Warsaw has become the focus of attention for the European architectural community. Park Akcji „Burza” has been nominated for the 19th edition of the EUmies Awards, organised by the European Commission and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe. This list includes 40 projects considered to be the most significant achievements in contemporary architecture on the continent, covering projects from 18 countries.
The EUmies Awards as a barometer of change
The EUmies Awards have been presented every two years for almost four decades. The award serves as a very important reference point for the debate on contemporary architecture in Europe. The jury recognises projects of high design quality, while also analysing their impact on the social, environmental and cultural environment. In recent years, issues related to responsible resource management, user participation and long-term thinking about public space have gained particular importance.
Architecture, city and politics
During this year’s deliberations, attention was drawn to the close relationship between design, urban planning and public administration. This approach was considered necessary for the implementation of the European Green Deal and the creation of spaces that are accessible, sustainable and resilient to future challenges. The list of finalists includes investments from large metropolises and smaller towns, which well reflects the scale and diversity of contemporary European architecture.
Burza Action Park on the map of Warsaw
The Warsaw project, located on the Warsaw Uprising Mound, was created in cooperation between the TopoScape and Archigrest studios and the Warsaw City Greenery Authority. The entire project is a combination of a space of remembrance with landscape and greenery, making use of the terrain. The architects focused on a subtle dialogue between the topography, the important history of the place and the needs of the users of the park and its surroundings.
The symbolic meaning of the Warsaw Uprising Mound
The Warsaw Uprising Mound was built after World War II from the rubble of the destroyed city. For years, this unique place has been associated with the anniversary celebrations commemorating the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising, which take place on 1 August at 9 p.m. The park surrounding the mound, named Park Akcji “Burza” (Storm Action Park), was reopened to the public in the summer of 2023 after extensive modernisation.
Construction of the Warsaw Uprising Mound
The idea of creating a mound from the ruins of Warsaw appeared as early as 1945. Its author was engineer Stanisław Gruszczyński from the Capital Reconstruction Office, who proposed several names, including “Monument to Destroyed Warsaw” and “Mound of Freedom”. The initiator did not live to see his idea come to fruition, and the process of forming the current mound began shortly after the war, when rubble from demolished and dismantled buildings, unsuitable for reconstruction, was brought to Czerniaków.
The difficult fate of the memorial site
For decades, the mound served various functions and was often treated as marginal. In the 1960s, construction waste and rubbish were dumped here, which cemented the colloquial names “Zwałka” (rubbish heap) or “Śmieciara” (rubbish truck). It was not until the end of the 1990s that veterans’ organisations proposed tidying up the area and giving it the status of a national memorial site. In 2004, the Warsaw City Council decided to adopt the name Warsaw Uprising Mound, and on the 60th anniversary of the uprising, the top of the mound was tidied up and stairs were built on the Bartycka Street side.
Aleja Godziny “W”
A several-metre-high sign of Fighting Poland, designed by Lieutenant Colonel Eugeniusz Ajewski, was placed on the paved surface. It is accompanied by commemorative plaques, and the stairs leading to the top were named Aleja Godziny “W” (Hour “W” Avenue). Hundreds of wooden crosses appeared along the route, which were decorated with white and red bands during the anniversary celebrations. Over the years, however, the space needed to be refreshed.
Park Akcji “Burza” – a new concept
Preparations for the modernisation began in 2018, while the main construction work started in 2021 and was completed two years later. The selected concept by TopoScape and Archigrest introduced a clear spatial layout and a number of narrative elements referring to the events of 1944. At the entrance from Bartycka Street, an exhibition dedicated to the reconstruction of the city was planned, where authentic fragments of ruins were placed in gabions along with descriptions.
Architecture as a story
Similar solutions were used along the renovated Godzina “W” alley, presenting details of the former buildings of the capital city recovered from the rubble. The layout of the paths and exhibitions leads visitors through a sequence of spaces reminiscent of a journey through the ruins of post-war Warsaw. At the top of the mound, a two-level viewing platform was built, on which the restored symbol of Fighting Poland was placed on a new pedestal. From 1 August to 2 October, the monument is illuminated with light resembling a flame.
A living tradition of commemorating the uprising
Every year on 1 August at 9 p.m., anniversary celebrations are held on the mound, during which a bonfire of remembrance is lit. The fire is brought from the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the so-called relay of generations, made up of veterans, soldiers, scouts and city guards. The flame burns for 63 days, the same length of time as the uprising lasted. It is one of the most poignant symbols of remembrance of the uprising.
Park Akcji “Burza” and international recognition
The appearance of the “Burza” Action Park among the projects nominated for the EUmies Awards opens up a real opportunity for Poland to win a very important European award in the field of architecture. In this case, the significance of the nomination goes beyond the quality of the project and its spatial values. It refers to the memory of the Warsaw Uprising, an event marked by the sacrifice of thousands of people and the almost complete destruction of the city, more than 90 per cent of whose buildings were destroyed. Recognition of this project on the international stage would be an expression of appreciation for the way in which contemporary Polish architecture is able to responsibly and respectfully address such a difficult legacy.
Source: zzw.waw.pl, label-magazine.com
Read also:Metamorphosis|Museum|Squares, Parks |Greenery|History|Education|Warsaw|Interesting facts
Stairs to the Warsaw Uprising Mound before and after reconstruction. Photo: Shalom, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons and whiteMAD/Mateusz Markowski
The symbol of Fighting Poland before and after reconstruction. Photo: Wistula, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons and whiteMAD/Mateusz Markowski
