Perception of the architecture of socialist realism in the adjudications of Polish administrative courts

Abstract

Stalinization in mature form was a period in the history of Poland from 1948 to 1956 characterized by the influence of Stalinism on the shaping of social and economic relations. The period of Stalinism is unequivocally associated with the functioning of the communist apparatus of repression. In culture, it manifested itself in the development of an artistic direction called socialist realism. In public life, it was a departure from the multi-party system in favor of the leading role of the communist party – the Polish United Workers’ Party. Considering the above, for the inhabitants of Poland with democratic views, the architecture of socialist realism was clearly associated with the totalitarian system and was a symbol of enslavement by the USSR. However, after many decades, in the case of some objects of the socialist realism period, their values were appreciated and they were recognized as monuments. The purpose of this article is to present the adjudications of Polish administrative courts that pertain to this issue.