The jury of the competition was unanimous in its assessment - the work of Miroslaw Nizio was considered the best project. One of the objectives of the monument was to emphasize the unification of Polish society despite political divisions at the decisive moment of the Polish-Bolshevik war. It seems symbolic, therefore, that the project itself was chosen unanimously, above today's divisions.
The winning monument will stand on the Square at the Crossroads in Warsaw, and will be twenty-three meters high - rising out of the greenery of the square, like the great pointer of a sundial. At its base will be a fountain in the form of a circle, which will be intersected by twelve lines. Thanks to its shape, the monument gives the impression of being stopped in motion, and its counter-clockwise twist is meant to indicate the desire to reverse the course of history and time, thanks to the courage of the Poles. The goal of the authors is to clearly indicate that the struggle for European values at that time took place right here in Poland, in Warsaw. The space has been planned so that various artistic actions can take place there, including the possibility of displaying multimedia shows on the fountain's water screen. The surroundings of the monument are to be friendly to every resident, hence the idea of planting them with a variety of vegetation .
The work was awarded the first prize of PLN 50,000 gross and an invitation to negotiate a sole-source contract for the detailing of the competition work. The work was considered the best due to its artistic values and ideological clarity of the symbolic message. The proposed form of commemoration skillfully emphasizes the civilizational, and not just military, role of the Battle of Warsaw. The vertical gnomon, combined with the concentric form of the platform for water elements, fit well into the context of the square, whose star-shaped form emphasizes axiality at the same time. The simple form of the obelisk, thanks to the twist, gains new possibilities of interpretation and conveys the seriousness of the victory. The historic triumph finds its visible place in the city skyline. The composed water and greenery at the same time create a friendly urban space, where one simply wants to walk. The concept is open to new possibilities and function additions. - said presiding judge Marlena Happach, architect and director of the Office of Architecture and Urban Planning.
Visualization
©Nizio Design International
The jury also selected the second place, which was awarded to Karol Badyna in the amount of PLN 40,000, as well as honorable mentions for Marcin Kwietowicz and Konrad Żaglewski from Warsaw, and Tomasz Birezowski, Piotr Dynowski and Mateusz Trojanowski from Warsaw. Honorable mentions went to: Author's Design Studio 2 arch. Barbara Getter and the Authorial Design Studio, sculptor artist arch. Andrzej Getter, Cracow, and to Paweł Nowicki and Maciej Walczyn from Warsaw.
post-competition discussion
seems inevitable
The appearance of new monuments in urban space always arouses discussions, sometimes even strong emotions. This also happened in the case of the visualization of the to-be-built monument designed by Miroslaw Nizio. It swung not only on the Facebook page of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, but also on Twitter. Worryingly, while the deliberations themselves proceeded in an atmosphere of consensus, the online discussion took on a dimension of hegemony.
composition of the jury
The jury, chaired by Marlena Happach, consisted of 20 people:
Dr. Adam Bulawa, Faculty of Historical Sciences, UKSW,
Maria Dydek, architect, Office of the Capital Conservator of Monuments,
Dr. Piotr Szpanowski, deputy director of the Department of Cultural Heritage, Ministry of Culture and National Heritage,
Agnieszka Gosik, architect, Capital City Development Authority,
Renata Kaznowska, deputy mayor of the City of Warsaw,
Tomasz Konior, Ph.D., architect,
Prof. Wiesław Koronowski, Ph.D., Faculty of Sculpture, UAP,
Paweł Kurtyka, architect,
Maciej Kurylowicz, architect, SARP,
Ewa Malinowska-Grupińska, chairwoman of the Warsaw City Council,
Piotr Mazurek, councilman of the Council of the City of Warsaw,
Jarosław Sellin, secretary of state at the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage,
Dr. Paulina Sikorska, vice president of the Warsaw Branch of TUP and member of the TUP Main Board,
Adam Siwek, director of the Office for the Commemoration of Struggles and Martyrdom, Institute of National Remembrance,
Dr. Agata Szydłowska, Department of Design, Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw,
Wojciech Wagner, deputy director of the Office of Architecture and Spatial Planning,
Piotr Walkowiak, architect,
Zbigniew Wieloch, architect, Stołeczny Zarząd Rozbudowy Miasta,
Tomasz Żyłka, councilman of the Warsaw City Council.
All competition works will be on display at the Zodiak Pavilion from Monday, March 2 this year.
