In the article, I present the content and the context of the foundation story of Wroclaw – created after 1945 in one of the largest and most destroyed cities which joined Poland after World War II (Polish Western and Northern Territories). The analyzed empirical material consists of personal documents – statements of Wroclaw residents written and submitted in 1966 for the competition entitled: “What does the city of Wrocław mean to you”. The most important element of this story about the creation of the city is the figure of a pioneer, shaped in the image of a mythical hero. The features of pioneers (such as courage, uncompromising love for the city and openness to others) have become an important narrative co-creating the discourse about the city in the narratives of subsequent generations of Wroclaw residents.
The main topic of the paper is housing, understood as social and cultural creation. We can observe the most important social processes of an individual there: individualization, consumption and identity creation. The article mainly discusses the threads of past and memory in the private space. Research was based on the analysis of two lifestyle magazines dedicated to interiors arrangements. The analysis mainly focuses on the problem which the author describes as “aesthetic apartment” − middle class’ representatives private space created with reflexivity, awareness and attentiveness.
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