Sławojki, or how the prime minister taught hygiene and built toilets

In cities, decorative potties were the pinnacle of luxury. In the villages, no one even bothered with a bucket, and the needs were met in front of the cottage, wherever they fell. As a practicing physician, Składkowski realized what insufficient hygiene leads to and how many diseases that have become a real scourge in society could be avoided if only order had been made – literally – with the ubiquitous dirt and stench coming from “natural sewage systems”. “. So he started a large-scale action of building wooden toilets, which he later personally… controlled.

1. The popularizer of the construction of toilets in Poland was Felicjan Sławoj Składkowski, from whose name they were colloquially called “outhouses”
2. Sławojki were to help raise the level of hygiene, especially in rural areas
3. For the owners of farms, the biggest challenge was not to build, but to keep the toilet clean. After all, the outhouse was often not used at all, so that in the event of an inspection, you would not have to explain the poor sanitary condition of the outhouse.
4. After many years, Składkowski himself recalled a funny situation in which he participated during an inspection in one of the Polish villages in the Ciechanów poviat. When he asked why the privy was closed, he heard: «Children at school have been knocked over their heads and they do not want to go behind the barn anymore, or… in the privy. And that must be purely for the commissioner. This is how I killed with a nail and I have peace “
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Impure force

Felicjan Sławoj Składkowski was the object of mockery and jokes for his countrymen living at that time. The sheds, the construction of which he not only recommended, but also ordered by ordinance, even received a special name for part of their popularizer: outhouses. The more mischievous changed the consonant “ł” to “r”, not taking seriously either the order or the problem it was supposed to solve. Paragraphs – yes – were made, because the fulfillment of the obligation was meticulously checked, but their use and maintenance left much to be desired.

Meanwhile, the three-time minister of internal affairs and the future Prime Minister of the Second Polish Republic knew exactly what he was doing. As a practicing physician, he realized what poor hygiene leads to and how many diseases that have become a real scourge in society could be avoided if only order was taken – literally – with the ubiquitous dirt and stench coming from “natural sewage”. The sight of excrement flowing down the gutter or piles of rubbish lying in front of the village huts were the order of the day. It was not without reason that at the beginning of the XNUMXth century representatives of high society avoided walking through the city like fire – they had neither solid footwear nor… nerves for such trips.

Toilets, as we understand the word today, were still a rarity in contemporary Poland. Although in many houses (mainly city houses) you could come across a bathroom, but it was not used to meet physiological needs. For the more conscious, the toilets were located in rooms – sometimes in the bedroom, sometimes in the living room, but mostly its function was performed by various kitchen utensils and appliances. The pinnacle of luxury were the potties, placed in various places – often more for aesthetic value, because they were made of silver or porcelain and fancifully decorated than for pragmatic reasons. In the villages, no one even bothered with a bucket, and the needs were met in front of the cottage, wherever they fell.

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«Peter the Great on the toilet scale»

So Składkowski had his hands full. Initial attempts to educate the public – mainly peasants – in the form of recommendations did not bring the expected results. Already two years after accepting the portfolio of the minister of internal affairs, in 1928, he managed to convince the government to issue a legal act regulating sanitary issues.

In the “Ordinance of the President of the Republic of Poland of February 16, 1928 on construction law and housing development” we read that a separate paragraph, available to each resident, should be located on each plot, both in sewage and non-sewage areas. The conditions for such a place were specified in detail. And so “toilet pits should have impermeable walls and bottom and be properly ventilated”, they are to be “tightly covered, leaving an appropriate opening for cleaning, provided with a double airtight closure”, “be arranged separately and insulated from the walls of the building”, additionally “distance the toilet pit from the well should be at least 10 meters, and from the neighbor’s borders – at least 2 meters ”.

In addition, “each toilet should be adequately illuminated by a window in the external wall and provided with an appropriate ventilation device extending above the roof”. The exceptions were places where it is possible to flush waste with water, although it was the privilege of a few, because the water supply network was still under construction, mainly in larger cities. An absolute ban on discharging sewage into streets, roads and ditches along their lines was introduced.

Składkowski’s stubbornness in establishing and enforcing the new law was impressive. The minister personally traveled around the country and checked whether his compatriots were complying with the new rules, not missing the opportunity to give lectures on hygiene. Creating at that time the writer and columnist Stanisław Cat-Mackiewicz, who openly mocked the “sewer” tendencies of the future prime minister, even called him “Peter the Great on the toilet scale” for this reason …

The paragraph is closed

The change was felt by everyone. The owners of tenement houses and town houses had it easier – here the toilets – in better or worse condition – existed, it was enough to secure them and clean them up a bit, so that officials did not have any major reservations during the inspection. In the villages, everything had to be built from scratch. Wooden booths began to grow at the recommended distance from the buildings, but they were built according to their own imagination (the regulation detailing the technical conditions of the sections did not come into force until the end of the 50s). The most characteristic element of the outhouse was the cutout (usually in the shape of a heart) on the door, providing ventilation and letting in light. Inside there was a horizontal plank with a hole under which dirt fell into the dug hole. Next to it – the obligatory hook on which hung the torn paper, obtained from e.g. from newspapers and magazines.

The hosts were not bothered by the very existence of an outhouse. But the need to keep it clean – yes. In the end, the outhouse was often not used at all, so that in the event of an inspection – to which the officials, on the orders of Składkowski, were especially diligent – there was no need to explain the poor sanitary condition of the outhouse.

Years later, the paragraph promoter himself recalled a funny situation in which he participated during an inspection in one of the Polish villages in the Ciechanów poviat. When asked to present a secluded place of his work, he picked up a hammer and chisel to unlock a nailed door. When he was dismayed, Składkowski asked why the privy was closed, he replied: “Children at school have been knocked over their heads and they don’t want to go behind the barn anymore, or… in the privy. And that must be purely for the commissioner. This is how I killed with a nail and I am at peace ”.

The ingenuity of the owners of Sławojek reached much further. Apparently, some of the hosts found in the toilets an ideal place to… smoke meat or cool prepared meals.

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Dangerous convenience

Although numerous anecdotes and jokes circulated in taverns, marketplaces, fields and rooms, the popularizer of the passages had sufficient distance to himself not to be discouraged, or even on the contrary – to motivate him to work even harder on raising the awareness of the importance of hygiene for health and the common good. The extent of this need was best demonstrated by the results of the inspections carried out. They showed that – yes – the toilets on the plots were built, even used in some places, but the mountain of rubbish, which so far grew in front of the house, still grows – right below it.

Most of the Sławojki (back in the 60s it was as much as 70%) were equipped with a barrel system – all faeces went to a barrel placed at the bottom of the toilet, usually a leaky one. It was easy to imagine how quickly the impurities got into the soil and from there into the wells from which water was taken. Explosions resulting from the action of gases on decay processes were equally dangerous. It was necessary to regulate the construction of toilets and waste disposal.

The preparation of the relevant legal act was undertaken in the second half of the 50s (Felicjan Sławoj Składkowski was already in exile in Great Britain at that time). Pursuant to the Regulation of the Minister of Municipal Economy of 9 December 1959, in non-sewage systems, “chutes should be made in sewage pits, tight and suitable for pumping and removing faeces”. The distance from the outhouse to the well (at least 15 m), buildings (10 m) and the road (7,5 m) was monitored. Daily washing with water and disinfectants was recommended. The windows were to be fitted with nets to prevent insects from getting inside. Emptying the outhouse – at least two, preferably three times a year. A formula was even developed on the basis of which the capacity of the toilet pit was calculated; it took into account, inter alia, the number of residents using the outhouse and how much dirt they left behind (given in m³).

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Homework

Although the obligation to build and maintain sheds was not met with great enthusiasm, Składkowski achieved his goal. The XNUMXth century is a time of intensive development of the sewage and water supply network. Toilets have also gained popularity. Placed right next to the bathrooms with fashionable bathtubs, they were evidence of progress and leading a healthy, hygienic lifestyle.

However, in order not to become overly optimistic, it must be mentioned that there is still a lot to be done in this matter. The “Prime Minister from Sławojek” boasted that the first action of building toilets ended (in 1927) with a success: 80 percent were equipped with sanitary facilities. houses in cities and 60% in villages. Sanitary facilities, not sewerage, because only 12,9% had access to it. municipal residential buildings (as of 1931); data for urban areas in the statistical yearbook are not even reported.

One would expect the situation to be much better almost 100 years later. Meanwhile, according to the latest data from the Central Statistical Office, over 27,3 million people in Poland currently use the sewage network. This is just over 70 percent. inhabitants of the whole country. This means that every third Pole still does not have permanent access to the sewage system. Moreover, nearly a million flats in the country do not have a toilet at all. Shocking? Not for those who choose to travel to rural areas clearly remote from cities, where the famous toilets have not only survived, but still fulfill their role, being the only places to meet the physiological needs of their inhabitants.