Although the architecture of socmodernism is slowly moving into the pop-culture mainstream, many interesting buildings categorized as part of this trend remain abandoned, still not receiving proper protection or a second chance. Although it is a great example of Sudeten Modernism, and its facades have been seen many times by participants in the Tour de Pologne race, the rotunda of the FWP canteen "Krasnoludki" in Sosnówka has been falling into disrepair for years. Recently, however, something has changed - the entrance to the building has been fenced off, and a sign informing about the construction has appeared on the nets. Will the brutalist roundhouse receive a rescue?
The rotunda became a layout eagerly used by architects and architects of the era of social modernism. Although functionally they did not always offer the highest standard, buildings based on a circular plan were built in many Polish towns and cities, and some of them gained cult status. Suffice it to mention here the irreverent PKO rotunda in Warsaw (but also in Cracow!), the Spodek building impressive in its technical mastery, the futuristic observatory on Śnieżka or the "Kielce UFO," i.e. the Bus Station in the capital of theŚwiętokrzyskieprovince. The circular type was also used for less significant but equally successful projects, in which they often served either residential or gastronomic functions. They are represented, among others, by the Igloo House or the Jordanówka in Cracow and the "okrąglaki" in Białystok. This collection certainly includes the rotunda at 66 Liczyrzepy Street in Sosnówka, which may soon gain a second life after years of falling into disrepair. However, will it be a worthy life?
The rotunda in Sosnówka
Photo: qbanez © CC BY 3.0 | Wikimedia Commons
tipping point in Sosnówka
The Rotunda, wedged between the curves of Liczyrzepa Street, a mountain serpentine at the gates of the Sudetenland, was built in 1982. From the very beginning, the two-story building served as a canteen for the patients of the Karpacz Employee Holiday Fund. The restaurant, run by PSS Społem, was eaten mainly by people living in the numerous post-German guesthouses scattered on the slopes of Upper Sosnovka - the villas that were part of the "Dwarf" holiday homes, built in the first half of the 20th century. Interestingly, the rotunda mentioned in the text was not the only round building in Sosnówka. Holidaymakers also met in the rotunda near the bathing area of the Company Recreation Center - Celwiskoza of Jelenia Góra. There, in addition to a meal, they could count on dansing, and in later years - discos, after which they returned to the Brda-type bungalow estate.
Roundhouse in Sosnówka
Photo: Juandev © CC BY 3.0 | Wikimedia Commons
dinner under the round ceiling
Not much remains of the rotunda itself at 66 Liczyrzepy Street today. What has survived is primarily its structure, based on a reinforced concrete circle, held together by 32 buttresses, between which there used to be rows of tripartite windows. In the center of the rotunda a circular green patio was set aside, which could be viewed through the glazing of the inner circle. Beneath the main, restaurant floor is another story, inscribed into the slope of Skiba (749 meters above sea level), a mountain that rises above Sosnówka.
Although there are no more windows, the walls of the Sosnovka roundhouse are still decorated with fine mosaics in shades of green. After the canteen closed, the furnishings fell prey to hoarders, and the interior quickly fell into disrepair dotted with graffiti by local artists. Today, the Rotunda invites only urbex amateurs and... investors. This is because it has probably been in private hands since 2008, and the current owner is Immobilare Sosnówka.
history rolls on
The first plans for the reconstruction of the FWP canteen in Sosnówka appeared back in 2014. At that time, a project was created to convert the socmodern rotunda in Sosnówka into a residential building with three floors. The lowest one was to house the entrance and garage entrance, while a glass cone-shaped canopy was planned for the top of the building, in place of a circular patio.
Today the project is somewhat different, and has also passed through the hands of different people. The first building permit application registered in the RWDZ search engine dates back to 2017, with Robert Futerhendler (Consulting Project) listed as the lead designer. In 2021 another application appeared (designer Bogna Skrzydlewska-Antos, Biarco), and the last one was submitted last fall. A positive decision for the project by Wojciech Drajewicz (ArCADa) was issued in March 2025, and the type of construction project is:
Amendment to the building permit decision for the reconstruction, superstructure and expansion with change of use of a service building into a residential and commercial building, along with inf. tech.
The investor, Immobilare Sosnówka, has not yet released visuals or more specific information regarding the reconstruction of the rotunda in Sosnówka. However, in a conversation with people connected with the development, we learned some details about the future of the socmodern roundhouse.
Brutalist rotunda in Sudetenland
Photo: MIGORMCZ © CC BY-SA 4.0 | Wikimedia Commons
live in the okrąglak
According to information obtained, the rotunda at 66 Liczyrzepy Street in Sosnówka will become a residential and commercial building, which will include both apartments and apartments for rent, as well as a spa area. All of this will be on four floors - the original two, and another two that will grow on top of the original structure. It is known that the apartments will be located on three floors, while the first floor will house rental units and a service area with technical rooms. Although the building will remain circular, the expression of its facade will change - instead of glass planes there will be balconies. The green patio in the center of okrąglak will also gain a new function. The plan is to place a central staircase there, as well as an elevator that will provide access to the upper floors.
And what will remain of the original building? In addition to the structure, the reinforced concrete ribs-cum-braces, repeated in the added floors, will remain in their places.
The views from the rotunda's windows will certainly be extremely picturesque. What, on the other hand, will be the view of the rotunda itself? This is not entirely known, certainly its proportions will be completely changed - it will no longer be a low traffic circle, as before, but rather a tall cylinder. Reusing existing materials and structures seems to be the right way forward for architecture, which is, after all, one of the main drivers of global warming. But will the architectural heritage of the People's Republic of Poland be preserved along with the building and construction of the rotunda in Sosnówka?
