Plac Wolnica Goes Back to the Future

A bold design has been chosen for Plac Wolnica’s far-reaching facelift. The winning project was created by the Lewicki & Łatak Office, which beat off 36 rivals in the bid for first prize. The new Plac Wolnica will be almost entirely fashioned from wood. Besides the actual flooring itself, even the lamps and benches will be wooden. The architects will receive a prize of 25,000 złoty, plus the necessary funds to actually carry out the design.

Over the last year, there have been grumblings in the press about too much nineteenth century nostalgia in the approach to public spaces. However, the Plac Wolnica project, although utlising an undeniably ancient material, will be realised in a resolutely modern fashion. The Lewicki & Łatak Office is already well established in Krakow. Led by Piotr Lewicki and Kazimierz Łatak, the firm carried out the remodelling of both Plac Bohaterów Getta and Plac Ksiąźat Czartoryskich. The office also won the prize to revamp Kazimierz’s Plac Nowy, but the project is still awaiting the final green light.