The Rifleman's House in Grodno is one of the most interesting examples of avant-garde modernism in Polish architecture of the inter-war years.

Military Construction in Interwar Poland
. The military played a great role in the social life of the Second Polish Republic. The cult of Marshal Józef Piłsudski and his Legions meant that Polish soldiers enjoyed great respect and esteem in society, while the authorities spared no expense in military investments, treating them as a guarantee of the stability and power of the reborn country. The inter-war years saw the construction of numerous barracks complexes, military hospitals and sanatoriums, garrison churches, officers' rest homes, soldiers' homes and casinos, as well as the headquarters of paramilitary organisations, of which there was no shortage in Poland at the time. These objects, due to their rank and symbolic significance, could often boast a high class architectural form.

The Rifleman's House in Grodno - construction
. One of the most interesting examples of 1930s avant-garde modernism is the Riflemen's House at 30 Orzeszkowa Street in Grodno (the name of the street remains unchanged to this day), which was built for the local branch of the Riflemen's Association, which brought together young people of pre-college age and was linked to the camp of Marshal Józef Piłsudski. The organisation was closely linked to the army, subordinate to the Ministry of Military Affairs, and its territorial structure corresponded to the military-administrative division of the state. One of the Union's districts was therefore established in Grodno, which was the seat of the District Command of Corps No. III.

The idea to build a building appeared at the beginning of 1934. A building committee was soon formed and, in May, the state authorities allotted the committee a plot of land for construction. However, the initiative met with opposition from the city council due to the considerable cost, estimated at around 130,000 zlotys. The city was to contribute to the cost by taking out a loan of 33,000 zloty for the construction. Some councillors vetoed the idea, stating that it was too much of a burden on the city and that the money would be better spent on fighting unemployment. In the end, the majority of councillors supported the idea of building the facility, assessing the initiative as important for patriotic and training reasons.

General Edward Rydz-Śmigły as patron of the Rifleman's House in Grodno
At the beginning of August 1935, a ceremony was held for the consecration of the building under construction, performed by the Chancellor of the Field Bishop's Curia, Father Colonel Jan Mauersberger, and the foundation act was laid, giving the investment the name of General Edward Rydz-Smigly.

The ceremony was reported in detail in the weekly magazine 'Strzelec'. It was attended by the patron himself, who gave a fiery speech, saying, among other things: "The house built here is a great effort of society, which transfers the small intentions of its human forces to the great momentum wheel of history. Only when one transfers one's own forces onto the momentum wheel of history is human life worth living. As I hand over the building to the authorities of the Strzelce District, I wish it to become a forge for young characters and to gather all those who want to put their healthy body and strong spirit at the service of the state.

Rifleman's House on the Nemunas - architecture
The Rifleman's House in Grodno is under legal protection due to the high quality of its form, and a plaque on it informs that the author of the project was Mieczyslaw Szczuka. This would be a phenomenon, as the realisations of this artist are not known, and he was one of the most important names in the circle of the Polish avant-garde - fascinated by Soviet constructivism, he preached extreme utilitarianism, and understood art as productive work. He was among the initiators of the First International Exhibition of Modern Architecture in Warsaw (1926), and a year later he took part in the Exhibition of Modern Architecture in Moscow. He died tragically in the Tatra Mountains during an attempt to climb the Zamarła Turnia.

In reality, however, Szczuka had nothing to do with the design of the Grodno Rifle House - the design was made by local architect Stanislav Grochowski. However, this does not change the fact that we are dealing here with an excellent example of avant-garde architecture. It is an abstract composition of cubic volumes of various sizes, which is the result of a search for aesthetic effect in a purely plastic play of shapes and their interrelations. The building's unusually dynamic mass was formed by interpenetrating, white-plastered cuboids of various heights and proportions, clustered around the dominant feature - a tall, semi-circular tower housing a staircase. The metal balustrades of the balconies and terraces, clearly reminiscent of ship forms, completed the functionalist whole.

It is also worth quoting the words of the chairman of the building committee, Col. Maksymilian Milan-Kamski: "The house [...] with its external form and internal arrangement is a mark of Polish culture and Polish work here in the Borderlands, and is a vivid contrast to what was left to us by the partitioning governments. It will not only be an ornament of the city. Above all, it will be a forge of great civic and soldierly work, and from here the idea of the Resurrectionist and First Commander of independent Poland will radiate. It will be a centre for district courses of the Riflemen's Association, both for instructors of military training and civic preparation for social work, which in the territory of the Third District of the Riflemen's Association is so prominent in many respects. In the course of time, this house will bring together other organisations close to the Riflemen's Association, and this is why we are counting on further persistent support for its construction until its completion.

The Rifleman's House - now
The building was completed in 1936, and housed not only the Riflemen's Association, but also the Legionnaires' Association, the Polish Military Organisation, the Air and Gas Defence League and other organisations. Under the building there was also the only air-raid and anti-gas shelter in Grodno for 500 people.

After the Soviet army occupied the city, the Polish Rifleman's House became an officer's casino of the Red Army. An 800-seat auditorium was added in the mid-1960s, and the building now houses an entertainment venue.