SOCIETY OF POLISH TOWN PLANNERS AWARD FOR THE BEST DEVELOPED PUBLIC SPACE IN POLAND 2020 / II AWARD IN THE CATEGORY „REVITALISED PUBLIC SPACE IN GREENERY”
THE EUROPEAN PRIZE FOR URBAN PUBLIC SPACE 2022 / NOMINATION
The palace, park and farm buildings were built on the initiative of Jan Gottlieb Bloch,a 19th century banker and entrepreneur. After the post-war nationalisation, the farm buildings survived without major damage until the 1990s, after which they were left unattended as a result of the fall of communism and the liquidation of the State Agricultural Farms (PGR). As a result of arson attacks and accidental fires, the buildings were successively reduced to rubble, and in 2015 their condition resembled that of Mayan cities in the Yucatan - crumpled remains of walls, forgotten and appropriated by lush vegetation. The palace has been devastated and the original layout of the park has been lost. The decision to start a comprehensive revitalisation was taken in autumn 2015. Residents were involved in community consultations. The revitalisation activities covered an almost 12-hectare area.
STAGE 1 - Restoration of an 18th century Italian garden
The composition of the park has been lost due to years of neglect. The geometric garden has been restored. The aim of the first stage of revitalisation was to restore, as far as possible, the historical compositional arrangements while adapting them to the contemporary needs of the park's users. The selection of species was based on compositions characteristic of 17th-18th century baroque gardens.
STAGE 2 - revitalisation of the remains of the manor farm
Due to the impossibility of reconstructing destroyed buildings, the remains of the manor farm were preserved in the form of ruins. A meadow was established in the former farmyard, while birches planted inside the walls of the burnt stable are a reminiscence of the weeds growing there before. Similarly, the pergola resting on the walls left by the second farm building recalls the layout of the former ceiling beams. The former hop drying room has been adapted into a viewing tower.
STAGE 3 - restoration of the 19th century romantic park layout
The historical route of alleys laid out on slopes descending towards the Wieprz and Swinka rivers was recreated.
After its opening, Podzamcze Park plays the role of an urban living room, but also a place for walks or a local attraction - a destination for the inhabitants of Lublin and the surrounding area. In the Park, events for the inhabitants of Leczna are organised, such as occasional runs, sports trainings, activities for seniors, open-air photography workshops, picnics and meetings. Comments on the effects of the revitalisation were collected in an anonymous online questionnaire and will be used when planning further urban public spaces.
Architecture: Piotr Hardecki, Tomasz Trzupek, Filip Twardowski
Landscape Architecture: Beata Kanska, Milena Gawad
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