In Krakow, councilors are fighting over the future of two modernist office buildings from the late 1960s and early 1970s. At stake is not only the architectural heritage, but also the conditions in which the district's residents will live. Which buildings are in danger of demolition?
Modernist buildings in Poland do not have an easy life. Warsaw's Supersam and the PKO Rotunda, Katowice 's PKP railway station and Lublin's "Kosmos" cinema are just some of the modernist buildings that have been demolished or extensively rebuilt in the past 20 years. Fortunately, measures are increasingly being taken to save the heritage of 20th century architecture. Thanks to conservation protection in Wroclaw, the ZETO pavilion was saved from demolition, a similar fate befell the train station in Tarnów's Mościce, and last year the pyramids in Ustroń were also entered in the register of monuments.
KPRI office building on Mazowiecka Street in Cracow - designed by Olgierd Krajewski.
photo: Przemysław Ciępka
krakow rescue operations
Krakow's postwar architecture faces similar problems. Just a few years ago, there were concerns about turning Hotel Cracovia into a shopping mall or service complex in connection with the assumptions of the local plan for Krakow's Blonia - doubts were dispelled by the 2016 entry in the register of monuments. Recently, a discussion heated up about the future of the Forum Hotel, where the historic mosaic disappeared and an exclusive restaurant opened on the top floor. Repeatedly there have been voices heralding the imminent demolition of the building. The further fate of the Brutalist building is already less dramatic, as in August this year the procedure for entering it in the register of monuments began, as the Provincial Historic Preservation Officer informed. Now the councilors of District V "Krowodrza" are applying for the protection of more modernist buildings. - These are the office buildings "KPRI" (designed by Olgierd Krajewski) and "Energoprojekt" (designed by Antoni Mazur), located on Mazowiecka Street.
KPRI office building on Mazowiecka Street in Cracow - design: Olgierd Krajewski
photo: Przemyslaw Ciępka
The first is a 34-meter high skyscraper, which catches the eye with its striking facade lined with azure ceramic tiles. Responsible for its design is Olgierd Krajewski, the author of numerous projects in Cracow, including a commercial pavilion on Michała Bałuckiego Street and the Lenin Steelworks Employee Canteen. The author of "Energoprojekt", on the other hand, specialized in industrial and sacred architecture, and according to his design has erected, among others, the Church of the Stigmata of St. Francis of Assisi and the residential plomb on Grottgera Street.
Energoprojekt office building on Mazowiecka Street in Cracow - designed by Antoni Mazur
photo: Zygmunt Put © CC BY-SA 4.0 | Wikimedia Commons
modernism to be demolished
Information about plans to demolish two office buildings in the vicinity of the Żołnierzy Wyklętych traffic circle appeared as early as 2022. The construction of a new building on Mazowiecka Street was announced by the Capri company, which plans to erect a building with a residential function in place of the "KPRI" office building. Potential buyers were to be offered 80 units, including exclusive penthouses located on the roof of the building. The project, made by the HOPE studio, assumed demolition of the main 34-meter-high block of the modernist office building and erection of a new, slightly lower volume in this place.
The structural layout of the existing building makes it impossible to use it for residential purposes, but the facade and character of the new development, will clearly relate to it. We will also use elevation elements finished as in the existing building, with ceramics in blue.
- said for the LoveKraków portal architect Jacek Studencki of the HOPE studio.
As for the nearby "Energoprojekt" office building, the plans were not as concrete. The building is owned by Skanska, which as recently as 2022 announced plans to demolish the modernist block and replace it with a residential building. What is known is that the City refused to issue Development Conditions, and the new local plan requires the developer to plan for more biologically active areas than it had in the original design.
KPRI office building on Mazowiecka Street in Cracow - design: Olgierd Krajewski
photo: Przemysław Ciępka
residents vs. developer
Plans to build a new residential building in Krowodrza did not please residents. The neighborhood already suffers from a lack of adequate infrastructure, primarily roads - due to the creation of new housing developments in the area, some streets, such as Wroclawska Street, are completely impassable during rush hour. To solve this problem, the City has proposed extending a section of Slowackiego Avenue to include a left turn into Mazowiecka Street, where new buildings are to be built. The original plan was to cut two trees from the green belt separating the roadways. Eventually, however, due to numerous protests from residents and community activists, it was possible to develop a concept that would allow the left-turn to be made without cutting. However, it is difficult to imagine that this minor change in the traffic system will be able to relieve the burden on the entire district, which is likely to be enriched by a significant number of new residents due to ongoing investments.
Energoprojekt office building on Mazowiecka Street in Cracow - design: Antoni Mazur
photo: Przemyslaw Ciępka
councilors' move
The developers' plans may have to be revised, because on Wednesday, September 25 of this year, District V "Krowodrza" councilors passed a resolution saying they would take action on the modernist office buildings slated for demolition. According to the resolution, an application will be submitted to the Municipal Conservator of Monuments to enter the buildings in the register of monuments or the municipal register of monuments.
The two buildings located on Mazowiecka Street have become a permanent part of the panorama of District V Krowodrza, creating a kind of historic Krowodrza office district in the area of the current Żołnierzy Wyklętych traffic circle. These office buildings were built in the late 1960s and early 1970s and have since become a significant historical value not only for the district, but also for Polish architecture.
- This is how the Councilmen justify the provisions of the resolution.
KPRI office building on Mazowiecka Street in Cracow - design: Olgierd Krajewski
photo: Przemyslaw Ciępka
what about office buildings?
This is just the beginning of a long road to save the buildings on Mazowiecka Street, as the application must be verified by the Municipal Conservator of Monuments. With the start of the listing or registration procedure, any demolition or modernization work must be halted until it is completed. Even if the "KPRIM" and "Energoprojekt" office buildings are placed under conservation protection, their further fate will depend on how these structures are developed. Often, the best chance for survival is with monuments that, despite the passage of years, have a function that justifies keeping them in the best possible condition. Will an idea be found for these two buildings?
