Arche Group is an entity specific to the Polish real estate development market. It does not create mono-functional residential complexes, PUM is not the only determinant of a project's profitability there, it revitalizes rather than builds from scratch. After the high-profile announcement of the revitalization of the Paper Factory in Konstancin-Jeziorna, the Arche Group intends to come to Tarnów. The company, known for giving new life to historic buildings, intends to breathe new rhythm into the ruined Szancer Mill in Tarnów. What are they planning for the 19th-century monument?
The history of the building, which is to become another "pearl" in Arche's revitalization crown, dates back to 1846, when Henryk Szancer, a merchant industrialist and philanthropist from Andrychów, decided to build a steam mill in Tarnow. The facility, modern for the time, was taken over by the Nazis in 1939, while after the war the plant was nationalized and continued production.
The condition of the Szancer Mill at the beginning of the third millennium was not the worst, since production was still operating there until 89. After it was discontinued, there were several ideas for developing the site. The mill, which passed into private hands as part of the reprivatization, was bought back by the city of Tarnow, with plans to create a modern cultural center "Art Mill" at the site. At the time, several exhibitions were held in the historic walls, the complex was even visited by Andrzej Wajda, who received the Jan Szczepanik Award there. However, it soon became apparent that the cost of transforming the building far exceeded the city's capabilities at the time. For a while there were talks about handing over the facility to the Ministry of Culture, but eventually the 19th-century mill ended up in the hands of private investor Piotr Kudelski, who planned to arrange a hotel in it.
Szancer's Mill in Tarnów today
Fires at the Szancer Mill
The second decade of the 21st century, however, saw difficult times for the Mill. In 2015, there were two fires that brought the facility to a state of disrepair. The events, which the court determined were intended to be deliberate arson, did not, however, lead to the demolition of the facility; the old walls endured. What's more, after the devastating incident, the years-long procedure of entering the building in the register of historical monuments came to an end. Once again, the Szancer Mill went up in flames in 2021, and the last fire took place as recently as last year - again, it was the result of arson, and this time the perpetrator was even caught.
The Szancer mill in Tarnow currently
Like a phoenix from the ashes
Many years of neglect, lack of an idea of function, and the fires that followed one after another meant that today the Szancer Mill is only a shadow of its former glory. The wooden roof has collapsed, as have some of the ceilings, and it is vain to look for traces of windows. However, it looks like the Szancer Mill will rise like a phoenix from the ashes, as in late March this year the ARCHE Group, which specializes in the revitalization of historic buildings, announced plans to transform the landmark into a multifunctional complex, serving as a hotel.
The Szancer Mill before the fire, 2012
Photo: Andrzej Otrębski © CC BY-SA 3.0
A far-reaching plan
Although the purchase of the old mill on Hugo Kołłątaja Street in Tarnów took place only at the beginning of this year, Arche Group mentioned related plans as early as 2022.
At the time, the Group entered into a "comity" with the property's owner, Piotr Kudelski. Today, following a transaction that took place earlier this year, Arche is already the rightful owner of the monument, which will undergo a major renovation. What will the revitalization specialists announce?
Revitalization of the Szancer Mill in Tarnow
© Arche
What the renovated Szancer Mill in Tarnow will look like
Due to the monument's status, major demolition on the Mill is out of the question. The relevant conservation office has issued a permit for the reconstruction of the building's interior, which is not covered by protection, and now - heavily ruined.
The most interesting thing for us is what the fire did to the interior of the Mill. We will not be recreating it. There will be such an open space through all the floors in this main part. The unburned part will have atmospheric hotel rooms. Of course, we will add a new part of the building, a new wing, completely on the side. Therefore, the view from the front will be very nice
- Wladyslaw Grochowski, president of Arche Group, argued on Radio Krakow in 2022.
However, it is not known whether these plans are fully up to date.
What we do know, however, is that the complex on Hugona Kołłątaja Street is indeed to expand with a new volume, sited perpendicularly to the historic buildings. The new building will be constructed on the site of the previous laboratory, which was burned down in one of the numerous fires. This will create a rectangular square, open to all, which will give a representative character to the corner at the intersection of Kollataja and Mostowa streets. According to the visualizations presented, the new building, will be a subdued, rectangular block with a light-colored facade.
Revitalization of the Szancer Mill in Tarnow, view from the south
© Arche
From the front, a glazed one-story pavilion will be added to the historic buildings of the Szancer's Mill, and the foreground of the building will also be developed. Interesting visualizations show the building from the back, i.e. from the southern side, where the investor does not intend to give up numerous extensions, diversifying the southern elevation.
The interiors are to contain 1,600 square meters of service space, with plans for, among other things, a restaurant and elements commemorating the Szancer family, as well as 170 hotel rooms, including 28 located within the historic walls.
The Szancer Mill before the fire, 2012
Photo: Andrzej Otrębski © CC BY-SA 3.0
When will the revitalization of the Szancer Mill begin?
As announced back in 2022, the revitalization process could take about a year and a half. Now the information is confirmed, although the start of work will be slightly delayed:
Construction will begin in the summer, and the first guests will be able to stay at the hotel as early as 2027. We plan to hold cultural events and community meetings, and the hotel's restaurant will be available to residents and tourists
- informs Magdalena Sidorowicz, sales and marketing director of Arche SA.
Ruins of the Szancer Mill in Tarnow, 2021
Photo: Mateusz Giełczyński © CC BY-SA 4.0
action-revitalization
Szancer's Mill is just one of many revitalization projects currently being carried out by Arche Group - one of the most talked-about recently is the revitalization of the former Paper Factory complex in Konstancin-Jeziorna, and work is slowly beginning on the revitalization of the Szombierki Combined Heat and Power Plant complex in Bytom.
Tarnów itself, although already without Arche, is also carrying out revitalization activities. At the beginning of last year, the revitalization of the 19th-century neo-Gothic Villa Goldmanowka at 30 Gumniska Street, (designed by Karol Politynowski) was completed, and now the city is getting down to revitalizing acupuncture in the market area, popularizing the idea of expanding a burned-down tenement at Rynek 6. A draft update of the Municipal Revitalization Program for Tarnów was made public in 2024, and the activities carried out within its framework are to be coordinated by the Tarnów Revitalization Committee in its new term, which began its activities last October.
