Demolition in Krapkowice. This is how our landscape is impoverishing

A month ago, at 6-8 Prudnicka Street in Krapkowice, the demolition of centuries-old Silesian homesteads took place. They were among the few surviving complexes of this type with a local building tradition. The demolition was not forced by a threatening catastrophe or other sudden event. It was the result of an investor’s decision, which he took fully legally, with the complete passivity of the heritage protection system. Polish towns and villages have been facing this alarming practice for years. Our attention to the whole case was drawn to Agata Jonecko, who described the demolition on her Facebook profile.

Demolition in Krapkowice instead of adaptation

The building on Prudnicka Street had long been listed for demolition. An information board placed on it announced a future residential development with service functions. In 2024, the investor obtained a building permit for a new building, and the existing buildings were treated as an obstacle requiring removal. Meanwhile, their technical condition allowed for renovation and adaptation to new functions. Agata Jonecko drew attention in social media to the imminent removal of this development, but this did not translate into any reaction from the Krapkowice authorities or other institutions.

Lack of reaction from the authorities and the conservator

Faced with this ignorance, we sent a letter to the mayor of Krapkowice, the district starost’s office and the Voivodeship Office for the Protection of Historical Monuments in Opole, trying to establish on what basis the demolition of these historically priceless buildings was allowed. We inquired about the consents granted, the assessment of the value of these buildings in the eyes of the various authorities, and whether any solutions other than their complete removal had been considered. We were also interested in what was to be built on the site and whether the authorities had addressed in any way the implications of such a decision for the local urban area. After a short time we received a response.

Responses from offices and formal helplessness

Krapkowice Town and Municipality Office informed us that the property belonged to a private owner and that the municipality had no connection to the case. The letter also stressed the lack of inclusion of the buildings in the municipal register of monuments. However, the County Office confirmed that a demolition permit had already been issued in 2020, pointing out that the investor’s actions were in line with current legislation. The response also included a statement that the owner has full discretion over his properties, as long as the buildings are not subject to conservation protection.

Demolition in Krapkowice – the position of the conservation officer

The Opole Voivodeship Historic Preservation Officer further explained to us that his consent for the demolition was not required because the buildings were not in the register of historic buildings or in any records. The local development plan, on the other hand, did not contain any provisions restricting their removal. In conclusion, the buildings were demolished legally, as no one saw any value in them worthy of preservation for future generations and for the protection of Krapkowice’s historic landscape.

Krapkowice as part of a wider phenomenon

What happened at Prudnicka Street in Krapkowice is not an isolated incident. In Silesia and other regions of Poland there are still a significant number of buildings of high historical value that are not covered by any form of protection. This applies to entire building systems as well as to individual buildings. Private owners and developers take advantage of this legal loophole and demolish what they like, and local authorities show practically no initiative in safeguarding local heritage. This is how our culture is leaving.

The consequences of thoughtless demolition

Massive demolitions of local buildings lead to the disappearance of priceless complexes in villages and towns. In their place, haphazard buildings appear, based on repetitive designs, detached from local proportions, traditions and materials. Such a space loses its recognisability and the inhabitants lose further points of reference linked to the history of that particular place. Over time, this leads to indifference towards the surroundings and seeing them solely through the prism of market value.

Law as an alibi for destruction

The demolition of the Krapkowice homesteads exposes the infamous mechanism in which the lack of registration becomes an excuse for the total passivity of public institutions. Responsibility is blurred between offices and the argument of legality replaces reflection on the consequences of this thoughtless decision. As a result, more fragments of regional culture are lost, without any attempt at documentation, adaptation or even public debate about the value of such sites.

Demolition in Krapkowice that cannot be undone

The demolition of historic buildings is a process that cannot be reversed. Along with them, knowledge of local building techniques, proportions and old ways of shaping the space of villages and towns is disappearing. Krapkowice, without a blink of an eye from the authorities and the conservation officer, has lost part of its priceless identity. The homesteads on Prudnicka Street will be replaced by something completely stripped of its local context. When will the law and administrative indifference stop condoning the permanent impoverishment of our cultural landscape?

Source: Agata Jonecko/facebook