Drapacz Chmur
Encyclopedia
Drapacz Chmur is a historical building in Katowice
, Silesia
, Poland
. It was the first skyscraper built in post-World War I
Poland. Finished in 1934 after five years of construction, it made pioneering Polish
use of steel frame
construction. Today, Drapacz Chmur is considered the most spectacular and beautiful example of functionalism
in Poland.
The building has seventeen stories, fourteen above the ground, and contained one of the first garbage chutes in Poland. It is 60 m tall and until 1955, it was the highest building in the country. It was designed by architect Tadeusz Kozłowski and structural engineer Stefan Bryła to house Polish Revenue Office employees. The flats are spacious and luxurious. Gustaw Holoubek
and Kazimierz Kutz
were among the building's notable residents after World War II
.
Drapacz Chmur is located at 15 Żwirki i Wigury Street.
Katowice
Katowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Kłodnica and Rawa rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about north of the Silesian Beskids and about southeast of the Sudetes Mountains.It is the central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolis, with a population of 2...
, Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. It was the first skyscraper built in post-World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
Poland. Finished in 1934 after five years of construction, it made pioneering Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
use of steel frame
Steel frame
Steel frame usually refers to a building technique with a "skeleton frame" of vertical steel columns and horizontal -beams, constructed in a rectangular grid to support the floors, roof and walls of a building which are all attached to the frame...
construction. Today, Drapacz Chmur is considered the most spectacular and beautiful example of functionalism
Functionalism (architecture)
Functionalism, in architecture, is the principle that architects should design a building based on the purpose of that building. This statement is less self-evident than it first appears, and is a matter of confusion and controversy within the profession, particularly in regard to modern...
in Poland.
The building has seventeen stories, fourteen above the ground, and contained one of the first garbage chutes in Poland. It is 60 m tall and until 1955, it was the highest building in the country. It was designed by architect Tadeusz Kozłowski and structural engineer Stefan Bryła to house Polish Revenue Office employees. The flats are spacious and luxurious. Gustaw Holoubek
Gustaw Holoubek
Gustaw Holoubek was a Polish actor, director, member of the Polish Sejm, and a senator.Holoubek participated in the September Campaign and was a prisoner of war during the Nazi German Occupation of Poland...
and Kazimierz Kutz
Kazimierz Kutz
Kazimierz Julian Kutz is a Polish film director, author, journalist and politician, one of the representatives of the Polish Film School and a deputy speaker of the Senate of Poland.- Biography :...
were among the building's notable residents after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Drapacz Chmur is located at 15 Żwirki i Wigury Street.