Although Zlockie has for years remained in the shadow of the more popular Muszyna, it has recently been gaining importance as an independent health resort. The new status has opened up opportunities for the town to make thoughtful investments in public space. One of the first will be an intimate promenade - designed with residents and visitors in mind, with an emphasis on greenery, functionality and local character. And this is just the beginning of big changes in this small town.
Zlockie is one of the youngest Polish spas. Although its qualities were recognized as early as the 1970s, when therapeutic activities began there, for many years it performed in tandem with the much larger - and more recognizable - Muszyna. Since 2021, however, the village of Zlockie has been an independent health resort, which has opened up completely new opportunities - investors and new sources of funding have emerged, which Zlockie does not intend to miss. The Muszyna municipality announces the construction of a promenade, which in the future could become much more than a pleasant walking route.
Promenade in Zlockie
proj.: PM Projekt © Arch. UMiGU Muszyna
promenade through the resort
A 1.6-kilometer-long section, located in Zone A of the Zlockie Health Resort, has been earmarked for construction. The promenade will begin near the southern border of Zlockie, at the point where Muszyna's Zazamcze Street ends. It will continue through the initial section of Zlockie's main thoroughfare.
Promenade in Zlockie
proj.: PM Projekt © Arch. UMiGU Muszyna
The construction of the promenade assumes the organization of three separated traffic routes - car, bicycle and pedestrian, between which green belts are planned. Along the entire length of the promenade there will be small architecture in various forms. Classic benches are planned, as well as circular seats wrapped around plantings, and deck chairs. There will be bicycle infrastructure and a public restroom.
Promenade in Zlockie
proj.: PM Projekt © Arch. UMiGU Muszyna
Pocket parks are also being designed along the promenade, which will add variety to strolls and create a place to rest. The small green spaces will take the form of "branches," separating themselves from the main pedestrian routes and running parallel along winding paths. One of the pocket parks was designed in more geometric forms, with a square filled with flowerbeds, while another took the form of small, circular squares, scattered along a short alley. The presented materials show a graduation tower, which is also to become part of the developed area.
Promenade in Zlockie
proj.: PM Projekt © Arch. UMiGU Muszyna
The author of the project documentation is the PM Projekt design studio from Podegrodzie with which Janusz Wojdak, Jerzy Raś and Grzegorz Szczurek cooperate. The cost of the project is calculated at nearly 9.5 million zlotys - 85 percent of this amount will be covered by grants received for these purposes.
Promenade in Zlockie
proj.: PM Projekt © Arch. UMiGU Muszyna
botanical corridor
The promenade, however, is only the beginning of the planned works in Zlockie. The development concept, presented early last year, shows that much more spectacular investments may be realized in further stages. In addition to a viewing tower with a "culture garden," an amphitheater stage or a spa house, there is also an idea to build an unusual botanical garden. This one would take the form of a linear, open premise, through the center of which runs a long "corridor", covered by a wooden structure clad with large glazing.
Promenade in Zlockie
proj.: PM Projekt © Arch. UMiGU Muszyna
Although the plans are impressive, at this point only part of the promenade has been earmarked for construction, as Muszyna's mayor, Jan Golba, pointed out in an interview with Gazeta Krakowska last year:
This health resort has started to develop again, we too as a municipality do not have to realize all the investments shown on the visualizations, this can be handled by other entities, we indicate the place and also give an idea
The new life of Metalowiec
The planned promenade is part of a larger puzzle, in which not only the public sector, but also private entities will find their place. The most important of these will certainly be the Arche Group, which in 2022 began work on revitalizing the modernist "pearl" of Zlockie, once called the "Star of the Mountains." The building in question is the Sanatorium Metalowiec, which was built for the Association of Polish Steel Mills in the 1960s. Jerzy Szanajca, an architect who specialized in modernist buildings with medical functions, was responsible for its design. His other projects include the Provincial Specialized Hospital in Biała Podlaska (1986) and the Tuberculosis Hospital in Czerwona Gora (1971) He was also a co-author of the SBO System, used in the construction of many of the housing estates being built from large slabs.
Revitalization of the Metalowiec Sanatorium in Zlockie
© Arche Group
The Arche Group, known for its revitalization of historic complexes, takes the subject very seriously - in 2022 it even announced that it was looking for postcards and other source materials that would allow the restoration of the destroyed elements of the Metalowiec Sanatorium in a form as close to the original as possible. There will also be something to conserve, as there are quite a few original elements preserved in the historic building - including numerous pieces of furniture and an abstract pool mosaic with a solar motif, designed by Kazimierz Mann.
Revitalization of the Metalowiec Sanatorium in Zlockie
© Arche Group
cooperation pays off
It's worth mentioning that the undertaking implemented by Arche is a relatively unusual project. In Polish conditions, similar revitalizations are mainly carried out on post-industrial buildings dating back to the 19th or early 20th century. However, Arche Group has experience in this matter - their portfolio already includes the renovated Militia Sanatorium in Nałęczów from 1983. Will a tourist revolution await Zlockie thanks to simultaneous efforts on the part of the village, Muszyna municipality and private investors?
