Paweł Kirschke, an architect and historic preservation specialist, has passed away

On August 7, 2026, at the age of 71, Professor Paweł Kirschke, an architect, researcher, and specialist in historic architecture, who had been associated with the Faculty of Architecture at the Wrocław University of Technology for many years,passed away.

Paweł Kirschke had been associated with the Wrocław Faculty of Architecture since 1974, when he began his studies at the University of Technology. In the 1980s, he began his research and teaching career at the Faculty, in 1993, he defended his doctoral dissertation on the architecture of Wrocław’s department stores and commercial buildings, and he earned his habilitation in 2016 with the thesis “Theory and Practice in the Revitalization of Commercial Public Buildings in Wrocław.”

For many years, he headed the Department of Architecture of Social and Service Facilities, as well as the Chair of Public Architecture, Fundamentals of Design, and Environmental Planning. He served as the advisor for 260 master’s theses, 55 engineering theses, and three completed doctoral dissertations.

He combined academic work with design practice. In collaboration with his wife, Krystyna Kirschke, he ran the Kirschke Design Studio since 1992 . He worked as part of the Maćków Design Studio team during the restoration and expansion of the iconic Renoma department store in Wrocław.

Renoma department store in Wrocław

photo: Barbara Maliszewska | Wikimedia Commons © CC BY-SA 3.0 pl

We began our collaboration with Paweł and his wife Krystyna in 1995 with our first small projects, which were still drawn by hand. I believe it was in 1998 that we helped with the survey of the Feniks Department Store on Wrocław’s Market Square, and that several-month collaboration laid the foundation for our professional relationship over the next three decades. Once we started receiving various small commissions on our own, our first call was always to Paweł. We knew that despite his many responsibilities, he would always find the time and attention to support us in those early, rather daring projects. That’s how our extraordinary professional adventure began—marked by successive projects and culminating in the Renoma, revitalized in 2009. Our Master and Mentor has passed away, but above all, he was a Friend of the studio, full of empathy and warmth

— write the architects from the Maćków Design Studio team.

Among other things , he prepared expert reports and guidelines for the renovation project of the Main Train Station in Wrocław (design: Grupa 5 Architekci), and he also served as a conservation consultant during the conversion of a former bakery building into the BaseCamp student residence (designed by Grupa 5 Architekci).

Wrocław Main Train Station

photo: Jednozgloskowiec | Wikimedia Commons © CC BY-SA 3.0

Paweł’s lectures were never detached from reality—he based them on specific buildings, ongoing research, design decisions, and experiences gained during project implementation. He showed students not only the final result but also the path leading from identifying a problem to a responsible solution. [...] As colleagues, we will remember Paweł as a good friend, a wise boss, and an attentive mentor. He supported us in our professional growth and helped us through difficult situations—always tactfully and with respect for others’ opinions and needs. He was able to recognize the potential in younger employees and encouraged them to take on new challenges, roles, and responsibilities. He shared his experience, offered wise advice, and motivated us to work, while at the same time leaving room for independent decisions and our own paths. He did not seek the limelight—he was able to remain in the background and take genuine joy in the growth and successes of others. He did so with his characteristic modesty, calmness, and class

— recalls the architect’s community at the Faculty of Architecture at the Wrocław University of Technology.

The funeral service took place on August 18, 2026, in the chapel at the Osobowicki Cemetery in Wrocław.

compiled by: Ola Kloc