It is much better than it was, although mistakes were not avoided. The competition project for the revaluation of Kolegiac Square in Poznań has finally become flesh. Despite the trees, low vegetation and removal of an extensive parking lot, some Poznań residents speak of "concretization." Yes, there is not enough greenery, but such an epithet is a slight exaggeration.
It tooksix years from the announcement of the competition to enter the rebuilt Kolegiacki Square in Poznań. Its space has undergone a thorough metamorphosis: until recently it was divided into a spacious parking lot in front of the City Hall and a vast lawn decorated with flower beds. Both parts did not serve pedestrians, who moved along narrow sidewalks that ran around the perimeter or across the square. In 2015, it was decided that the parking lot would disappear, and the City Council organized a two-day workshop with the participation of residents and specialists. It emerged that Poznanians wanted a quiet space in the square that was a respite from the noisy and crowded Old Market two blocks away. They emphasized greenery, water and a place to relax. On the other hand, historians, archaeologists and conservationists placed great importance on commemorating the Collegiate Church of St. Mary Magdalene, which occupied the square space centuries ago.
the city's most important church
The collegiate church, full of patrician chapels and burial places, served as the city's parish church and towered over the city with its nearly 100-meter-high tower - one of the tallest in Poland at the time. Destroyed by fire in 1773, it was not rebuilt and - after the city was absorbed by Prussia - was demolished in the early 19th century. From then on, the irregular square with a shape similar to a triangle served, among other functions, as a market. The former baroque Jesuit college (today the City Hall) and the parish rectory stand near it. The square also overlooks the tower and silhouette of today's parishchurch (a Baroque post-Jesuit church) and the former Górków Palace (Archaeological Museum).
The competition for the revaluation of Kolegiac Square was announced in spring 2016. The settlement took place six months later. The level of the competition and its results left unsatisfied - in part due to the very stringent and not very sensible formal restrictions placed on participants. Many talented designers with a track record of interesting public spaces failed to meet the requirements. Suffice it to say that in the end the jury deliberated on only seven submitted projects.
won through moderation
The winner was the concept of the Urbantech studio led by Poznań-based architect Krzysztof Urbaniak. The work won first place primarily because it avoided overload and the desire to imprint the design stigma noticeable in other competition projects. Its authors divided the square into three zones: a leisure zone - among trees and with a fountain, a market zone - intended for food gardens and stalls, and in winter for a seasonal ice rink (eventually abandoned), and a historical zone, dedicated to the exhibition of memorabilia of the collegiate church. In place of the latter, the architects also proposed a steel pylon called the Clock of History - located at the close of several viewing axes.
Work began in 2019. - after the first excavation work and the opening of an underground parking lot right next to the Authority in an office building on Za Bramka Street (design: Ultra Architects, construction: 2016), which replaced parking spaces in the square. Work progressed sluggishly, however, as archaeologists re-entered the square extending their ongoing research of the remains of the collegiate church. The surprising abundance of finds (for more details: here) and the discovery of the remains of the walls forced changes within the historical section and a modification of the design of the underground installations supplying, among other things, the fountain. A previously unplanned glass field was also added to expose the underground relics.
best among plane trees
All the work on the square was therefore completed only at the beginning of this year, although the northern part had already had a floor laid and new multi-stem plane trees growing for two years. A fountain is still waiting to be put into operation. The floor of the square was paved with carefully selected and even granite pavers in various shades (with water-permeable joints). The square now essentially serves only pedestrians and cyclists. Car passage is possible only on the south side and partially in the northwest corner. At night, the space is illuminated by simple and unobtrusive lanterns with a contemporary feel, as well as light points in the floor. Wooden seats and benches, as well as bicycle racks, stand between three rows of planted plane trees in the ground, and by the fountain. The pylon of the Clock of History, made of polished steel, is much taller than in the original concept and stands on one of two, elevated square fields above the floor with a glass floor, through which one can see, among other things, the relics of the collegiate church. The "Clock" bears dates related to the existence of the temple. The pylon also serves - probably in an unintentional way - as a lantern, shining brightly with LED strips placed on it.
Poznań's Kolegiacki Square after the revaluation - a rest area with multi-stemmed plane trees, seats and a fountain
photo: Jakub Głaz
How can we assess the new space after a month of making it available to residents (the official opening is still to come)? It's certainly much better than before the reconstruction - thanks, among other things, to the elimination of the parking lot and the minimization of vehicular traffic. Now it's a publicly accessible space evoking associations with some of the squares of northern Italian cities. However, the assessment depends on the point of observation. The square presents itself best and has the best effect on the user on the eastern side - in a group of densely planted plane trees, whose spreading crowns will provide shade and cooling in the summer. Already Poznan citizens and tourists are gathering here.
creation vs. trees
The situation is much worse on the west side, in the area intended for fairs and food gardens. Here, too, a few trees would be useful. There are none, despite the fact that the jury recommended such plantings in its post-competition recommendations. Already then, however, resistance could be heard from conservationists, who did not want to "obscure" the townhouse, which was a conservationist creation from... 1998. The planned trees along the southern frontage were also not planted. In an interview with Gazeta Wyborcza, the designer said that underground installations got in the way.
Kolegiacki Square in Poznań after revaluation - display fields and the "history clock" pylon
photo: Jakub Głaz
Not surprisingly, the square viewed from the side of the Office has provoked sharp reactions in social media in recent months. There has been no shortage of stewardship of the term "concretosis," even though there are more trees in the square than before the reconstruction and they will eventually be of a more significant size (it was possible to convince conservationists to plant taller than three-meter stumps with pruned crowns). It probably would have been done without the concrete epithets if the post-competition recommendations had been followed. More low greenery and biologically active area could also have been introduced during the design changes. It can now only be found within the plots under the trees, the flower bed with a molded yew tree by the fountain, and in the "garden of the arts" area in front of the rectory - a geometric green arrangement with high-backed benches.
Kolegiacki Square in Poznań after revaluation - the empty space of the "market" part on the west side of the square giving reason to use the word "concretosis"
photo: Jakub Głaz
you won't get in on a wheelchair
There are also reservations about matters related to the commemoration of the collegiate church. The inscriptions on the mirrored pylon cannot be deciphered. Reflections of reflected light interfere during the day, and bright LEDs at night. Nota bene, the light points placed in the floor were also not well implemented - they blind passersby. Also completely incomprehensible is the elevation of the two exhibition fields above the floor level - without any ramp - which excludes people with mobility disabilities. Also, the visibility of the relics and artifacts under the glass leaves much to be desired and once again casts doubt on the sense of this kind of open-air exhibition.
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Kolegiacki Square in Poznań after revaluation - 1. Illegible inscriptions on the pylon, 2. Bright light on the pylon and points in the floor
Photo: Jakub Głaz
Regardless of these objections, a square with a correct composition of the space and high quality workmanship has a chance to become a lively and frequently visited place. The greened plane trees have already shown their potential in previous years. The food gardens of adjacent establishments and the hotel will also help a lot. A full assessment will be possible after the first summer season. Perhaps after that it will be possible to replant missing trees and low vegetation, and correct functional errors within the exhibition fields and the History Clock.
