SPATIAL LAYOUT AND ARCHITECTURE OF INTER-WAR VILLAS OF THE FORMER POGORZEL MANOR, NOW PART OF THE TOWN OF OTWOCK
 
ANNA DYMEK, Ewa POPŁAWSKA-BUKAŁO
 
The historical parcel map of the forest lots in the manor of Pogorzel, which was incorporated into the boundaries of the town of Otwock in 1932, serves as the basis for the presentation of the research results into architectural designs of the villas located in this area in the years 1934-39. The analyses of the archival materials assembled in the Otwock Division of the City of Warsaw Archives Office, the Central Archives of Modern Records of Warsaw, and the Land and Mortgage Register Department of the Regional Court of Otwock, have allowed defining the boundaries of the old parcel plan and recognizing all historic buildings currently located on the premises of the former manor of Pogorzel. Some of the buildings were designed by renowned Warsaw architects: Lucjan Korngold, Wacław Weker, Ludwik Krakowski, as well as by popular architect Kazimierz Prokulski of Radom. The houses’ peripheral location and the fact that so far their value has not been recognized in architectural, historical and landscaping terms, have led to substantial transformations, and therefore degradation, and in the more drastic cases, to complete dismantling of the buildings. The “Arcy” villa designed by Lucjan Korngold for Mr. Szymon Rykwert and Mrs. Elżbieta Rykwert has been presented as an example of integrity of composition between the architecture and the garden surrounding it. The facility’s astonishing features include unique architecture (sadly, ineptly transformed), design of the interior, and shares the characteristics of Korngold and other architects’ work.
The article draws upon previous research inspired by Prof. Jadwiga Roguska and includes reminiscences of Prof. Rykwert about his family’s villa “Arcy”.
 
Keywords: Otwock, manor of Pogorzel, Architecture of the 1930s