“Świdermajer”, the Architecture of Historic Wooden Summer Villas in the Polish Landscape: A Study of Distinctive Features

Abstract

The article covers the results of the study of a historical wooden holiday architectural ensemble called Świdermajer, located on the outskirts of Warsaw in Poland. The fashion for traveling and resting within natural surroundings emerged in the 19th century, contributing to the popularization of a new model of spending free time. It had an impact on the development of a new type of architecture, including the “Swiss style”, today representing an extremely picturesque European architectural heritage integrated into the landscape. The area of Otwock is one of a very few of such places in Poland, where the entire complexes of suburban wooden holiday buildings from the late 19th and early 20th century have survived. This paper aims to show an overview of a development of the local wooden building trend on the “Otwock Line” within its historical and social background. The main goal of the study focuses on identifying the characteristic features of the architectural wooden local style. As a final outcome of the study, the article presents the method applied for the recording and assessment of historic wooden summer villas. The conducted study confirmed the distinctiveness of the phenomenon represented by cultural values and, at the same time, its strong links with the Alpine style of architecture.