July 2, 2023 was an important date for Cracovians - the celebration of Wislawa Szymborska's 100th birthday was celebrated in various ways. The day also marked the official opening of a park on Karmelicka Street named after the prominent poet.
The park named afterWislawa Szym borska on Karmelicka Street was not a new idea - its history goes back more than a decade, when in 2012 the plot of land where the park is located today was returned to the city. In the 1990s, the army moved out of the nearby barracks, and the parade ground became the target of developers, as Katarzyna Jagodzinska mentions in her article.
However, the plot was not sold again - the idea of Professor Monika Bogdanowska of the Cracow University of Technology to create a park at the site then appeared in public space. At the same time there was also an idea to develop part of the site - the Institute of National Remembrance was to have its headquarters here.
The park officially opened on July 2, 2023
photo by Wiktor Bochenek
Residents said no to the development, resulting in the petition "3 x YES to greenery in the Rajska Street area" (the park is located in the vicinity of the Regional Public Library building on Rajska Street in Krakow), which Natalia Nazim, one of the initiators of the petition and the creation of the park, talked about on our portal. In 2019, residents decided to fight for the park as part of the Civic Budget. The project "YES TO THE PARK AT KARMELICKA" turned out to be the most popular citywide project. Later there was also the idea of commemorating the outstanding poet Wislawa Szymborska in this way.
The park features fragments of Wislawa Szymborska's poetry
photo by Wiktor Bochenek
crisis of competitions
In September 2021, the winner of the tender for the design of the park on Karmelicka Street was announced. The tender, which the Cracow branch of SARP had warned against, was won by the studio Gajda Architektura Krajobrazu - known, among other things, for its design of Krakow Park or the reconstruction of Avenue of Roses in Nowa Huta. Also taking part in the tender were Miastopracownia and Jaz+, and their project was described on our portal by Ola Kloc.
The park will feature fragments of Wislawa Szymborska's poetry
photo by Wiktor Bochenek
The tender formula has stimulated many discussions on the choice of ways to develop Krakow's public spaces. For such an important area in the center of the city, shouldn't the magistrate decide on an implementation competition? Such a solution appeared in the debate, but reluctant to do so were the originators themselves, who were keen to realize the park as soon as possible.
The park officially opened on July 2, 2023
photo by Wiktor Bochenek
It is difficult to blame this aversion to competitions on the initiators, who, seeing the weaknesses of this solution in the case of competitions for Krakow's public space, sought to implement the project as quickly as possible. In the case of areas whose development has been the subject of disputes, residents always feel a certain fear of losing what they have won, regardless of the agreements. Indeed, on several occasions in Krakow, competitions for public space have ended in failure, and in the case of Zakrzówek or Inwalidów Square, they did not contribute to the realization of assumptions.
Promotion of competitions is an extremely difficult matter in Krakow. While in the case of architecture we can find successful examples, in the case of public spaces it is difficult to find at least one good example. Nevertheless, this is still the best possible formula for democratic project selection in the world of architecture.
The contractor for the project was selected by tender
photo: Wiktor Bochenek
park after opening
What does the Wislawa Szymborska park look like after the opening? It is better than it was, but it could have been better. The biggest asset is the puzzling path, through which we can get acquainted with one of Szymborska's poems. The presence of the eminent poet's work here is not just titular, the park space provides an opportunity to learn (to some extent) about her work.
As Joanna Rayss said in an interview with our portal - "Greenery is a process, not an object " - so it is difficult to discuss the trees and flowers, at a time when many of the planted plants will achieve the expected results only in a few years. Nevertheless, it's hard not to get the impression that the park lacks trees or denser low greenery. The problem also remains the paths, which impose a rather rigid movement in straight lines, not allowing to "stray between alleys." It is also difficult to find space for children or animals in the park. Many elements come into question in the process of operating the park, such as the use of paths by people with disabilities.
Installation referring to the poet's poem
photo by Wiktor Bochenek
We asked one of the initiators of the park, Natalia Nazim, for her opinion on the completed project.
I try to think positively and, above all, be happy that the parking lot has turned into a park. This is a huge success for the people of Krakow. On the other hand, I see some things that need improvement. I would certainly plant large trees in the park, introduce more paths across, because who wants to walk around the park exclusively? I would also introduce more freedom into it, and definitely move away from the "ekier" style.
Also important to me is the issue of accessibility of the park for people with disabilities. It seems to me that it was not necessarily necessary to elevate the central part - which forced the introduction of unnecessary architectural barriers, and this is something we should definitely avoid. But in general, the reception of the park by residents is very positive, and let's stick to that.
The park corresponds directly with the library located in the former barracks
photo by Wiktor Bochenek
Wisława Szymborska and the Polish cause
By decision of the Mayor and City Council, a monument to the Lvov Eaglets will also be erected in the park - the competition for its form is being organized by the City Greenery Board. Commemorating Szymborska and the Lviv Eaglets in one space seems rather risky. Without entering into a polemic about the wisdom of erecting monuments in general, it is worth asking whether a better place for this monument could not be found in the city? Perhaps there is a place somewhere for a park named after the Lviv Eaglets, where we could place both the monument and the new park?
The opening of the park was not coincidentally on the 100th anniversary of the poet's birth
Photo: Viktor Bochenek
When it comes to monuments, I like only the green ones. That's why I'm glad that we built a park for our Nobel Prize winner. The idea of the President to put a monument to the Orląt Lwowskich in this park now, I think is simply wrong, and I hope that the President will withdraw from it," replies Natalia Nazim.
The mural features one of Szymborska's most famous poems
photo by Wiktor Bochenek
nothing happens twice
The painstaking changes burdened by years of hard work by residents are worth appreciating, even if we are not all happy with the effect. Not much was missing, and in the place of today's park connecting Karmelicka and Dolnych Młynów Streets, we would have had an office-hotel-residential complex in the form of an architecturally insignificant building block.
The example of the development of this section of Karmelicka Street may also be a reason for the Cracow magistrate to work on changing residents' opinions about competitions - because it is these that we need most if we want our spaces to be better and shaped in a more democratic way.
Wislawa Szymborska park in Cracow
photo by Wiktor Bochenek
