Swidermajer
Encyclopedia
Świdermajer is a distinct Polish
architectural style developed in late 19th and early 20th century in Masovia along the railroad linking Warsaw
with Otwock
. The style was applied almost exclusively to wooden villas of the middle classes. Developed by Michał Elwiro Andriolli, the style combined traditional elements of local wooden architecture with the Swiss style popular after the world fair in Vienna
of 1873 (wide roofs), Russian traditional houses of the common people (wooden porches with windows) and some elements of the decorative art from the Podhale
region.
The name Świdermajer was a play on the words "Biedermeier
" and "Świder
", the latter being the name of both a river along which a number of villas were built and a village between Warsaw and Otwock considered the 'Świdermajer capital'. As local neologism, the word was popularized by Konstanty Ildefons Gałczyński in an epigram
called "Wycieczka do Świdra".
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...
architectural style developed in late 19th and early 20th century in Masovia along the railroad linking Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
with Otwock
Otwock
Otwock is a town in central Poland, some southeast of Warsaw, with 42,765 inhabitants . It is situated on the right bank of Vistula River below the mouth of Swider River. Otwock is home to a unique architectural style called Swidermajer....
. The style was applied almost exclusively to wooden villas of the middle classes. Developed by Michał Elwiro Andriolli, the style combined traditional elements of local wooden architecture with the Swiss style popular after the world fair in Vienna
Weltausstellung 1873 Wien
]The Weltausstellung 1873 Wien was the large World exposition was held in 1873 in the Austria–Hungarian capital of Vienna. Its motto was Kultur und Erziehung ....
of 1873 (wide roofs), Russian traditional houses of the common people (wooden porches with windows) and some elements of the decorative art from the Podhale
Podhale
The Podhale is Poland's most southern region, sometimes referred to as the "Polish highlands". The Podhale is located in the foothills of the Tatra range of the Carpathian mountains, and is characterized by a rich tradition of folklore that is much romanticized in the Polish patriotic imagination...
region.
The name Świdermajer was a play on the words "Biedermeier
Biedermeier
In Central Europe, the Biedermeier era refers to the middle-class sensibilities of the historical period between 1815, the year of the Congress of Vienna at the end of the Napoleonic Wars, and 1848, the year of the European revolutions...
" and "Świder
Świder
Świder is a river in Masovia, Poland. It is a tributary to the Vistula....
", the latter being the name of both a river along which a number of villas were built and a village between Warsaw and Otwock considered the 'Świdermajer capital'. As local neologism, the word was popularized by Konstanty Ildefons Gałczyński in an epigram
Epigram
An epigram is a brief, interesting, usually memorable and sometimes surprising statement. Derived from the epigramma "inscription" from ἐπιγράφειν epigraphein "to write on inscribe", this literary device has been employed for over two millennia....
called "Wycieczka do Świdra".