Wiktor: The postal function will remain in the building, which will be located downstairs, but will the hotel be open to the residents of Krakow, for whom this building is iconic.
Andrzej: The idea of the designers and the investor is not to separate the postal function from the hotel function, as much as possible. We are using common spaces that will be used to present the history of the post office with a display of postal artifacts. All of this will be a publicly accessible common area and will be able to work together with the café and restaurant.
The post office also has its own section with lockers open twenty-four hours, which could have unlimited access from the hotel.
Victor: I would like to go back to that dome. How will it be used?
Wojciech: The dome will continue to be a cover with no way to enter, because it is not special to enter. The tambour of the tower, which protrudes above the size of the building, will be used for what will be arranged on the roof, because from there we have an extraordinary view of Krakow. From the roof, an amphitheatrical panorama of Old Cracow with the towers of churches unfolds. It should be mentioned, by the way, that Frederick Tadanier, at the top of the tower for this very reason, designed an observation deck.
Wiktor: Until now, the inner courtyard has functioned in a rather practical way. With the change of this function, how will it be changed?
Andrew: It's worth starting with the fact that it has always functioned this way. We talk about what it is now, but we have in the back of our minds what it used to be. It has always had a practical use, dating back to the days when the post office used horse-drawn carriages, when there was a carriage house in the outbuilding. This courtyard changed its function depending on the function of the back buildings.
When we first entered the courtyard, it was a technical courtyard with infrastructure such as a generator to supply the post office with electricity on an emergency basis. This is all being brought into the underground section.
We assume that it will be a cour tyard for the people. For any resident or visitor as a park and recreational establishment, where there will be direct access to the conference part. The separated business part will be kept to a minimum.
new courtyard
© Zeitgeist Asset Management press materials
Wojciech: As we talk about access to this garden, a rather important change that will take place there is the change of the passage with an interesting coffered decoration on the vault. This passage has been built over with a trafostation, which we are moving underground. Now both of these crossings will be open, as it was designed by Tadanier.
Andrew: This trafostation serves the district and was, due to the lack of space in the center there, just awkwardly designed and built over. Now a new trafostation is being built underground at the expense of the developer.
Wojciech: The function of this trafostation in relation to neighbors or customers will remain unchanged. We are not cutting anyone off.
Wiktor: You mentioned the postal layout and its conversion to rooms. How will the common parts of the hotel be resolved?
Andrew: As far as the common parts are concerned, we have quite a lot of room in the form of a postal main lobby, which will be partially accessible from the restaurant, which in turn will be located where the post office boxes used to be. There is now an office mezzanine that will be converted, which will house some of the hotel's tables. The kitchen posed a challenge, due, among other things, to the layout of the storage area on the basement level and ensuring vertical communication between its functional parts.
Wiktor: What was the most difficult part of designing in such a space.
Andrew: It was very difficult to reconcile the hotel function with the function of the postal facility and the technical part of the infrastructure. The hotel needs a lot of public spaces on the first floor, which were already used for post office functions. In the same way, the limited access from the main building to the annex building bypassing the courtyard, which should not be developed, is a complication. There are certain restrictions that limit us, which creates difficulties.
Working with hotel consultants to develop the accompanying functions was also a complicated aspect. A hotel is a money-making machine, it is not a public investment where the economic aspect is pushed to the background. In the end, the investment profitability will have to be summarized by an accountant.
Wojciech: We would not want to interfere excessively with the existing structure. We started with more rooms, in accordance with the Investor's wishes. The plan imposed certain restrictions, the Provincial Conservator during four meetings with successive concepts also had his opinion. As a result, what we have at the moment and has been submitted for the conservator's decision on the construction project is a compromise reached between the conservator's requirements and the Investor's plans.
The post office building in the landscape of Krakow
© Zeitgeist Asset Management press materials
Wiktor: Actually, where are we now, since the public presentation of the completion project. When will Krakow residents be able to see the new formula of the building?
Andrzej: At the moment, the decision does not lie with us. We have worked out a certain compromise. They created something that, at the time of the consultation, met the requirements of protection over monuments. At the moment it has to be sanctioned by an official decision of the Conservator.
Wojciech: What I would like to emphasize in this path is to seek communication in the design process and not to try to get anything "by force". From the beginning, we have been looking for solutions that respect the Conservator's opinion and alignment of the Investor's intentions. During meetings with the Małopolska Voivodship Conservator of Monuments, it was stated that working on this project gives a chance to create a model cooperation between the designer, conservator and investor. We held several meetings at the post office, where we hosted representatives of various circles - including the Jagiellonian Club, the National Heritage Institute, students of the Academy of Fine Arts, and presented the project at a meeting of the Provincial Council for Historic Preservation. We gave our guests a tour of the building, pointing out the preserved elements and talking about our plans. We consulted recognized authorities in the fields of architectural history, art and historic preservation. So, not to be lip service, we tried to show, place and justify all the decisions.
We will still have meetings with other conservation institutions, and anyone who is interested in this project or has any doubts is welcome, and we are available to present the project, look at the doubts together, and present arguments.
We try to adhere to the provision of the Athens Charter, which indicates that "...the preservation of monuments presupposes, first and foremost, the obligation of continuity of their proper maintenance...". Also important is what Professor Jacek Purchla said, which I mentioned earlier. These are the two most important things that guided us in our discussion with the Investor, and let's hope it will have an effect.
Especially since we have two documents that indicate that the functional decisions are correct. The first is the Local Land Use Plan for the so-called "Wesoła - Zachód", enacted in 2020, which allocates this property (unit U3) for services, specifying the conditions for such use.
The second document is the "Sustainable Tourism Development Policy for the City of Krakow in 2021-2028," which emphasizes that Krakow has a problem with "beer-night" tourism, especially for those living within the Old Town, Kazimierz or, more recently, Podgórze. This document analyzes Krakow's potential and emphasizes that Krakow is a historic city, with a preserved urban layout including buildings, not destroyed during the Second World War, a congress, university and business city. Such a tourist profile should be taken into account. The program of this hotel fits perfectly into this profile, also due to its location at the interface with the Planty and the border of the Old Town. It is located within walking distance of major points of interest, such as ICE and Jagiellonian University. At this point, it is also important to emphasize the nature of the projects carried out in historic buildings in Europe by the current owner of the Post Office, Zeitgeist Asset Management.
Andrew: It is the city's policy to calm car traffic in the center. Therefore, paradoxically, the location of the hotel also serves this purpose. This is because we do not assume a large number of parking spaces, which allows us to keep the number of cars in this part of the city at a similar level. In conclusion, this is a facility that is not in conflict with either the interests of residents or the city's policies. There is no need to think of this function as something inappropriate.
Victor: Thank you for the interview.
Visualization of the building superimposed on a photo of the current state
© Zeitgeist Asset Management press materials
