[Curiosities] The curious story of the Polish people who live in a straight line

[Mr.Hacker]

 

 

It has been a long time since the nomadic men decided to settle in fixed places on the planet, changing its geography. Despite this, there is something that has not changed yet: the settlements must be understood, in part, according to the needs of each town and their social and historical contexts. And something else, in the little space that still remains unconquered in this world, you have to manage to be able to live, although the Earth itself and its inclemencies sometimes make it difficult for us. A fairly clear example of these social and historical needs, which produce curious results to say the least, is the Ciudad Lineal devised by Arturo Soria. At the end of the 19th century, the architect conceived a true linear city that could travel across Europe (or even the world) and would be a link between specific cities, going as far as Saint Petersburg or Beijing. For Soria, the shortage of housing for workers, the lack of hygiene in them and the price of land were the main problems in Madrid during the 19th century.

Contrary as it was to orthogonal planning, he proposed this linear city where a main street that could have no limit depending on the needs, served as a communication axis, with parallel streets where the houses, single-family and with gardens, were linked in a American style. Consequently, his proposal tried to correct the overcrowding problem of the Spanish working class, in accordance with the hygienist principles of the time. In addition, he was inspired by the ideas of some utopian socialists like Owen or Cabet, or urbanists like Olmsted and Herbert Spencer.

It has about 6,000 inhabitants and extends along two impressive farmlands which, as we pointed out at the beginning with the settlements and needs, are what have marked the structure of the town. Throughout the nine kilometers that the town lasts, there are houses, hospitals, schools and even an impressive castle (Pieskowa Skala), built in the first half of the 14th century by Casimir III the Great. So we can say that this concept of a 'linear city', without having anything to do with hygienist measures, was already thought of long before, at least in Poland.


 

https://www.elconfidencial.com/alma-corazon-vida/2023-04-07/curiosa-historia-pueblo-polaco-vive-linea-recta_3606036/