It “scares” some people and delights others. Although the modernist train station building in Tarnów Mościce has been listed as a historic monument for several years, its condition seems to be deteriorating year by year. Now, finally, an idea has emerged to restore the building to its former glory— the station in Mościce could become home to a fitness club belonging to a chain owned by a Tarnów multimillionaire. Is a gym an appropriate use for a historic building?
This vision was presented to residents during a press conference by Jakub Kwaśny, the mayor of Tarnów, and Łukasz Dojka, a Tarnów-based multimillionaire and founder of Xtreme Fitness Gyms, one of the largest fitness club chains in Poland. The next Xtreme Fitness Gyms location is set to open within the walls of the modernist train station on Chemiczna Street in Mościce.
The Tarnów Mościce train station building has been listed as a historic monument since 2021
Photo: Andrzej Otrębski © CC BY-SA 4.0 | Wikimedia Commons
A fitness club in a modernist train station
Are these plans realistic? According to the mayor of Kraków, discussions with PKP S.A., the current owner of the building, are already at an advanced stage. The plan involves dividing the property in such a way as to allow unimpeded access for passengers using the nearby platform. In addition to logistical issues, the adaptation of the building may pose a challenge—not only because of its former function but also due to legal protection, as the Mościce train station has been listed in the register of historic monuments since 2021. Despite these obstacles, the investor remains optimistic:
We’re aware of the preliminary estimates; this would require a significant investment. However, considering that Tarnów is the city where we opened our first club and we want to open another one in Mościce, we’re approaching this in a somewhat unconventional way. It seems to me that this is doable if there is a shared commitment from many parties. At the moment, it seems that there is such a will. [...] Given that this is a historic building and considering the scale of the investment, I realize it will require a great deal of commitment, but it would undoubtedly be a unique facility—an exceptional club not only on a Polish scale but perhaps even on an international one.
— says Łukasz Dojka, founder of the Xtreme Fitness Gyms chain, as quoted on the tarnow.net.pl website.
Indeed, the idea of transforming a train station into a fitness club is quite unusual. There are several gyms in the United Kingdom housed in old railway warehouses (including in London and Glastonbury), but none of them are located in a modernist building—and certainly not one as high-class as the Tarnów Mościce station. It seems, however, that the unique architecture, the open-plan interior of the waiting room with its mezzanine, and the large amount of glass in the facades of the Mościce station could serve the purpose that Łukasz Dojka envisions for it.
The Tarnów Mościce station building was constructed in 1976 according to a design by Stanisław Wilkosz
photo: Andrzej Otrębski © CC BY-SA 4.0 | Wikimedia Commons
50 Years of the Historic Tarnów Station
The Modernist station was not the first railway facility in Mościce—previously, thousands of workers commuting daily to the Mościce Nitrogen Works were served by a small, wooden waiting room dating from 1927. A revolution came in 1976, when the modern, late-Modernist Tarnów Mościce station building, designed by Stanisław Wilkosz, was erected on Chemiczna Street. Its most distinctive feature is the massive roof, which projects beyond the building’s glass facade. Supported by two pillars, the structure was intended to shield passengers from the rain as they descended the steps toward the nearby platform. The Provincial Office for the Protection of Historic Monuments in Kraków recognized the station’s architectural merits, adding the building to the register of historic monuments in 2021. Although the interior of the Mościce train station has been inaccessible to travelers since 2012, its interior design, created by Janusz Trzebiatowski and Maria Banaś, also played a key role in the decision to list the building:
An additional artistic value of the station lies in its furnishings, which are meticulously coordinated in terms of aesthetics and materials used. The building’s interior captivates with its comprehensively designed and well-preserved decor, which remains unchanged and is in harmony with the building’s architecture. “Although it is a work created during a time constrained by building codes and technical limitations, reflecting the style of a bygone era, the Mościce station continues to impress with the uniqueness of its architectural and aesthetic solutions,”
— said Magdalena Miszczyk, spokesperson for the Provincial Office for the Protection of Monuments in Kraków, on “Radio Kraków” in 2021.
A New Lease on Life for a Historic Building
The decision to list the modernist train station in Tarnów on the register of historic monuments was prompted by the building’s deteriorating condition and the plans of PKP S.A., which had been trying to sell the building for quite some time (an announcement about the lease offer is still posted on the carrier’s website). The city was interested in acquiring the station, but only for free; therefore, in the absence of offers that would satisfy PKP S.A., the Provincial Office for the Protection of Historic Monuments in Kraków decided to take action and extend the necessary protection to the building.
A distinctive feature of the Mościce station is its roof, which extends beyond the building’s outline
photo: Andrzej Otrębski © CC BY-SA 4.0 | Wikimedia Commons
Once the Mościce station was listed, its sale became much more difficult, as any intervention in the historic structure requires appropriate approval from the preservation office. In 2023, the station was included on the list of facilities slated for modernization between 2024 and 2030. Over the past five years, however, PKP S.A. has been reluctant to carry out the necessary work on the station, which can be explained by the facility’s current passenger volume — according to data from the Railway Transport Office, the average daily passenger throughput at the Tarnów Mościce station ranges from 300 to 499 people.
The Tarnów Mościce train station building has been listed on the register of historic monuments since 2021
Photo: Andrzej Otrębski © CC BY-SA 4.0 | Wikimedia Commons
Is building a fitness club the only chance to restore Tarnów’s modernist landmark to its former glory? Some city residents believe that a library, art gallery, or other cultural facility would be a better fit for the site.
As Jakub Kwaśny, the mayor of Tarnów, revealed in an interview with A&B, the city is currently unable to acquire the building using its own funds, partly due to the purchase of a tenement house located at the corner of the Market Square and the Grand Stairs. Giving the station a new purpose—even a commercial one—presents an opportunity to extend the life of this historic building.
The House of Books in Tarnów is still for sale
Photo: Andrzej Otrębski © CC BY-SA 3.0 | Wikimedia Commons
Modernism for Sale
Another Modernist landmark in Tarnów is waiting for a new opportunity. It is the Książek House, built in 1977, located on Chopina Street in the city center. The building was constructed in 1977 according to a design by Wojciech Pietrzyk, commissioned by Stanisław Książek, a Tarnów physician who, in addition to his residence, also set up his medical practice there. After Dr. Książek’s death, the villa was put up for sale by his heirs—the asking price for the building, along with its valuable furnishings, is 5.5 million zlotys. So far, no willing buyer has been found. Unlike the train station in Mościce, the future of the house designed by Wojciech Pietrzyk is highly uncertain, as the building is not listed in the register of historic monuments.
