The scale, form, location and names of the Gierek-era hotels were used to craft a cosmopolitan image, however their economic potential was just as important—considered “hens that lay golden eggs”, the hotels were a means for accumulating foreign currency reserves. Hotel architecture became an area of cooperation—unprecedented in People’s Poland—between Polish and international companies and designers. New buildings were constructed in the late modernist and sometimes brutalist style.

The architectural themes presented in the exhibition are complemented by the political, social, and cultural contexts. The glitz and glamour of the metropolitan “imported hotels” attracted not only the celebrities and stars of the time, but also underworld figures. For the communist authorities, the hotels became an invaluable source of information on the residing guests.

The accompanying catalogue focuses on hotel architecture of the last two decades of the People’s Republic of Poland, both in a general overview and with regard to local phenomena (Wrocław, Kraków, Łódź). It also presents the contemporary socio-political, economic and cultural themes, such as gastronomy and interior design. The hotels constituted an important contribution to the architectural heritage of Polish late modernism and brutalism, but first and foremost—tempted guests with their splendour.

HOTEL TWOICH SNÓW. Architektura hotelowa wielkomiejskiej Polski doby Edwarda Gierka / HOTEL OF YOUR DREAMS. Hotel Architecture of Polish Cities During the Edward Gierek Era

Edited by: Artur Tanikowski
Translation: Marcin Wawrzyńczak
Graphic design: Marcin Władyka / studio headmade
Publisher: National Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning, Warsaw 2025
ISBN: 978-83-972374-1-4
Price: PLN 80