarded as one of the great poets of the ...

. In the early 1960s, the apartment of Hartwig i Międzyrzecki, became a gathering

salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...

. The building was later referred to as the ''Writers' House'' by Adam Pomorski, the chairperson of the Polish division of the

PEN International PEN International (known as International PEN until 2010) is a worldwide professional association, association of writers, founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere. The association ...

. The building was renovated and modernized in 2012. The same year, on its façade was installed a commemorative plaque dedicated to Artur Międzyrzecki, and in 2021, it was followed with a plaque of Julia Hartwig. On 25 August 2016, the building was placed on a municipal heritage list of Warsaw.
Wykaz zabytków nieruchomych wpisanych do rejestru zabytków (księga A) – stan na 31 grudnia 2022 roku Woj. mazowieckie (Warszawa)
Warsaw:

National Institute of Cultural Heritage The National Institute of Cultural Heritage of Poland () is a Polish governmental institution responsible for documenting cultural property and the intangible cultural heritage, as well as for supporting and coordinating their protection.

, 2022. (in Polish)

Design

The multifamily residential building is designed in socialist realist style, meant be reminiscent of the , which was built a few years prior to it. The building has the base shape the letter L, and construction made from

reinforced concrete Reinforced concrete, also called ferroconcrete or ferro-concrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion of reinforcement having higher tensile strength or ...

and façade lied with

ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant, and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcela ...

bricks.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Writers House Śródmieście Południowe Apartment buildings in Warsaw 1960 establishments in Poland Residential buildings completed in 1960 Socialist realism Cultural history of Warsaw 20th-century Polish literature Objects of cultural heritage in Warsaw