Stanisław Jankowski, MDM Marszałkowska 1730-1954 (1955)

A propagandist, social realist story of rebuilding the centre of Warsaw after the destruction wrought by the Second World War. The album focuses, in particular, on a project which was pivotal to the communist authorities, the construction of the working-class Marszałkowska Dzielnica Mieszkaniowa (Marszałkowska Residential District; MDM). Jankowski’s compilation is preceded by a historical outline which makes it easier to perceive the scale of the changes to the fabric of the city which the communists were proposing. The documentation of the wartime ravages, the preparations for the reconstruction and the work in progress on the MDM constitute a fundamental part of this monumental album. In addition to the urban landscapes and architecture, a considerable number of the photos depict the life of the workers and the daily doings of Varsovians returning to their city.