It has been standing empty and deteriorating for years. The Tarnów Mościce railway station is an example of late modernism architecture. Despite its qualities, the building has not been renovated. However, it is protected from demolition by being entered in the register of monuments in 2021.
Passengers using the Mościce station in the early 1970s had a small building with a ticket office and waiting room at their disposal. In 1976, however, a new, larger station was built according to a design by a team of architect Stanisław Wilkosz from the Railway Design Office in Kraków. The result was a single-space building with a mezzanine level, the walls of which were almost entirely glazed. The interior design especially for this building was done by Janusz Trzebiatowski and Maria Banaś from the Cracow branch of Pracownia Sztuk Plastycznych.
The new station building then gained a large canopy that led to platform 1, allowing passengers to walk to the train while being sheltered from rain and snow. In 2021, the building was entered in the register of historic buildings, along with the interior design. The conservator appreciated the coffered ceiling of the waiting room, the staircase with mezzanine, the clock, the lighting, the original seats and the floor. It is a comprehensively arranged space that has been created to fulfil its primary function of efficiently serving passengers.
Despite its aesthetic qualities, the building is today in a terrible state of repair. The building is owned by PKP S.A., which has no plans to renovate the station as yet.
It is not just about spending 5, 10 or 15 million zlotys. The question is, what next? Will there be a beautiful building that stands empty and generates costs? We are at the stage of considering the possibilities. (…) Travellers are no longer waiting in station buildings half an hour before departure. 80 per cent of tickets are bought online or via an app. Therefore, this facility is not necessary today. If the local government wants to take it over – we don’t see a problem,” reads a statement by the vice-president of PKP S.A. Dariusz Grajda on the radiokrakow.pl website.
For years, railwaymen have used a tried-and-tested format when renovating stations, which involves the local authority taking over part of the building space. The cost from renting such a facility positively impacts the financial balance of the whole project. Tarnów Mayor Jakub Kwaśny is open to such cooperation, but first expects the railwaymen to renovate the station.
The decision of the conservator of historical monuments, who in 2024 recommended, among other things, that the roof be replaced, is still in force. The deadline for this work is 31 December 2026. But when will the comprehensive renovation take place? For the time being, the railwaymen have not made a decision to start the work. Residents must therefore be prepared for the abandoned modernist railway station to be with them for many years to come.
source: Radio Kraków
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