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Kaplica polska w Zuchwil, arch. Jan Lewiński [Marek Leykam], 1941-1942, photo Andrzej Pieńkos
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Photo montrant Polish Chapel designed by Marek Leykam in Zuchwil
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ID: POL-001449-P

Polish Chapel designed by Marek Leykam in Zuchwil

Zuchwil | Switzerland
gsw. Zuchwiu, Zuchu
ID: POL-001449-P

Polish Chapel designed by Marek Leykam in Zuchwil

Zuchwil | Switzerland
gsw. Zuchwiu, Zuchu
Variants of the name:
Polenkapelle

In October 1941, Polish soldiers interned in Switzerland in 1940, as well as representatives of the émigré authorities in the West, gathered during a ceremony at the Tadeusz Kościuszko monument in Zuchwil near Solura, and decided to renovate the former cemetery chapel there, dating from the 16th century (it lost its original function when the church cemetery was liquidated in the 19th century). It was decided to dedicate it to the memory of fallen Polish soldiers. After an inventory had been made of the old building, the regulations for a competition for the design of the reconstruction and interior decoration of the "DSP memorial chapel in Solura" (with an entry deadline of 1 December) were published at the internment camp in Elgg near Winterthur as early as 24 October 1941. The competition was "open to all Polish soldiers interned in Switzerland" and also included the need to resolve the issue of interior lighting, the design of a new entrance, as well as the building's surroundings. On 9 December, the jury (which included architects from the Zurich Polytechnic) selected a design by the Warsaw architect Jan Lewiński (known before and after the war as Marek Leykam), also interned as a second lieutenant in the Second Division of Foot Rifles.

The reconstruction, with the approval of the Polish-Swiss building committee and the municipality of Zuchwil, was carried out in 1942 with funds raised by the Pro Polonia Committee, with the strength of Polish soldiers (the structural work on the roof was carried out by the Conti company from Solura). Part of the funds were also provided by the Papal Nuncio in Switzerland. As stated in the justification for the jury's decision:

. "the simplicity of the design is in favour of the project, as it is to be expected that the financial resources for the realisation of the reconstruction as a whole will be modest. The interior of the chapel forms a unified, compact whole through the appropriate use of materials. The issue of lighting has been carefully worked out by the author. The main emphasis has been placed on the altar niche, while in the front part of the side wall, a high window is provided on the right side".

The simplicity and archaisation of the body and interior of the chapel are also perhaps related to Lewinsky's studies of the architecture and art of the first centuries of Christianity, which he was then conducting in Zurich (on which he subsequently defended his doctorate there). The chapel's surroundings changed with the removal of the cemetery and the construction of the new St. Martin church (1950-1956).

In 2013, the facade of the chapel was extensively renovated on the initiative and with the financial support of the T. Kosciuszko Society (Kosciuszko-Gesellschaft) in Solura.

The area between the chapel, the Kosciuszko monument and the St-Martin church was also revitalised.

The chairwoman of the 1942 Pro Polonia Committee, Adele Tatarinoff-Eggenschwiler, dedicated a poem in German to the construction of the chapel in 1961.

Related persons:
Time of origin:
1941-1942
Creator:
Marek Leykam(aperçu)
Bibliography:
  • Jerzy Rucki, „Szwajcarskie wędrówki, śladami polskich żołnierzy internowanych w Szwajcarii”, Warszawa 2000, s. 88-90, 93.
  • J. Zieliński, Nasza Szwajcaria, Warszawa 1999, s. 131-132.
  • S. Piekarski, Polskie muzy w krajobrazie Szwajcarii, t. I, Warszawa 2002, s. 54-58, 257.
  • „Polskie ślady w Solurze i Zuchwilu / Polnische Spuren in Solothurn und Zuchwil”, red. P. Zielony, T. Ackermann, R. Pawłowski, Warszawa–Solothurn 2022.
  • „Die Polenanlage in Zuchwil”, broszura „Pfarrei-Info” Zuchwil, 13 I.
Keywords:
Author:
prof. Andrzej Pieńkos
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