The Karkonosze House at the Lower Silesian Crafts and Industry Exhibition in 1905. The Search for a Regional Form of Architecture around 1900

Abstract

The development of tourism in the Karkonosze Mountains in the last quarter of the nineteenth century caused that the mountain villages turned into fashionable holiday resorts. The need to provide accommodation for more and more summer holidaymakers resulted in increased construction activity. Most of the new buildings did not fit into the natural and cultural landscape of the mountains, which caused increasing discontent among enthusiasts and experts of the Karkonosze Mountains. Attempts to solve this unfavourable situation were made by Jelenia Góra craftsmen, who proposed to create a model Karkonosze House, which as a cheap and aesthetic solution could be replicated by middle-aged townsmen willing to establish their own summer resort in the mountains. Designed by the Jelenia Góra company, the Albert Brothers, the house was presented at the Lower Silesian Exhibition of Crafts and Industry in Zgorzelec (Görlitz) in 1905 and gained great recognition.