Secesja

Secesja, known in Polish as Secesja, designates the Polish interpretation of Art Nouveau, a European movement in architecture, painting and decorative arts that emerged in the late 19th century and flourished into the 1910s. It grew from a desire to break with historicism and academic historic styles, aiming to unify art and craft in an integrated modern language for the urban world. In Poland the style appeared in the 1890s and overlapped with the artistic and literary milieu of Young Poland (Młoda Polska). Centers included Kraków, Lwów (now Lviv, Ukraine), Warsaw and Łódź, where artists and architects blended national motifs with contemporary design.

Leading Polish Secessionists were Stanisław Wyspiański (painter, graphic designer, architect) and Józef Mehoffer (painter and decorator), whose work spanned paintings, stained glass, interiors and stage design. The movement involved architects and craftspeople who produced buildings, interiors and furniture characterized by flowing lines, stylized floral and geometric ornament, and the integration of decorative arts with architecture. Materials such as glass, iron and ceramic reflected modern production while maintaining artisanal craft.

Secesja left a lasting mark on Polish culture by contributing to the modernization of art and architecture and by shaping the appearance of urban interiors and public buildings. Surviving examples are found in historic districts of Kraków, Warsaw, Łódź and in Lwów/Lviv, bearing witness to Poland’s late-19th-century encounter with European modernism. The term is often equated with Art Nouveau; in Poland it overlapped with the broader Młoda Polska movement as the country developed its own modern national style.