A tender is being launched for the reconstruction of Kielce's railroad station. After the recently commissioned PKS station, this is another building in the city center that will undergo a metamorphosis. The railroaders promise to preserve the original character of the socmodern edifice and reconstruct the facade according to the original design. The similarities end here, however. The interior of the building will change for the worse.
solid socmodernism
photo: Wikimedia Commons
The building of the Kielce Railway Station is not outstanding architecture, but it is a solid example of social modernism, well integrated into the urban context of this part of the city. Completed in 1971, the building closes the main street of the downtown area - Sienkiewicza. The axis of the promenade is further emphasized by the building's glass lobby, which visually links the station's space with the most important public space in the capital of Swietokrzyskie. The spacious ticket office hall is finished largely in natural stone, and passengers have checkout spaces and a mezzanine serving as a waiting area. The station is connected to the platforms and the city by an underground tunnel. Over the years, the hall has been filled with additions that disrupt its aesthetics and functionality - kiosks, banners, large-format advertisements. However, it has done without major interference with the building's architecture itself. This is set to change dramatically with the planned renovation.
An office building instead of a train station
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
As part of the announced tender, a contractor is to be selected for the comprehensive reconstruction of the station - from the building itself to the repair of the tunnel. The interior will be completely rebuilt, with some structural elements removed and replaced with new ones. The station hall is to house, as today, ticket offices, toilets, a passenger service center, a waiting room and commercial premises. The mezzanine floor will disappear. There will be office space for the station's administration and for lease to the City Council. Cooperation between the city and the railroaders is an idea still of the previous team governing Kielce, which is only now materializing. Elements of the project were agreed with the city institutions that are to move here.
photo. facebook.com/Dworzec-PKP-Kielce
a shell monument
Due to the inclusion of the building in the register of monuments, the external appearance of the building was agreed upon by the conservator. The body of the building itself, the glass facade (made with new technology, however) will not change. The side wings will be finished completely differently. During the works, travelers will use a temporary station. The estimated value of the works is PLN 28.9 million net. The Pas Projekt company is responsible for the project.
Photo: PKP S.A.
If you take a closer look at the project, however, it turns out that the big-city station, with a spacious lobby on the axis of the main city avenue, will be replaced by an office building with commercial spaces and several ticket offices. The hall, which is several meters high, will be filled with offices and replaced by a new room slightly more than 3 meters high. The location of the entrance will change - instead of being accessible to all from street level, there will be stairs and a ramp.
Photo: PKP S.A.
in a sea of concrete
So Kielce will lose a public building, and get an office building with a complementary function. The preservation of the building's body is no consolation - it is the least interesting feature of the original station project. The view of the square in front of the main entrance is not optimistic either - the last trees are to disappear, the subordination of the transport function is to be maintained. Criticism of the space in front of the building is also an oft-appeared accusation in the direction of the neighboring project to rebuild Kielce's popular UFO, the PKS Station. In front of the building, a large concrete and stone pan was created.
The square in front of the PKS Station in Kielce
photo by Kacper Kepinski
The building itself, whose takeover by the city was a great success, has also changed beyond recognition, losing all historic features. What emerged was a contemporary fantasy of the original design, with little architectural value. Original solutions and materials have been replaced by contemporary finishes and aesthetics straight from DIY stores. You can read more about the reconstruction of the station in the article "Attractive dummy bus station in Kielce. Artificial flowers and a wow effect".
photo PKP S.A.
