Destination Poland - two cultural architecture routes
Tourist guides and tourist information services in Poland stress what visitors can find in cities. By far, most attention goes to ryneks (central city squares), historic buildings, churches, castles, parks and museums, and the eventful and often dramatic Polish history. We give another suggestion: visit the presentday new cultural architecture in Polish cities. It is Poland's new urban face.
Two trips are presented:
- North-West Poland, a roundtour Szczecin - Gdansk - Lodz - Poznan - Szczecin (1200 km.), below on this page; and
- South-East Poland, Krakow - Lublin - Katowice - Krakow (780 km), on a next page.
Two Polish cities receive many visitors: Warsaw and Krakow. Gdansk and Wroclaw are reasonably popular - their old towns can be quite crowded during weekends. But in many other main cities you find fewer visitors. For example Szczecin in the Northwest. It is 2 hours by train of car from Berlin, it is a pleasant city with a lot of green and water, but relatively few people go to Szczecin. Perhaps because Szczecin does not have a historic rynek (central square) like many other Polish cities have.
Our focus is on new Polish cultural architecture in their context; museums, theatres, and the like. Cultural buildings in the public domain, with (partial) open access. No shopping malls (with one exception; Manufaktura in Lodz), no office towers, no churches, no buildings that are visible only after passing a paywall. 'New' was arbitrarily taken as buildings that were opened 2010 onwards, new constructions and some redevelopments of existing structures, like in Lodz. ‘New’ is not a precise concept – redevelopment contains physically old elements, with added newness and repurposing.
Source mao: Central Statistical Office Poland
Poland North West: Szczecin, Gdansk, Lodz, Poznan
A week's trip to visit new cultural architecture in Northwestern Poland is very satisfying. Wizzair and Ryanair serve all main Polish cities. We picture interesting architecture, and no need for suggestions on how to travel. Architourists are generally more mature travellers who can find their own way.
Szczecin Filharmonia
The Filharmonia was opened in 2014 and with the selection of this modern building, the decision makers took a bold decision. Filharmonia is located in the city centre, with Solidarity Square (see below) in front. The Filharmonia was erected on the place where the pre-war Konzerthaus (Concert Hall) was located. Remember that Szczecin was German till 1945 and was transferred to Poland during the Potsdam Agreement (check this link)
The Filharmonia is among our favourites of Polish new architecture. The building won the prestigeous Mies van der Rohe Award for new architecture in 2015. The setting of the Filharmonia is very nice with a big square in front, and the old (renovated) Police Station as neighbour. Walking around and taking a coffee in the main hall of the building is a good start to get first impressions of the place. The main hall is mostly white. It gives a sensation of volume, of space.
Joining a guided tour is highly recommended. It is in Polish, but go anyway. The tour guides are wonderful and do some whispertranslation and answer questions. You'll find out that Filharminia is a place for people from all walks of life. In the Hague, the Netherlands, a new white town hall was opened in 1995, also a big white building. It soon got the nickname 'the Ice Palace', indicating the feelings of the Hague's citizens. In Szczecin, the white building is not a cold place at all, it is a human place. Szczecin citizens are proud of their Filharmonia. After its opening, the Filharmonia rapidly became a symbol of Szczecin's city identity.
The website of the Filharmonia has a virtual tour that gives a nice impression - a bit lighther than reality though.
Links:
https://filharmonia.szczecin.pl/,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_Q_PK-w6SA&t=2s
(click to enlarge pictures)
Szczecin - National Museum Dialogue Centre Przelomy (Dialogue Centre Upheavals) / Solidarity square
The Diagolue Centre Upheavels opened in 2016, and is located next to the Szczecin Filharmonia. It is an underground pavilion and Solidarity Square is the ‘roof’ of the centre. The Centre is a place for meetings and debates regarding controversial subjects related to the newest history of Szczecin, Pomerania, Poland and the world. Solidarity Square was built on the place where sixteen demonstrating workers were killed in the 1970s. The square has been a symbolic and natural place for various rallies and meetings, up to the present day.
The exterior of the Dialogue Centre is a series of big panels that are opened when opening hours start. Outside opening hours, it is an iron wall. The Centre has spaces for meetings and a museum-like exhibition of Szczecin's history from WWII onwards. This exhibition is undergroud and a bit dark - from an architecture point there is not much to discover. But the exhibition is impressive and shows the exile of the German inhabitants at the end of WWII, how the empty city looked like and how Polish people entered and Russian miltary controlled the city. Wikipedia gives a succinct description of the 1945-present history of Pomerania (url).
Links:
https://www.archdaily.com/805069/national-museum-in-szczecin-dialogue-centre-przelomy-kwk-promes
Szczecin - Maritime Science Centre (Morskie Centrum Nauki)
The Morskie Centrum Nauki building was completed late 2022. The building is situated along the Odra river, in an urban redevelopment zone with ample open pubic space. The Centre combines modern science with museum displays and provides scientific entertainment for all ages. Maritime, shipping, fisheries, shipbuilding are natural choices, driven by Western Pomerania's history and priorities. There will also be a planetarium. The Centre is also be involved in science and arts and development projects. The opening of the Centre was in May 2023 - in 2022 we found the doors still closed - an an update will be given later.
Link
Gdansk - European Solidarity Centre (ECS)
ECS was opened in 2014. It is a cultural institution that commemorates the development of the Solidarity movement and the fall of communism in Europe. ECS is a museum and also an educational, research and academic centre. It includes an archive, a library and multimedia library and a public meeting space. There is also a platform on top of the building with nice views of the harbour area where a lot of new development is planned.
The location of ECS is significant - ECS is on the former shipyard where the Solidarity movement started. The building and the open space are big and have a spacious lay-out meant to receive many visitors. During weekdays students pay educational visits to ECS. After passing through the gate - largely kept as it was during the communist period, the rusty steel walls of the building and the big open space are remarkable. The big hall with escalators is impressive, with hugh photos of the Solidarity movement on the walls. The interior does not really have the true look and feel of a museum - community centre, it feels like a mix of a big museum - mall - university / conference centre. The interior is interesting architecture. The public space outside is very nice.
Links
Gdansk - Museum of the Second World War
The Museum of the Second World War was opened in 2017. It is located located next to a canal in the district Wiadrownia that was destroyed during fighting in 1945, just outside the city centre. The musuem has ample public space. It has a main exhibition occupying an area of over 5,000 square meters. A tower rising 40 metres above the new public square is the main architectural feature of the building. Entry hall and exhibition spaces are underground.
Links:
Lodz - EC1 Łódź - City of Culture
Lodz has been undertaking major regeneration of its industrial heritage. Various big projects have been completed by public and private sectors. Much has been achieved, and much remains to be done. You could ask: is this modern architecture or heritage architecture? We wrote a blog on the topic.
The former Lodz Power Plant has been redeveloped into EC1, a cultural centre that encompasses a modern Planetarium (opened in 2018), the Centre for Science and Technology, the Comic and Interactive Narration Centre and the Elemental Street - interactive play space for children. In 2023, also the Łódź Film Commission and The National Centre of Film Culture open their premises in EC1. EC1 has been hosting various events in the big spaces (like the Machine Hall, 1360 sq,m.) and smaller spaces.
EC1 has a lot of open space for the public. It is located in the city centre next to the new Fabryczna railway station, with four platform under ground at minus 16 meters. It is said to be one of the most modern railway stations in Poland. The main roof is a big arched canopy made up of glass and metal panels that produce special light effects in the station. Photographers love this place.
EC1 is a architectural complex with various buildings and a open space. There is much to discover, the open space has industrial artefacts, there are fountains, etc. Remarkable is that EC1 is rather quiet when there are no open air performances. There is no café or restaurants, what could be expected in a complex of this size. The complex of architecture is very enjoyable.
Link:
Lodz - Manufaktura
Manufaktura is a huge complex of new and especially revitalised buildings of a former cotton industrial complex. It had weaving mills, a bleachery, a finishing plant, a spinning mill, own own gasworks and a fire station. During the communist period, the complex became Nationalized Cotton Products Company No. 2. It went bankrupt soon after the political and economic changes in 1990. Already in 2003, a Polish company started the first construction works at the site of the former cotton industrial complex. It developed into the biggest revitalization undertaking in Poland.
Manufaktura contains a big shopping mall (there are 300 shops in Manufaktura) a beautiful luxury hotel, a musem of modern art (MS2), leisure facilities (disco, climbing wall, cinema, etc.) and the biggest public square of the city. It is a hang-out and a tourist magnet (but Lodz does not receive big crowds). New hotels have been constructec next to Manufaktura, and this shows the prominence of the place.
As an architecture experience, Manufaktura is worth the trip. It is big and there is a lot to see. The new shopping mall is perhaps the least exciting space, just a modern shopping mall. But the Andell hotel, the MS2 musuem of modern art, the Manufaktura museum, and various buildings with shops and restaurants are very pleasing. The red colours give a warm atmosphere. The big public square gives ample space for activities and has many cafés and restaurants.
Like EC1, Manufaktura is culturally significant, in the sense that the city of Lodz decided to maintain its cultural and industrial heritage, to keep its identity rooted in the city's history. Lodz is, like Sczcecin, an underrated tourist city.
Link:
To give an idea of the redevelopment, a picture is added of a building very close to the Manutaktura complex, and a before / after picture (source: manufaktura.com)
Poznan - Brama Poznania (Gate of Poznan)
'Porta Posnania tells the story of the beginnings of the Polish state and the Cathedral Island; there are no museum exhibits but history is presented with multimedia and light', says the website. The buidling was opened in 2014. It is located at 2 kilometers from the busy historical rynek / city centre of Poznan. Its location is beautiful along a small river. It is connected with Cathedral Island, where the archdiocese basilica of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul is located, Poznan's oldest historical monument.
For the unattentive tourist, Brama Poznania may be 'another modern building like a shoe box'. But city visitors with more interest will appreciate the building in its context. 'Less is more' in this case; no ornaments, a contrast with the historic cathedral island. In a densely developed context this building could not be appreciated much, but the space in which Brama Poznania is located is perfect. Various weather conditions change the atmosphere. From the 60 meters long pedestrian bridge across the rive the cathedral and the river can be seen. Inside the building, the main block was split and a crevice (a split) was created that gives a view of the cathedral. The interior is very different - next to rather dark exhibition spaces, also red bricks and a church-like feel. Brama Poznania is worth a detour.
Link: https://bramapoznania.pl/en/
https://www.archdaily.com/594102/ichot-gate-of-poznan-ad-artis-architects
Click to enlarge
