The sulphuric acid factory in Luboń, one of the most outstanding works of German architect Hans Poelzig, was a unique example of architectural expressionism in industrial construction. Operating from 1914 to 2008, the facility not only played a key role in the chemical industry, but also became an icon of modern industrial architecture, well-known in Europe and overseas.
As an architect and theoretician, Hans Poelzig considered the design of industrial plants to be one of the key tasks of the architecture of the time. His designs were distinguished by their monumentality and expressive forms inspired by neo-Gothic. The factory in Luboń near Poznań was built at a time when Germany was developing as a major industrial power. The complex was completed in 1914 and was designed to harmoniously combine aesthetics with functionality. At the time, the plant was one of the most modern fertiliser factories in early 20th century Europe. Built on an area of 15.52 hectares, the complex included production buildings, warehouses for raw materials and finished products. In its vicinity was the workers’ compound, consisting of six buildings with 15 flats for workers and 10 flats for officials, as well as social buildings, baths and laundries. The factory also had a direct current power station and an industrial water supply, drawing water from the nearby Warta River.
The Luboń factory – materials and architectural style
Hans Poelzig carefully planned the layout of the factory, adapting the proportions of the buildings to their functions. The sulphuric acid factory with its characteristic towers was built in the northern part of the complex, and the superphosphate warehouse, known today as ‘Poelzig Hall’, was built in the south. The centrepiece was the superphosphate factory with its axially positioned boiler house chimney. The complex also included phosphate warehouses, which could be extended thanks to their skeletal structure, as well as administrative buildings and a workers’ hotel. The entire complex was connected by railway sidings, linking the plant to the Warta wharf and the railway line.
The factory buildings at the beginning of the 20th century. Source: “Die Form: Zeitschrift für gestaltende Arbeit”, Bonn&Berlin
Brick – Poelzig’s favourite material – was used for construction. He introduced two construction technologies: skeletal, so-called half-timbering, which was hidden inside the buildings, and massive brick walls with a layout characteristic of Wielkopolska industry at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The buildings were distinguished by monumental gable walls, tapering towards the roofs and reinforced with buttresses. The semi-circular finials of the windows and portals, massive structural arches and solid parapets alluded to the Rundbogenstil style and turned the factory into an icon of the industrial architecture of the time.
Factory housing for staff
In the administrative and residential buildings, Poelzig applied a different aesthetic – smaller forms, façade subdivisions and careful detailing to accommodate their utilitarian functions. A charming complex of five villas for the engineering staff, built in 1911, has been preserved next to the factory. Uniquely, it survives today in essentially unchanged form, along with the surrounding greenery and publicly accessible square. The villas vary in size and shape, but are united by their traditional architecture – dark brick, high clay tile roofs and uniform woodwork. The fences are made of the same materials, and the first and largest villa belonged to the director of the works. The last one, originally used as a laundry, bathhouse and boiler house, was converted into flats after the war. Already during construction (in 1910), Poelzig’s design was presented in newspaper articles, lectures and exhibitions as exemplary industrial architecture.
Development and transformation of the factory
In 1920, the factory was bought out by the joint-stock company “Dr. Roman May’s Chemical Factory”. In the following years, the factory was expanded – new facilities were built, including a bone processing plant and a phosphate salt production unit. During the Second World War, the factory was taken over by the Germans and continued production, with some buildings being converted into food warehouses. During the war effort in the winter of 1945, some of the buildings were damaged. After the war, the factory was nationalised and returned to production, but was gradually subject to demolition and conversion. Parts of Poelzig’s original buildings were demolished or heavily rebuilt, including the first acid plant, the boiler house and the superphosphate factory. In 2008, the plant changed its name to Luvena S.A., finally closing a certain stage in Lubon’s industrial history, although it continues to produce fertilisers and other chemicals.
The Luboń factory and its architectural heritage
Despite numerous transformations, the buildings designed by Hans Poelzig remain an important part of the industrial heritage of the early 20th century. Their monumental, expressionist form testifies to the architect’s unique approach to factory building. The Luboń factory, together with the preserved elements of the town’s urban layout, constitutes one of the most valuable industrial complexes in Poland and is recognised worldwide. In 2015, the Luboń Industrial Architecture Route was established, which includes the ‘Poelzig Hall’, the former yeast factory, the historic school, the railway station, the workers’ housing estate and the Siewcy Park with its monument.
Source: zabytek.pl, kulturaupodstaw.pl, luvena. pl
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