The distinctive above-ground heating pipes on Wróblewski Street in Bolesławiec are slowly becoming a thing of the past. Zakład Energetyki Cieplnej has begun dismantling work, which is the first stage of an investment involving the relocation of the network to an underground system.
The company reported that the insulation of the heating network, consisting of sheet-metal cladding and mineral wool, is currently being removed. The work is being carried out successively, in sections, under the close supervision of a chiropterologist and an ornithologist to limit the investment's impact on protected animal species.
The sheet metal is being dismantled first, followed by the removal of the mineral wool. The next stage will involve constructing a temporary network to ensure that residents have a continuous supply of hot domestic water while the work is carried out.
Once the temporary installation has been prepared, dismantling of the above-ground network and its supports will begin. Excavations will then be made, in which a modern pre-insulated network will be laid. The investment will also include renovating the heating chamber.
The company also announced environmental protection measures. Once the investment is completed, bat shelters and bird nesting boxes will be installed to compensate for the loss of the animals' existing habitats.
The issue of removing the distinctive pipes was already discussed during the April session of the Bolesławiec City Council. At the time, Mayor Piotr Roman announced that the above-ground network would disappear from the city's landscape and that the recovered space could be developed as green space.
One of the ideas mentioned by the mayor is installing animal sculptures. The proposals included bringing back the iconic elephants, which for years were one of Bolesławiec's recognizable features and are still fondly remembered by many residents. For now, however, this remains a concept that will be the subject of further discussion.
The start of the dismantling work means that the investment announced months ago has entered the implementation phase. If everything goes according to plan, one of Bolesławiec's most distinctive features will disappear from its landscape in the near future, making way for modern infrastructure and new land development.