The lights of neon signs will shine again in Nowa Huta. The Municipal Buildings Management Board has announced the reconstruction of three neon signs, which will once again light up along Avenue of Roses. This is another time when something noteworthy is happening in this still undiscovered district of Krakow.
Nowa Huta in the imaginations of Cracovians is very often treated as a post-communist imprint and an unwanted gift of Warsaw's PZPR. The heritage of this unique place on the map of Krakow seems to be rehabilitating with each generation, which stops looking at it as a pathological addition, but as a full-fledged piece of the complicated puzzle that is the city.
Bartosz Szydłowski, who as artistic affairs director of the Łaźnia Nowa theater, mentioned at the last OEES Prologue how difficult it was to break free from labels in thinking about Nowa Huta.
A few weeks ago we reported on the changes that the most representative part of the district - Rose Avenue - will undergo. We talk to Albert Rejman of Gajda Studio Projektowe[see here] about what the new Avenue of the Roses will look like, and which historical version it refers to. The reconstruction of three neon signs is also part of this effort.
Avenue of the Roses is currently undergoing a metamorphosis, which we discussed with the designers
© Gajda Studio Projektowe
return to the past
The Municipal Buildings Administration has announced the reconstruction of three neon signs of the iconic Stylish restaurant located next to the Avenue of Roses, where the work we wrote about above has begun. Convenient for the restoration is the fact that the building is owned by the city and at the same time leased by the Municipal Buildings Board of Krakow. The building's housing community, the IPN assisting with the historical search and the City Historic Preservation Officer participated in the project.
We would like to thank the Housing Community of the building located on os. Centrum C3 in Krakow for agreeing to restore the neon signs in their original location. We are also grateful to the Institute of National Remembrance in Krakow for providing the film footage that makes it possible to faithfully recreate the appearance of the historic neon signs, and to the Municipal Conservator of Monuments in Krakow for their cooperation in agreeing to this unusual realization," stress the employees of the Municipal Buildings Administration in Krakow.
The neon signs are to be made using the same technology as its earlier versions. Their form and location will also not change. In addition to the reconstruction work, ZBK will also renovate the building's facade in the first floor area, along with the conservation of the metal elements of the awning. The management announces work on another neon sign - this time the neon sign of the Jubilatka restaurant is to be restored.
on to be renovated
© Municipal Buildings Management Board of Krakow
spot the hidden
Rehabilitating Nowa Huta's image is an ongoing process, which also depends on the resources and activities of community members and officials. For several years, the oldest part of Nowa Huta has been covered by a cultural park, which has made it possible to stop some of the spatial degradation and advertising overgrowth. The tour offer for tourists, which could relieve some of the pressure on the old city, is still poor, but here to the rescue comes the Krakow Route of Modernism, which has created a special Nowa Huta trail. Nowa Huta is worth exploring, especially when we will soon be able to enjoy the new neon signs and the renovated Avenue of Roses.
The facade of the restaurant, which will undergo renovation
© Municipal Buildings Management in Krakow
