A residential community wants to remove the charming ivy that overgrows a tenement at the intersection of Złotników and St. Duch streets in the heart of Gdansk. - This ivy is an undeniably decorative specimen, one of the more recognizable in the Main City. It adds to the charm of the entire tenement, and the entire quarter of Gdansk townhouses, experts from the Pomerania Landscape Conservation Institute point out. The Pomeranian conservationist is trying to resolve the dispute.
The intersection of Złotniki and St. Duch streets in Gdansk's Main Town is a charming corner of the city. There is a tenement overgrown with common ivy (Hedera helix L) with an atmospheric cafe on the first floor. Trouble is, some residents and residents with the apartment community say the ivy is giving them a hard time. As the community's board of directors told Tri-City's "Wyborcza", "the intensely sprawling and overhanging ivy poses a safety hazard." The board pointed out that during winds the plant overgrowing the tenement could damage cars, windows and even... harm passers-by. It was pointed out that the plant damages the facade of the building and restricts access to light.
According to the community, the solution is to cut down the ivy - already at the end of last year the board passed a resolution to remove the plant.
in defense of ivy
The issue of the disputed ivy has caused a lot of controversy in the city. Gdansk Coffee Roasters, which occupies premises on the first floor of the building, has appealed for the preservation of the vine. Also opposed to the eradication is the Gdansk Road and Greenery Board, which manages the road strip from which the disputed ivy grows.
The tenement stands in the heart of Gdansk
mat. PWKZ
Now Dariusz Chmielewski, Pomeranian Regional Monument Conservator, has become involved in the case. The office announced that it would not give permission to remove the ivy, because "there is never enough nature in cities, " but wants to hold a meeting on the matter.
- It is necessary to find a solution that will reconcile both sides: Gdansk Roads and Greenery Authority and the community. We also take into account the social factor - we receive many voices about the need to preserve the ivy," says Marcin Tyminski, spokesman for the Pomeranian conservationist.
Experts: one of the more recognizable specimens in the Main City
It is a myth that ivy harms walls, comments Katarzyna Rozmarynowska, an architect and urban planner, a specialist in landscape architecture and the history of garden art, in an interview with AiB. - On the other hand, at some point ivy grows very intensively, so it requires care and ordinary pruning. Arguments that the plant poses a threat are simply not true. Even if a piece of ivy falls off, it is light and soft, it will not harm anyone. Ivy decorates the building and, importantly, protects the facade from rainfall: it absorbs water and therefore dries the plaster. Importantly, in the summer it protects the building from excessive heat, and in the winter it protects it from heat loss. With the ongoing warming of the climate, every patch of greenery that can lower the temperature in the city even a little in summer is at a premium.
The Institute for the Protection of the Pomeranian Landscape, which brings together experts in the field of spatial planning and the protection of cultural and natural landscapes, also stood up in defense of ivy.
The building is overgrown with common ivy (Hedera helix L)
mat. PWKZ
The ivy specimen climbing the wall of the building on the corner of Holy Spirit and Zlotników Streets is more than 20 years old, and is a healthy, robust and blooming specimen measuring more than 6 meters in height (...). It is undeniably a decorative specimen, one of the more recognizable in the Main City. It adds to the charm of the entire tenement house, and the entire quarter of Gdansk townhouses. (...) In order to prevent the effects of global warming, cities are trying to be more and more green," reads an opinion piece by Prof. Piotr Rutkowski of the UG Biology Department, a member of the IOCP Board.
Prof. Rutkowski added that residents of Gdansk are positive about planting trees in the city or increasing the green space of neighborhoods: trees are being planted, pocket parks are being set up, and flower meadows are being sown.
Planting trees in the quarters of historic tenements can be difficult, so the role of greenery of the city is often played by vines as in the case of the tenement of the Holy Spirit 57. By conducting photosynthesis, the plant contributes to the binding of carbon dioxide and leads to a reduction in temperature in its immediate surroundings. Water evaporating from the leaves absorbs heat from the environment, which lowers the air temperature around the plant. The plant acts as a natural air conditioning system," Prof. Rutkowski stressed.
