It has been eight years since the redevelopment of Święty Marcin Street – one of Poznań’s most important thoroughfares – began. The project has transformed the appearance of this prestigious part of the city, restoring space to pedestrians that had been dominated by cars for decades. Today, the street serves as the city’s showcase and stands as a recognisable example of the comprehensive regeneration of a run-down city centre.
The history of Święty Marcin Street
The history of Święty Marcin dates back to the first half of the 13th century. The name derives from the settlement that developed around St Martin’s Church, the origins of which date back to precisely this period. Over the following centuries, the road leading to the church grew in importance, and following the incorporation of the suburb into Poznań’s boundaries at the end of the 18th century, intensive development of the local area began. Particularly dynamic changes took place in the second half of the 19th century, when the city was under Prussian rule. Impressive tenement blocks, banks, hotels, shops and public buildings sprang up along the street. At that time, Święty Marcin became a highly prestigious address and a grand thoroughfare leading to the Old Town and the Imperial District.
The destruction of Poznań and post-war reconstruction
This dynamic development was halted by the Second World War. The fighting for Poznań in 1945 led to enormous destruction of the city – over half of the buildings lay in ruins. Among other things, the Gothic Church of St Martin was burnt down, many tenement houses were damaged or completely destroyed, and parts of the historic street frontages ceased to exist. After the war, it was decided to rebuild only selected buildings, abandoning plans to restore the entire pre-war urban fabric. In the 1950s, the Party House was built on St Martin’s Street, whilst later on the street’s landscape was significantly altered by the modernist Alfa high-rises, which sprang up on the site of nearly 20 tenement houses along the stretch between Ratajczaka and Gwarna Streets. Some of the buildings in front of St Martin’s Church were also demolished, creating a wide open space in keeping with the urban planning ideals of the era.
St Martin’s Street: a street for cars
Towards the end of the 20th century, Święty Marcin Street remained one of Poznań’s main thoroughfares, though it was gradually losing its former status as a commercial centre. Shops were closing down one after another, and the dominance of cars meant that pedestrians had only a small part of the space at their disposal. Wide carriageways, tram tracks and numerous parking spaces restricted the comfort of everyday use of the street. There was little greenery, outdoor dining areas were a rarity, and the once-prestigious thoroughfare was increasingly losing its urban splendour.
The ‘Centrum’ Programme and the start of the redevelopment
A turning point for Święty Marcin came with the City Centre Programme, drawn up by the City of Poznań and the company Poznańskie Inwestycje Miejskie. The initiative aimed to improve the quality of public spaces, reduce car traffic, modernise the tram infrastructure and increase the amount of green space. The first phase began in 2018 on the section between Gwarną and Ratajczaka Streets. The works were completed in the autumn of that same year. The next phase of the project began in November 2021 and covered the section from Gwarna Street to the University Bridge. The works were completed in 2023. At the same time, 27 Grudnia Street (we wrote about its transformation HERE), Towarowa Street and sections of Ratajczaka Street were being rebuilt, gradually transforming the transport layout of the entire city centre.
A new lease of life for Święty Marcin Street
The scale of the changes was impressive. The entire tram track, including the sub-base and overhead contact line, was replaced, and the water supply, sewerage, power and telecommunications networks were rebuilt. New carriageways with restricted car traffic were created, along with wide pavements, cycle paths and numerous pedestrian crossings. The space was complemented by benches, cycle racks, fountains, new lighting and street furniture. Asphalt and damaged concrete pavements have been replaced by granite slabs and cobblestones, giving the street an elegant appearance and significantly greater durability. The construction work was accompanied by archaeological investigations. Remains of the 19th-century Berlin Gate were discovered, along with the remains of old walls and fences near the Imperial Castle. All finds were thoroughly inventoried and documented before the project continued.
Greenery has returned to the centre of Poznań
The most noticeable change, however, was the new planting. Maple-leaved plane trees, hornbeams, lime trees, ornamental shrubs, perennials and lawns have appeared along the street. The vegetation has been arranged in wide strips separating pedestrian traffic from the tram tracks and between the different sections of the street. In many places, permeable pavements and systems supporting rainwater retention have been installed. Greenery improves the microclimate, reduces the heating of stone surfaces and makes the space more comfortable to use during the summer heat.
One of the most significant regeneration projects in Poland
Not everyone was happy with the scale of these changes – the project sparked much debate from the outset. The most common criticisms centred on the high costs, years of traffic disruption, the reduction in the number of parking spaces, and the decrease in the street’s capacity for cars. Some residents also pointed out the large amount of hard surfaces and the insufficient number of trees.
However, once the subsequent phases were completed, opinions began to change. Residents appreciated the more comfortable pavements, the development of outdoor dining areas, the tidier environment and the significantly higher quality of the materials used. The young trees needed time to grow and bring greenery to the street – today there are a great many of them there. After years of neglect, Święty Marcin once again serves as Poznań’s showcase thoroughfare. It no longer resembles the pre-war thoroughfare, as a significant proportion of the historic buildings were lost in the winter of 1945 and during the post-war redevelopment of the city centre; however, its contemporary form has restored the urban atmosphere and created a pedestrian-friendly space. Eight years on from the start of the redevelopment, Święty Marcin stands as an example of the successful regeneration of a run-down area.
Source:poznan.pl, kultura.poznan.pl
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Święty Marcin Street then and now. Photos: Google Maps and Mateusz Markowski/whiteMAD
