The coexistence of the Contemporary Theater and the National Museum in Szczecin is an organizational and architectural drama. Local governments and the institutions they manage have been searching for years for a sensible solution to this difficult situation. Now that a concept for resolving the crisis has emerged, voices of dissent are coming from various quarters - are they right?
At the beginning of the 20th century, one of the most representative structures in the city - Wały Chrobrego (Chrobry Embankment) - was built on the left bank of the Oder River in Szczecin, along with a park and palace complex, on the axis of which grew the building of the City Museum, which since 1970 has been functioning as the National Museum. Twenty years earlier, under its roof, space was found for the Szczecin Contemporary Theater. The institution was to function in the MNS building only temporarily, but it has been waiting for its own seat for almost half a century. The situation is complicated by the fact that two institutions managed by different local governments meet in one building, as the Contemporary Theater is a municipal entity. As recently as March of this year, Dorota Serwa, director of the city's culture department, said that determining a site for the new Contemporary Theater building would be one of the priority tasks in this term. Her predecessors said the same, as the topic has been running through Szczecin for years.
Contemporary Theater in the National Museum Building in Szczecin
photo: Aniceta © CC BY SA 3.0 en | Wikimedia Commons
museum on standby
At the same time, the National Museum is looking forward to new investments - such plans were already included in the concept prepared by the author of the project for the Museum building, Wilhelm Meyer-Schwartau. The City Museum building was initially conceived on a four-wing plan resembling a truss, but it was eventually realized in a form resembling the shape of the letter "E" - the western wing, which is missing today, was not built due to the outbreak of World War I. After World War II , instead, a small art conservation pavilion stood at the back of the Szczecin museum, which today is a symbol of the unused potential offered by the space on Wały Chrobrego. A few years ago, there was even a concept of launching a competition for the construction of the missing wing, although ultimately no concrete action took place. Now, however, the discussion around the future of these two institutions and the shape of the buildings on the Chrobry Embankment has gained new momentum. Why such a change?
The building of the National Museum in Szczecin
photo: Dorota Kowalik © CC BY SA 3.0 | Wikimedia Commons
Culture Quarter in Szczecin
It's all thanks to Olgierd Geblewicz, the marshal of the West Pomeranian region, who took to social media to announce a new concept that he believes could help solve the difficult situation. During a meeting of the Education, Culture and Sports Committee held on October 22, a preliminary concept was presented, according to which a new Contemporary Theater building would be built at the rear of the National Museum in Szczecin, on a narrow plot of land on Jarowita Street. The National Museum building, in turn, would be renovated and modernized, and the space previously occupied by the theater would be "reclaimed." The venture, which has been christened the "Culture Quarter," has received approval from members of the Commission and the Vice Mayor of Szczecin. The Culture Committee of the Szczecin City Council, in turn, met on Monday, October 4, where the project also received a favorable opinion. Importantly, however, no binding decisions were made - instead, steps were taken toward evaluating the feasibility of such a project. A feasibility study has been commissioned, according to the chairwoman of the city's culture committee, Wiktoria Rogaczewska, during the Archiwolta organized by wszczecinie.pl. This is the right approach, because the problems with the "Culture Quarter" are several.
problematic concept
Thespace earmarked for the concept is severely limited - the dimensions of the plot are roughly 130 by 35 meters. The location suggested by the marshal would allow the construction of a rather narrow building, which would lack the amenities typical of modern theaters. Moreover, the building would have to accommodate all the infrastructure necessary for the theater to function as a separate building. This problem does not exist with the choice of the variant, where an additional wing of the National Museum in Szczecin is added. Another troublesome issue is conservation issues, since the entire area where the "Culture Quarter" concept would be realized is subject to several entries in the register of monuments. Critics of the concept, including its long-time director, Lech Karwowski, also point to the consequence, in the form of lost prospects for further development for the National Museum. However, the most important consequence for the city of the implementation of the "Culture Quarter" is the uncertain future of Lasztownia, the island that was to become the new center of the city. Why such a connection?
The nail in the coffin of Lasztownia?
There have already been several ideas for solving the difficult situation that has arisen between the National Museum in Szczecin and the Contemporary Theater. One of them was the concept of building a new building for the Theater on the other side of the Oder River - at Łasztownia, on Zbożowa Street, where there is now a municipal parking lot. Such an idea was promoted at the time when the position of City Architect was held by Jaroslaw Bondar. If it were to come to fruition, the district, which has extraordinary city-forming potential, would gain an important reference point and, perhaps, another Szczecin architectural icon. Already in 2014, the revitalized Old Slaughterhouse was opened, and festivals and other cultural events are held on the island. Last March, the Local Development Plan for Lasztownia was passed, making room for both the theater and many other public spaces, including two city parks. The island is also to be connected to the left bank of Szczecin thanks to the erection of two new pedestrian and bicycle bridges and the reconstruction of the Kłodny Bridge, destroyed during World War II, through which a streetcar line will run.
An important impulse for the sustainable development of the new district could be the construction of another cultural institution at the site, as Marek Orłowski wrote for Gazeta Wyborcza. In the face of increased interest from private investors, there is growing concern about the creation of a mono-functional, mainly residential section of the city. The situation is not improved by the fact that, as announced at Monday's city council meeting, one of the sources of financing for the construction of a new building for the Contemporary Theater could be funds raised through the sale of city lots precisely in Lasztownia, which could prove to be the nail in the coffin for plans to make it a modern showcase of the city. The problem of a building for the Contemporary Theater thus seems to affect not only the activities of two important cultural institutions, but also to project the future and urban character of an important part of Szczecin. There is a lot to lose, as few cities have such attractive undeveloped space as Szczecin's Łasztownia.
