Models of morphological transformations of centres of the largest Polish cities after World War II

This paper examines the topic of changes in central parts of large cities in Poland that have occurred in the post-war period, which can be divided into two stages with different factors shaping urban space. The rebuilding of cities in Poland following destruction brought by WWII was one of the elements of building the socialist city. This process was frequently planned, often steered, unlike the dynamic processes initiated along with the political and socio-economic transformation of the 1990s, which took place already under market economy conditions. Three categories of city centres were distinguished according to the scope of rebuilding and the direction of post-war morphological changes: cities where changes were slight (Łódź, Kraków), partly reconstructed cities (Wrocław, Poznań), rebuilt and completely reconstructed cities (Gdańsk, Szczecin, Warszawa). In the post-war period, the city centres in question were characterized by diverse forms and scope of rebuilding of war damage, scale of expansion of the transport network, decline of the industrial function, development of large commercial complexes in the direct neighbourhood of the old centre, expansion of the office function and buildings and revitalization and revalorization of historical fabric.