The Wrocław Contemporary Museum is hosting an exhibition on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the DOLMED building. This ultra-modern and fully computerised diagnostic testing centre was a technical and visual sensation of its time. The exhibition “Futurum of the past – 45th anniversary of DOLMED” presents a rich collection of photographs, commemorative books and chronicles, as well as archive film footage.
DOLMED – the Lower Silesian Medical Diagnostic Centre was opened in June 1977. The opening ceremony was attended by the then First Secretary of the Polish United Workers’ Party, Edward Gierek.
The implementation of the idea of an ultra-modern diagnostic testing centre was undertaken by a married couple of Wroclaw architects – Anna and Jerzy Tarnawski. They had considerable experience in designing buildings dedicated to combining rational functionalism with the sciences.
The Tarnawskis framed the futurological and functional architectural design in the shape of an inverted pyramid, which seemed to be stuck into the ground. The technological equipment of the facility was balanced by spacious interiors for rest and relaxation, comfortable sofas and relaxation zones. The surroundings of the facility included a rectangular water reservoir with a pair of swan sculptures, comfortable car parks and green zones.
DOLMED remains one of the first facilities of its kind in Central and Eastern Europe. It was a technical and visual sensation that generated great interest. The building’s scenographic potential and its ability to be transported into the future were used in the films “Pilot Pirx’s Test” (1978) and “Mr Kleks’ Academy” (1983).
“In the 1970s, visiting this facility must have been an extraordinary, almost cosmic experience, especially for patients from smaller towns. The uniqueness and spectacularity of DOLMED is evidenced by the numerous entries in the souvenir album by notables and other people coming from all over the world to visit this very place”, inform the organisers of the exhibition.
Arkadiusz Słomczyński