Brave new Warsaw
A daring vision of the future of Warsaw, juxtaposed with historical photographs and films showing the capital from the past, are all found in two joint tents on Plac Defilad in front of the Palace of Science and Culture, as a part of the 'Warsaw of the Future' exhibition.
"This event refers to pre-war exhibitions from 1936 that had the same name, and from 1938, called 'Warsaw Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow'," said Marcin Roszkowski from Warsaw City Hall.
The exhibition concentrates on several landmarks of the capital that need to be substantially reconstructed. The biggest attention is paid to the location of the exhibition itself, i.e. Plac Defilad. Before 1939, the area was brimming with life, with 200 metropolitan tenements. Then, because of damages sustained during the war and the reconstruction works that followed, the place underwent dramatic changes. In 1955 the Palace of Culture and Science was raised, and the huge empty space, Plac Defilad, was left as a place where "society was to show uniformity and support for the system."
The architecture of the future Plac Defilad will be based on the reconstruction of the pre-war network of streets, which will not overshadow the Palace. Apart from office and residential buildings, the scheme will also provide a number of cultural facilities. Some 29 hectares of Plac Defilad is just enough to have a Center of Modern Art, a concert hall, a philharmonic and an underground museum of communism.
Krakowskie Przedmieście, one of the most important streets, and definitely the most representative avenue, is another subject of future changes and an issue occupying much space at the exhibition. Having been inhabited by rich artisans and merchants in the 15th century, the street is now filled with pre-war tenements that were reconstructed in 1948. The project assumes narrowing the road and limiting traffic so that more space is left for walkers and café tables.
Plac Piłsudskiego will be home to two new old palaces, Saski Palace and Bruhl Palace, under the plans. Due to the site's historical significance, there are plans to build an institute dedicated to the late Pope here, which will study his life and work.
Other projects present future looks for the National Football Stadium, the Vistula riverbank, new metro stations, city parks, park-and-ride car parks, the Museum of the History of Polish Jews, and a fast city rail.
City Hall intends to realize its mission for developing the city by following five main strategic aims, each consisting of several operational objectives. The five strategic goals advocate: the improvement of the quality and safety of Warsaw; strengthening the identity of its citizens through nursing tradition and developing culture; strengthening the position of Warsaw as a metropolitan city; developing the economy on the basis of knowledge and scientific research; and finally achieving a permanent spatial order. "Paris, London and Berlin are cities where almost everything has already been built. Warsaw has to catch up with their level," said the chief architect of Warsaw, Michał Borowski, who is responsible for managing the exhibition. "It is difficult but feasible."
"This event refers to pre-war exhibitions from 1936 that had the same name, and from 1938, called 'Warsaw Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow'," said Marcin Roszkowski from Warsaw City Hall.
The exhibition concentrates on several landmarks of the capital that need to be substantially reconstructed. The biggest attention is paid to the location of the exhibition itself, i.e. Plac Defilad. Before 1939, the area was brimming with life, with 200 metropolitan tenements. Then, because of damages sustained during the war and the reconstruction works that followed, the place underwent dramatic changes. In 1955 the Palace of Culture and Science was raised, and the huge empty space, Plac Defilad, was left as a place where "society was to show uniformity and support for the system."
The architecture of the future Plac Defilad will be based on the reconstruction of the pre-war network of streets, which will not overshadow the Palace. Apart from office and residential buildings, the scheme will also provide a number of cultural facilities. Some 29 hectares of Plac Defilad is just enough to have a Center of Modern Art, a concert hall, a philharmonic and an underground museum of communism.
Krakowskie Przedmieście, one of the most important streets, and definitely the most representative avenue, is another subject of future changes and an issue occupying much space at the exhibition. Having been inhabited by rich artisans and merchants in the 15th century, the street is now filled with pre-war tenements that were reconstructed in 1948. The project assumes narrowing the road and limiting traffic so that more space is left for walkers and café tables.
Plac Piłsudskiego will be home to two new old palaces, Saski Palace and Bruhl Palace, under the plans. Due to the site's historical significance, there are plans to build an institute dedicated to the late Pope here, which will study his life and work.
Other projects present future looks for the National Football Stadium, the Vistula riverbank, new metro stations, city parks, park-and-ride car parks, the Museum of the History of Polish Jews, and a fast city rail.
City Hall intends to realize its mission for developing the city by following five main strategic aims, each consisting of several operational objectives. The five strategic goals advocate: the improvement of the quality and safety of Warsaw; strengthening the identity of its citizens through nursing tradition and developing culture; strengthening the position of Warsaw as a metropolitan city; developing the economy on the basis of knowledge and scientific research; and finally achieving a permanent spatial order. "Paris, London and Berlin are cities where almost everything has already been built. Warsaw has to catch up with their level," said the chief architect of Warsaw, Michał Borowski, who is responsible for managing the exhibition. "It is difficult but feasible."
