New heart for Nowa Huta

Wojciech Obtułowicz from Kraków-based Studio Architektoniczne has won the competition for the revitalization of Nowa Huta's Plac Centralny. The area has been incomplete since Tadeusz Ptaszycki, the district's architect, designed it before 1960. Initially, the square was supposed to host a theater, now it will be similar to the city's market square.

The idea for the renovation of the area is not a new one. According to Obtułowicz, the aim of the project is to protect the area from destruction and further developments. The new project will give visitors a view over Łąki Nowohuckie and the city of Kraków.

The surface of the square will be covered with synthetic resin. In the western part there will be a stone amphitheater, an olive grove and a monument devoted to Solidarity. Above the slope, which will border the square from the southern side, there will be an observation tower and a train that will go to the Wisła river.

According to Piotr Pakaszewski from the Communal Economy Office (ZGK), the competition requirements set the cost of the project at zł.5 million. "The real cost of the investment will be estimated next year when we have all the necessary documents. The train might also be quite expensive. This project is only one stage in a wider project," says ZGK's Pakaszewski.

Before the project will be implemented it has to be approved by a number of bodies. Next year when all the required documents are collected, including the building permit, ZGK will be able to phase the investment according to the funds available.