The campaign to return neon signs to the capital of Wielkopolska is being organised by the city hall as part of the ‘Neon Poznań’ competition. Until 20 June, designs for proposed neon signs can be submitted. The best ones will be selected by a group of experts, and the city will subsidise their realisation.
The city council wants Poznań to be lit up again by neon signs. In this way, it will refer to the 1970s, when the city centre was decorated with a multitude of colourful installations. Already in the 1970s, the city was decorated with iconic neon signs from the headquarters of the Poznań Nightingales, the Merkury and Poznań hotels and the Polonez. The Bałtyk cinema also had its own neon sign. Many such installations were created at the time, mainly at today’s streets: Święty Marcin, Gwarna and between Piekary and Ratajczaka.
Poznań in the 1970s was lit up by numerous neon signs. We now want to return to this tradition. The competition is an extension of a similar initiative held last year. At that time, we invited entities from the city centre, but now we are encouraging interested parties from all over Poznań to take part,” says Jędrzej Solarski, deputy mayor.
The best neon signs will be made. The selection will be made by a competition jury, consisting of representatives of the city hall and the Poznań University of Arts. The winners will, however, have to obtain formal approvals for their installation on buildings.
One of the neon signs that has returned to the city centre is the one adorning the Kociak café. The new version of the decoration is the same as it was just a few decades ago. Pleasingly, the iconic café is still a place frequented by Poznań residents after its renovation. It teems with life. We wrote more about the Kociak café neon HERE.
The neon signs that will be characterised by innovation and ingenuity as well as artistic and visual qualities stand the greatest chance of winning. The competition is also open to neon designs whose appearance is reminiscent of those from the 1970s. What matters is how well the decoration fits into the proposed location. The cost of realising the neon sign is also important. The city has secured PLN 100,000 for this purpose. The cost of making one neon sign should not exceed PLN 15,000.
The winning designs will be announced at the beginning of 2025. The regulations and technical requirements can be found in the appendices on the website HERE.
source: UM Poznań
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