The post-transformation history of the revitalization of Victory Square in Piła is a true epic. It would take fingers on both hands to count the concepts that have been developed for the site. However, it looks like the story stretching over two decades has a chance to end. Will it be a happy one? Residents will find out in a few years, but right now we can get a glimpse of the project prepared by Piła-based studio Wojtasik Architects.
Pila's Victory Square is scarred by the tragic history that befell the place. After all, the old town was previously located there - with the New Market surrounded by tenement houses, the "Under the Golden Lion" hotel, well-known in the area, and the Evangelical church, whose soaring neo-Gothic tower towered over the entire establishment. Unfortunately, in 1945 Pila shared the fate of many cities then within the borders of the Reich, disappearing under a hail of Allied bombing. What was recovered was taken away to Warsaw, which was being rebuilt, while the breach left by the picturesque New Market gained a new name - Wielkopolska Insurgents' Square.
Zwycięstwa Square in Piła today
© UM Piła
Later renamed Zwycięstwa Square and festooned with a monument commemorating the thousandth anniversary of the Polish state and the return of the western lands to its borders - it served from the beginning as the new heart of the city, around which post-war residential development was developing. In turn, it was conceived as a space divided into two parts; a "representative" one, paved and decorated with a monument, and a green one, overgrown with lawn and numerous trees. Although the areas around the square have undergone gradual transformations over the years, Victory Square itself has lasted for the past several decades in essentially unchanged form. Now, however, after numerous attempts, it looks like it will finally undergo a major revitalization. What changes are in store for the center of Pila?
Revitalization of Zwycięstwa Square in Piła
design: Wojtasik Pracownia Architektoniczna
Revitalization of Zwycięstwa Square in Piła
It should be said at the outset that the planned revitalization will cover only half of the square - the western part, where the Millennium Monument is currently located, will remain unchanged for the moment. However, this does not mean that the revitalization of the Piła square is a small-scale undertaking, as the study prepared by the Lech and Maciej Wojtasik studio covered an area of 10,000 square meters.
Revitalization of Zwycięstwa Square in Piła
design: Wojtasik Pracownia Architektoniczna
The heart of Zwycięstwa Square in its new look is to become a tree-lined avenue, crossing it on an east-west line. There is already an old promenade there today - after revitalization it will be paved, supplemented with elements of small architecture, as well as a "fountain" in the form of a 90-meter-long stream running through the very center of the avenue. The pedestrian thoroughfare will end on the western side with a view of the Millennium Monument opposite.
Revitalization of Zwycięstwa Square in Piła
designed by Wojtasik Pracownia Architektoniczna
square for two
The alley will also divide Zwycięstwa Square into two main zones. In the smaller, southern one, mainly green spaces are planned, divided into two smaller pocket parks connected by sidewalks and a shelter with swings located between them. This one, according to the green concept, is to be covered with climbing plants. This part of the park will also include a city toilet pavilion and a separate dog run area. What is extremely important, the city authorities assure that the project was created taking into account the preservation of as much as possible of the existing tree stand, which, due to the square's history devoid of major changes, consists of several relatively large specimens.
Revitalization of Zwycięstwa Square in Piła
design: Wojtasik Pracownia Architektoniczna
North of the alley with the fountain, the area of Zwycięstwa Square will be developed in a slightly more varied way. Here the authors of the concept decided on a slightly more regular and clear organization of the space arranged rather like a French-type garden. There will be mainly lawns and flower beds, perpendicularly intersecting paths and a pergola shrouded in vegetation. That's not all, however, as the dominant feature of the planned establishment will also be located here.
Revitalization of Zwycięstwa Square in Piła
design: Wojtasik Pracownia Architektoniczna
The ghost of pre-war Piła
The most striking element of the new concept for Zwycięstwa Square in Piła is certainly the way in which its southwestern corner will be developed. An amphitheater will be built there, but not like in many other Polish cities. It will be separated from the street by two walls in the form of a dozen or so rectangular concrete slabs, suspended on a simple frame, which will serve as a backdrop for various events taking place there. The project also includes the installation of a telebim on one of the walls. The real curiosity, however, is the way the outer faces of the concrete walls have been developed. The slabs, facing the streets surrounding the square, will be covered with a relief decoration, quite literally alluding to the facades of the tenement houses forming the pre-war buildings of the New Market in Piła.
Revitalization of Zwycięstwa Square in Piła
design: Wojtasik Pracownia Architektoniczna
A lawn, carved out of the center of the amphitheater space, is to take care of proper retention and protection from excessive heat. It is this lawn, apart from the stands, that may become the place most often chosen by residents to observe the events taking place on stage.
Revitalization of Zwycięstwa Square in Piła
design: Wojtasik Pracownia Architektoniczna
heads full of ideas
This will not be Piła 2 or 3.0 - as the presented concept is not the first one prepared for one of the key spaces of the city. The post-transformation history of the planned transformation of Zwycięstwa Square began back in 2002 with an architectural competition held by the SARP Poznań Branch, which was won by a team of designers anddesigners from Piła, which included Romuald and Ewa Hausmann, Jacek Semrau, Zofia de Mezer Uciechowska, Jan Sowa and Włodzimierz Łapiński from the "Architekton" design studio. The ambitions were considerable - as we read in an article of the local Pilsen portal, the study work (for such was the competition launched) assumed enrichment of the post-war Victory Square with a wide range of new functions. Among other things, the planned cultural center was to include a cinema, clubs, restaurants and stores, and even office spaces. The centerpiece of the concept, meanwhile, was a tower to serve as the city's town hall. As we know, this idea did not come to fruition, but the city did not stop there.
Revitalization of Zwycięstwa Square in Piła
proj.: Wojtasik Pracownia Architektoniczna
Back in 2012 an unusual thing happened in Piła - the city organized a tender for the sale and development of Zwycięstwa Square, in which the most important criterion was not the price, but the quality of the proposed architectural and urban planning solutions. However, it turned out that no bid came in, so plans to privatize the area were abandoned. Instead, another competition was held in 2014, this time for a project to develop part of the square along with the building of the mediatheque planned there. The winning entry by Warzecha Studio and Taylor Architects Limited envisaged the construction of a several-story, spacious pavilion with a courtyard encompassed by two side wings. As in previous years, the striking concept did not live to see realization.
Revitalization of Zwycięstwa Square in Piła
proj.: Wojtasik Pracownia Architektoniczna
In 2021, the tender for the development of the space was won by Keirra, while two years later Dariusz Malinowski's MalinowskiDesign Urban & landscape studio presented its idea. This time, a fundamental reorganization of the Square was at stake, and its highlight was to become a blue-green space surrounded by a shelter. However, the Warsaw landscape architect's vision will forever remain on paper, as we already know that the latest concept by Wojtasik Architects has been earmarked for implementation. Completion is scheduled for 2027 or 2028, and the investment is estimated at 18 million zlotys.
Revitalization of Zwycięstwa Square in Piła
design: Wojtasik Pracownia Architektoniczna
minimalism at a premium
Compared to the plans the city has floated for Zwycięstwa Square in the past, it seems that Piła has opted for a relatively minimalist solution this time. Is this a bad thing? Not necessarily. It's not difficult to imagine what problems Victory Square would be facing today if concepts developed in the spirit of the first decade of the 21st century were implemented. The construction of the planned mediatheque, while attractive, would, on the other hand, solve only a fragment of the trouble with Pilsen's square, and the chances of success of the visions created in 2021 and 2023 will remain only in the realm of conjecture.
Revitalization of Zwycięstwa Square in Piła
proj.: Wojtasik Pracownia Architektoniczna
A happy ending?
However, it should not be forgotten that the term "minimalist" is highly relative in the case of the new project. There will be really a lot going on in the space of Zwycięstwa Square, especially if the city, in addition to developing the area, will proactively take care to take advantage of all the opportunities that the revitalization will create. It is worth mentioning that, according to the assumptions, it will be a space without architectural barriers, equipped with watering holes for animals and lighting that ensures safety while taking care of well-being. With all this - perhaps most importantly - the first fiddle is still to be played by greenery, so much needed in the centers of modern cities.
