Stanisław Niemczyk (1943 – 2019) was one of the most outstanding and original creators of Polish contemporary architecture. Born in Czechowice-Dziedzice, he graduated from the Faculty of Architecture at the Cracow University of Technology (1968) and spent most of his professional and family life in Tychy. After 1968 he worked at the Office of General Construction Projects on Miastoprojekt (urban project) ‘Nowe Tychy’, and from 1985 for private design companies ARCH SiM and ARS Architektura. As an architect, artist and man, he drew strength from faith, sought inspiration in the beauty of nature and cultivated traditional ways of building. His individual style can be found in residential and service buildings and in the numerous sacred buildings designed by him.
The project ‘A collection of film portraits of architects of Upper Silesia from the second half of the 20th century’ presents profiles of the following architects: Stanisław Niemczyk, Marek and Ewa Dziekoński, Jerzy Witeczek, Janusz and Bożena Włodarczyk, all representatives of post-war architecture in Upper Silesia, and also architect Tadeusz Barucki – art historian and documentarian – who sets out the achievements of world architecture of that period. It is important in this project to not merely present post-1945 architectural heritage and associated surviving design documentation, but also, and perhaps first and foremost, to display profiles of their creators and their complex biographies and personalities. Our collection of film portraits constitutes a part of the documenting, archiving, research and popularisation activities of the Institute of Architecture Documentation at the Silesian Library.
The project is co-financed by the Polish History Museum in Warsaw as part of the ‘Patriotism of Tomorrow’ programme. Thumbnail photograph by Iwona Wander
This work is available under license Creative Commons Uznanie autorstwa 3.0 Polska.
(Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Poland licence).