On Haller Avenue in Wrocław there is a modernist building where the Lviv cinema used to operate. The building has been deteriorating for many years, and its abandoned interiors, broken windows and dilapidated façade have become a symbol of the monument’s difficult situation. This is all about to change now that the property has been placed in the municipal inventory. The local authorities ensure that neither a hotel complex, shopping malls nor residential buildings will appear on the site. The announced direction is to restore public functions and save the architectural value of the iconic monument.
“This is the place where not only I, but many citizens and residents of our city learned cinema. I would like to remind you that Wrocław has already communalised another cultural facility, the Pałacyk (Palace) on Kościuszki Street, where we are constantly working on a new function. We want the same thing to happen to the former Lviv cinema. We will make this building serve Wrocław again,” says Jacek Sutryk, the Mayor of Wrocław.
Lviv cinema – history of the building
The building was constructed in 1924-1925 for the Odd Fellows organisation. It was distinguished by its original modernist design and richness of detail. After the association was dissolved during the Nazi period, it was converted into a cinema. After World War II, screenings started under the name Przodownik, while in the 1980s the Lviv cinema became part of the city’s repertoire. The auditorium could seat around 500 people, and balconies provided additional seating. It was an important cultural institution for the southern areas of Wrocław for many decades.
Modernism by Adolf Rading
The author of the concept was Adolf Rading, one of the leading architects associated with the Wrocław modernist community. The designer was instrumental in shaping the face of the city in the interwar period. His realisations include, among others, the villa of Doctor Kriebel in Karol Lipiński Street. The building on Hallera Street has retained its original 1920s elements, including the balcony over the auditorium and the distinctive detail of the façade. The building is listed in the register of historical monuments, which imposes an obligation on the owner to respect its architecture.
Lviv cinema and its difficult fate
After the last screening in 2011, the cinema belonged successively to two private investors. The first planned to convert the building into a fitness centre, which would have required significant reconstruction of the interior. At the time, the conservation officer objected to the projects interfering with the balcony and other historical elements, which broke off negotiations. The subsequent buyer, which was Verdano Investment, did not publicise its vision for the adaptation of the edifice and avoided making statements. on 24 December 2024, Mayor Jacek Sutryk announced that a notarial deed had been signed, under which the cinema passed into the ownership of the city. The transaction amounted to PLN 4.7 million.
Potential directions for the development of the historic building
The city is considering various scenarios to bring the building back to life, with the public function to remain a priority. Solutions are being considered to use the space as a venue for cultural events, intimate exhibitions or conferences, as well as a centre for animating the activity of local creative communities. Also analysed are the possibilities of introducing catering and entertainment services as well as limited commercial activities, which will not exceed 400 square metres of sales area. The entire development is to operate within nearly 3,000 sq m, which opens up room for adapting the future concept without aggressive interference with the historic substance.
The former Lviv cinema reinvented
The takeover of the Lviv cinema by the city opens the way to real protection for one of the most recognisable modernist buildings in the capital of Lower Silesia. The authorities and preservation specialists face the prospect of using the building in accordance with its architectural and social importance. If the right decisions are implemented, it is possible to create a space that will once again become the centre of local culture.
Source: wroclaw.pl
Read also: Architecture in Poland | Monument | History | Wrocław
