Socialist realist 'ideal town' bound for UNESCO list?

Professor Jacek Purchla noted in an interview with the Gazeta Wyborcza daily that 20th century heritage is “increasingly attractive to the creators of the UNESCO list.”

Originally built as a separate town by Poland's post-war communist regime, Nowa Huta, which means New Steel Mill, included a vast steelworks launched in 1954 and initially named after Vladimir Lenin.

“For understandable reasons, Nowa Huta is one of the best examples of socialist realist towns and more broadly of totalitarian architecture of the 20th century,” Purchla said.

Today, although evidently less prosperous than central Kraków, grandiose Nowa Huta is gradually establishing itself as an offbeat tourist destination.

Following the collapse of communism – in which many Nowa Huta factory-workers played a notable role – avenues, streets and other sites were renamed, with the central square now dedicated to Ronald Reagan.

Professor Purchla has noted that the ultimate decision for putting Nowa Huta forward as a candidate for UNESCO lies with the government.

He has also raised the possibility of joining forces with other countries.

“We could decide for example on trying for a transnational entry, in which Nowa Huta would be on the list with for example Berlin's former Stalinallee and the Belarusian capital Minsk, which in my opinion is the most interesting and best preserved example of a socialist realist urban space in Europe.” (nh/rk)