Four Domes Pavilion is a

pavilion In architecture, ''pavilion'' has several meanings; * It may be a subsidiary building that is either positioned separately or as an attachment to a main building. Often it is associated with pleasure. In palaces and traditional mansions of Asia ...

built at the beginning of the 20th century on the exhibition grounds in the eastern part of

Wrocław Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...

History

The Centennial Exhibition

The director of the Silesian Museum of Applied Arts and Antiquities, Karl Masner, proposed to the Wrocław City Council the organization of the Centennial Exhibition. It was planned to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Prussia's victory in the

Battle of Leipzig The Battle of Leipzig, also known as the Battle of the Nations, was fought from 16 to 19 October 1813 at Leipzig, Saxony. The Coalition armies of Austria, Prussia, Sweden, and Russia, led by Tsar Alexander I, Karl von Schwarzenberg, and G ...

(1813) and was part of celebrations marking the rise of the Prussian state in Europe. The Four Domes Pavilion, where Masner planned to organize the historical exhibition, was located near the

Centennial Hall Centennial Hall (, ) may refer to: in Canada * Centennial Hall (London, Ontario), London, Ontario, Canada * Centennial Concert Hall, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada * Saskatoon Centennial Auditorium, former name of TCU Place in Germany * , 1902 * Ce ...

along with other accompanying structures (including the

Pergola A pergola is most commonly used as an outdoor garden feature forming a shaded walkway, passageway, or sitting area of vertical posts or pillars that usually support crossbeams and a sturdy open lattice, often upon which woody vines are t ...

and

Japanese Garden are traditional gardens whose designs are accompanied by Japanese aesthetics and philosophical ideas, avoid artificial ornamentation, and highlight the natural landscape. Plants and worn, aged materials are generally used by Japanese garden desig ...

). The construction was carried out by the Schlesische Beton Baugesellschaft company, according to the design of

Hans Poelzig Hans Poelzig (30 April 1869 – 14 June 1936) was a German architect, painter and set designer. Life Poelzig was born in Berlin in 1869 to Countess Clara Henrietta Maria Poelzig while she was married to George Acland Ames, an Englishman. Uncert ...

, between August 1912 and February 1913. In the pavilion's inner courtyard, there was a

fountain A fountain, from the Latin "fons" ( genitive "fontis"), meaning source or spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. Fountains were o ...

with a sculpture by Wrocław sculptor Professor Robert Bednorz, representing the Greek goddess

Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretism, syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarde ...

(it has not survived to this day). From May 20 to October 26 the pavilion hosted a historical exhibition. In 56 rooms, the history of wars, battles, including the victorious one at Leipzig, and important figures was presented. The largest

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

, the North Dome, featured a section dedicated to the history of Wrocław during the Napoleonic Wars, including an original proclamation by Frederick William III from 1813, ''An Mein Volk'' (To My People), calling for a fight against Napoleon...Banaś B
Pawilon Czterech Kopuł – zapomniana perła modernistycznej architektury Wrocławia
Spotkanie z Zabytkami 2016 nr 5-6 s. 26–33

Interwar period

In 1920 the pavilion hosted the "Great Art Exhibition," featuring works by contemporary artists such as

Paul Klee Paul Klee (; 18 December 1879 – 29 June 1940) was a Swiss-born German artist. His highly individual style was influenced by movements in art that included expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. Klee was a natural draftsman who experimented wi ...

Karl Schmidt-Rottluff Karl Schmidt-Rottluff (Karl Schmidt until 1905; 1 December 1884 – 10 August 1976) was a German expressionist painter and printmaker; he was one of the four founders of the artist group Die Brücke. Life and work Schmidt-Rottluff was born in R ...

, and Oskar Moll. In 1929 the exhibition "Housing and Workplaces" was held, showcasing urban planning principles.

Post-World War II Period

The pavilion was not destroyed during the

war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

Reclaimed Lands Exhibition

From July 21 to October 31 1948, the pavilion hosted a historical exhibition as part of the ''Exhibition of Reclaimed Lands''. The rooms were named: Victory Hall, Destruction Hall, Unity of Silesia Hall, and Coal Hall. A 106-meter-high spire was erected in front of the pavilion. The exhibition was visited by 1 million people.

Planetarium

In May 1951, thanks to engineer Konsanty Czetyrbok, president of the Wrocław branch of the Polish Society of Astronomical Enthusiasts, and employees of the Wrocław Observatory, a Zeiss planetarium was assembled from parts found at the observatory. It was installed in one of the domes of the pavilion in May 1951 and opened to the public. In 1953, it was moved to one of the rotundas of the Centennial Hall. In 1953 the pavilion became the location for the Wrocław Feature Film Studio, which used its rooms as a film studio.

National Museum

In 2009 the pavilion was taken over by the

National Museum in Wrocław The National Museum in Wrocław (), established 28 March 1947 and officially inaugurated on 11 July 1948, is one of Poland's main branches of the National Museum of Poland, National Museum system. It holds one of the largest collections of contemp ...

. In May 2013 a major renovation was carried out to adapt the building for the museum's needs, resulting in new exhibition spaces—over six thousand square meters dedicated to

contemporary art Contemporary art is a term used to describe the art of today, generally referring to art produced from the 1970s onwards. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a ...

exhibitions. An outdoor sculpture gallery was also created in the surrounding park. The renovation was completed in June 2015. Since June 25, 2016, the Four Domes Pavilion has been home to the Museum of Contemporary Art, a branch of the National Museum in Wrocław. The museum's collection includes works by artists such as

Magdalena Abakanowicz Magdalena Abakanowicz (; 20 June 1930 – 20 April 2017) was a Polish sculpture, sculptor and fiber artist. Known for her use of textiles as a sculptural medium and for outdoor installations, Abakanowicz has been considered among the most influen ...

Paweł Althamer Paweł Althamer (born 12 May 1967, Warsaw) is a Polish contemporary sculptor, performer, collaborative artist and creator of installations, and video art. Life and work In the years 1988-1993, he studied sculpture at the Warsaw Academy of Fine ...

Mirosław Bałka Miroslaw Balka (born 16 December 1958) is a Polish contemporary sculptor and video artist. Life and career Miroslaw Balka is a sculptor also active in the field of experimental video and drawing, born in Warsaw, Poland. In 1985 he graduated fr ...

, Stanisław Fijałkowski,

Władysław Hasior Władysław Hasior (; 14 May 1928 – 14 July 1999) was a Polish sculptor, painter and theatre set designer. He was one of the leading Polish contemporary sculptors connected with the Podhale region. Biography Władysław Hasior was born in Now ...

Tadeusz Kantor Tadeusz Kantor (6 April 1915 – 8 December 1990) was a Polish painter, assemblage and Happenings artist, set designer and theatre director. Kantor is renowned for his revolutionary theatrical performances in Poland and abroad. Laureate of ...

Katarzyna Kozyra Katarzyna Kozyra (born 1963) is a Polish video artist. She studied German studies at the Warsaw University, University of Warsaw (1985–1988). In 1993, she also graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw where she studied sculpture and Hoc ...

, Jan Lebenstein,

Jerzy Nowosielski Jerzy Nowosielski (Polish: ; born 7 January 1923 – died 21 February 2011) was a Polish painter, graphic artist, scenographer, illustrator and Eastern Orthodox theologian. He is regarded among the greatest contemporary Polish icon painters ...

, and

Alina Szapocznikow Alina Szapocznikow (; May 16, 1926 – March 2, 1973) was a Polish artist and Holocaust survivor. Recognized as one of the most important Polish sculptors of the post-war era, Szapocznikow utilized diverse and experimental mediums to investigate an ...

UNESCO World Heritage List

Since 2006 the pavilion has been included on the

UNESCO World Heritage List World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...

. It was listed along with the neighboring Centennial Hall.

Architecture

The Four Domes Pavilion is a single-story building, without a basement. It has a reinforced concrete structure. Four wings surround the inner courtyard. Four domes are located in the central part of each wing. The eastern and western domes are circular, while the southern and northern domes are elliptical

References

External links

Official website
{{Wrocław, state=shown Buildings and structures in Wrocław Buildings and structures completed in 1913 World Heritage Sites in Poland Museums in Wrocław