The People’s House in Suprasl is one of the most interesting examples of modernist wooden architecture in Poland. It was designed by the architect Jarosław Girin and erected in the 1930s as a centre of social and cultural life of this Podlasie town. For centuries, Suprasl has developed in a multicultural environment, being mainly a centre for the textile industry. Today, the People’s House brings together a historic form made of an unusual material for modernism with a modern use of the building.
The People’s House in Suprasl – the genesis of its creation
The initiative to build the Folk House came from the inhabitants of Suprasl, who in 1934 established it as an institution named after Marian Zyndram-Kościałkowski, a Polish independence activist and politician. The project was designed by the Warsaw architect Jarosław Girin, also known as the creator of the Aleksander Węgierka Theatre in Białystok. High-quality timber used as construction material was donated by local manufacturer Konstanty Zachert. The grand opening of the edifice took place a year later, in 1935.
A centre of community life
From the beginning, the building served as a meeting place for the inhabitants of Suprasl and the surrounding area. It housed an auditorium for about 300 people, as well as rooms for the municipal authorities and youth organisations. Concerts, theatre performances, celebrations and film screenings were held here. After the Second World War, the Folk House was renovated and some parts of its interior were rebuilt, including the addition of a mezzanine floor. Over the following decades, the building was used as a cinema, a catering establishment and a registry office. Between 2013 and 2015, a major renovation was carried out, which restored many of the building’s original modernist features, including the white colour of the façade. In 2016, the building was awarded the title of winner of the Zabytek Zadbany competition in the category of architecture and wooden structures.
Architecture and spatial arrangement
The Folk House is located on Piłsudskiego Street, between two churches, surrounded by greenery. It is set with its ridge to the street, with the main façade facing east. The building has the form of a two-storey body, with lower annexes adjoining. A characteristic element is a high, glazed staircase protruding from the face of the façade. The entire building is covered by a multi-pitch roof, and at the back of the building there is a summer stage in the form of a covered shelter. The building was erected in a type of timber-frame construction known as catfish-patch and planked with horizontally arranged boards. The front elevation was designed in the spirit of modernism, and the interior layout was subordinated to the performance function. The focal point remains the auditorium with a stage, surrounded by additional utility rooms.
The Folk House in Supraśl today
The building can be admired from the outside all year round, while the interiors are open to visitors during cultural events and events. The Folk House in Suprasl today is an example of masterfully restored wooden architecture and an important element of the town’s identity and history, unique in the country.
Source: zabytek.pl
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