Warsaw’s three squares – Żelaznej Bramy, Bankowy and Teatralny – will soon be transformed beyond recognition. The city council has presented designs and visualisations of the transformed spaces, which are currently dominated by concrete, asphalt and car traffic. The new functional and spatial concepts were developed as a result of a design and consultation process. Public consultations took place in June, November and December 2023. They took the form of workshops where residents and experts were invited to design together. Specialists from MAU Mycielski Architecture & Urbanism were responsible for conducting them.
The aim of the Authority was to define what the combination of the representative functions of the squares should look like and, at the same time, to improve their quality as places for meeting, walking, relaxation and the organisation of intimate cultural events. This is another step towards realising the New Centre of Warsaw project. The main idea is to introduce as much greenery as possible and to give the space of the squares to pedestrians and cyclists. In this way, City Hall wants not only to respond to the challenges accompanying the climate crisis, but also to promote a new model of urban mobility.
Theatre Square circa 1925. Photo by Andrzej Jeżewski, Warsaw in old photographs, Artistic and Graphic Publishing House, Warsaw 1960, p. 84
Theatre Square
The concept for Theatre Square is to create two green areas with organic shapes on the east and west sides, and between them, just in front of the main entrance to the Grand Theatre, a circular fountain called the ‘theatre of water’ is planned. It would be connected by channels to two smaller ponds arranged at the side greens. The whole arrangement would provide an attractive play area for children and a place for adults to relax among trees, bushes and flowers. The concept also envisages that an underground car park could be created in the western part of the square. The facility is planned on the side of the National Theatre, with an exit ramp from Wierzbowa Street.
Bankowy Square
The revised vision of Bank Square harks back to pre-war times to some extent. Instead of a car park next to the Juliusz Słowacki monument, a square with a new water feature is envisaged. On the western side, a pedestrian promenade and another square would appear along the facades of the monumental historic buildings. Almost the entire surface of the square would be covered with trees and various types of greenery, which would be a great change in this concrete-dominated space. Reconstruction of the carriageway, tram tracks and relocation of bus stops are under consideration.
Iron Gate Square
The designers propose to make access to the square easier by building a new pedestrian crossing, connecting it to the Saxon Garden. The site will additionally become greener, gaining new trees and its surface is to become more permeable, in line with the latest design trends. The concept also involves unveiling the façade of the Lubomirski Palace, which is decorated with one of the most representative colonnades in the capital.
Concepts for the new squares are already in place, but we will have to wait at least a few years for their implementation and results.
Source: um.warszawa.pl, architektura.muratorplus.pl, Google Maps
Read also: Architecture in Poland | Places, Squares, Parks | Greenery | Warsaw | Metamorphosis | whiteMAD on Instagram
Topic: three Warsaw squares will turn into oases of greenery! The city showed the projects