Kraków invests in historical style
In order to improve the image of the city, Kraków's City Hall has prepared a program of renovation for the facades of private tenements and buildings located in the city center.
In last year's budget the City Council decided to spend zł.1.4 million on the project. Now three tenements on ul. w. Jana, ul. Bracka and ul. Łobzowska, as well as three convents on ul. Pędzichów, ul. Poselska and ul. Mikołajska, are benefiting from it.
According to City Hall, the project was started this year and will be continued in the future. Each tenement owner can apply for co-funding, unless their tenements are not registered as historical buildings, and can receive 50 percent of the works' value. However, the current solution does not solve the problem of ugly, deteriorating facades in Kraków, because many of these tenements are not registered, and cannot avail of the funding. Most are located between Planty and the city's outer roundabout. City Hall says that their owners can apply for registration, but once registered, they must notify the conservator's office about even the smallest refurbishment in the buildings.
Financing projects is not the only assistance that City Hall is providing to make tenements' owners improve their historical properties. City Hall is also preparing conservation programs for single tenements, which will lower the final costs of renovation paid by tenements' owners. So far, the programs are ready for buildings on Mały Rynek and ul. Floriańska.
