Last weekend, Krakow activists along with residents led a "civic occupation" of Bednarski Park. Its revitalization planned by the Board of Urban Greenery in Krakow has aroused huge public controversy. This is the reason for one of the sharpest conflicts between Krakow residents and ZZM in recent years. Residents do not want a PLN 20 million revolution in the park, but only its renovation. After negotiations with Krakow's vice-president and protest actions, ZZM announced that it would consider changing the project. This, however, does not satisfy Cracovians.
The conflict between activists from Rescue Action for Krakow and residents with ZZM Kraków over the Bednarski Park revitalization project is becoming one of the most heated in recent years. The citizen protest picket, attended by some five thousand people last weekend, is proof that the issue is serious. This is yet another project by ZZM Krakow that is stirring up huge public controversy. After the famous fight of activists for the revitalization of Zakrzówek, opposition was also caused by the project to build the Wilga River Park, which we wrote about in early June.
ZZM's ambitious project without competition and without public consultation
Let's outline some facts about the investment titled "Revitalization of Wojciech Bednarski Park". The park is located in the Old Podgórze district, and its history dates back to the 19th century. It represents a high landscape and historical value for Krakow. The park needed renovation due to its age and frequent use. ZZM Kraków proposed a project for its revitalization, which was approved in 2020. However, it was not preceded by either a competition or public consultation, like several other projects.
Director Tabor said that if the project had been consulted with residents it still would not have been completed. This is an absurd approach! ZZM supported itself with the vote of the neighborhood council, meanwhile the council only gave its opinion on the conceptual design, and only conditionally (in 2017, that is, before the project to be implemented was created) ," explains Maciej Fijak, an activist from Rescue Action for Krakow.
According to the schedule, work was to begin in 2021, be completed in 2022, and the entire investment was estimated to cost nearly PLN 20 million. What did it include? Among other things: demolition works, construction of small architecture, construction of lighting, installation of play and fitness equipment, construction and reconstruction of terrain stairs and park paths, construction and reconstruction of the park's fence, modernization of the sidewalk and parking lot, conservation works on the monument, and construction of new sculptures and elements of indoor and outdoor infrastructure.
ZZM Kraków had planned a major modernization plan for the park, which, as it turned out, not only did not appeal to residents, but caused a public outcry.
Wojciech Bednarski Park is a scenic and historical value for Krakow
photo: Mateusz Łysik
residents don't want a 20 million park revolution
It started with the cutting of about 10 percent of the park's stand of trees (estimated at about several hundred trees) at the end of 2019 and beginning of 2020. ZZM assured that it was not part of the revitalization plan, but, as activists determined, some of the trees interfered with the redevelopment and expansion project, so it was decided to cut them down.
The issue was revived in recent months when it emerged that the park was to be fenced off, and not from the outside, but from the inside, along the rocks. There will also be absurd fences, new gates that create barriers, do not invite people into the park, and go against the trend of designing open spaces , says Maciej Fijak.
Activists from ARDK, who have been representing the voice of residents in talks with ZZM Kraków since 2020, say the project involves a revolution of the park, not its revitalization. Last year, on their own, they held public consultations on the issue, something ZZM had not done in the first place - despite repeated requests from residents. At the time, ARDK collected some 1,100 opinions on the matter, based on which they determined the changes that should take place in the project.
According to the civic consultations, the elements that should be abandoned are mainly: barriers (under the rocks, on the side of the IV LO and extending the existing barrier from the Korona stadium to the stairs), a two-meter fence added along the stairs (from Zamoyskiego street), additional gates in addition to the existing one (from ul. Parkkowa, a fence at Krzemionki Street and at the gym, a viewing point with stairs), gazebos by the stairs from Zamoyskiego Street, four new monuments and an open-air stage inside the quarry (we postulate that a renovated glorietta will replace its function) ," Maciej Fijak lists.
The activist stresses that the residents of Krakow particularly appreciate the semi-wild character of the park, the fact that there are no gym equipment or other metol-concrete structures that have become fashionable in recent years. Activists and residents are also outraged by the amount ZZM has set aside for its implementation.
Back in 2017, the renovation was supposed to cost PLN 7.5 million, today it's PLN 16 million plus VAT , says Maciej Fijak.
Residents and activists want a delicate and necessary renovation that will not consume high amounts of money, not an elaborate and ambitious revaluation for almost 20 million zlotys, with which only the authors of the concept will be satisfied.
The entrance to Bednarski Park
photo: Mateusz Łysik
"modern censorship" and weekend pickets in the park
To influence the shape of the project, activists and residents regularly hold talks with ZZM Kraków, organize pickets, protest actions in the park and drone on the ZZM's Facebook fanpage. In the past two weeks, the conflict unexpectedly took a turn for the worse, following a meeting between the activists and Krakow's vice-president, Jerzy Muzyk, who is in charge of ZZM's operations.
We were encouraged after the meeting, the mayor approached the demands to trim the project with understanding. He gave instructions to Director Kempf to make the final scope of the renovation public before signing the degrowth contract ," says Maciej Fijak.
At the same time, ZZM's management began discrediting the more than 1,100 residents who took part in the grassroots consultation, considering them a small percentage of the total Krakow community, and removed 250 negative comments from its profile in the official city media. This is modern-day censorship ," says the activist.
A few days after the events, pickets were held in the park over the weekend to protest what demonstrators claimed were the "authoritarian actions" of ZZM Krakow. The civic occupation of the park continued throughout the weekend.
It's time to stop the exuberant revitalization of Krakow's parks. And use the millions saved to buy up land for future green spaces for future generations ," Lukasz Maślona, a city councilman who participated in the pickets, told Gazeta Wyborcza.
ZZM is considering changing the project
After a heated discussion with Vice Mayor Musik and protest actions in the park, ZZM decided to partially yield. For now, it has verbally announced that it will consider making changes to the project. We asked ZZM which specific assumptions will be changed.
ZZM is considering resigning from, among other things, fencing the park and putting up gates, further felling of trees or construction of a stage. It is also considering abandoning the erection of new sculptures alluding to the legend of Pan Twardowski and the installation of railings inside the park. ZZM has also planned to commission an additional expert opinion on determining the slopes of the quarry. The following solutions remain unchanged: a gazebo in the foundation near the Small Promenade, representative handrails at the stairs from Zamoyskiego Street (left for safety reasons), construction of an air gym together with a "health path", handrails along a section of the sidewalk on Krzemionki Street (due to safety considerations for park users and the agreement obtained from the Board of Roads of the City of Krakow).
The announcements, however, do not satisfy residents.
First of all, ZZM wants to introduce them as an annex to the signed contract with the contractor, which puts a big question mark over their implementation. The park is still to be closed for renovation , explains Maciej Fijak.
Besides, ZZM does not expect to give up expensive investments, such as gym equipment and a gazebo. "We want to see all this in writing in the form of an agreement with the contractor before signing a final contract with him for the renovation," he says. - He adds.
Details on the current design of the project are available on the ZZM Kraków website.
