Between the eastern frontage of the Old Town Market Square and the Sanctuary is plot no. 285/1, with an area of 1,037 m². The plot is owned by the Municipality of Bolesławiec and is intended for the construction of a hotel modelled on a 19th-century building—the Kronprinz (“Crown Prince”) Hotel.
The building is intended to complete the eastern frontage of the Old Town Market Square, which is currently undergoing revitalisation. Kronprinz was one of the city’s most representative and most frequently visited hotels. Among others, Prince Wilhelm and the Saxon Princess Augusta, as well as King Frederick William III himself and Frederick William IV, were guests there.
The tenement houses were among the few buildings to survive the Second World War. They housed, among other establishments, the Piast bar and the Uniwersal shop. Before General Jaruzelski’s visit in December 1974, both were demolished because of their poor technical condition and the risk of a building disaster.
The local spatial development plan provides for reconstructing the building up to the fourth storey and covering it with a hipped roof clad in ceramic tiles, while preserving the rich ornamentation of the façade. Access to the hotel is planned from Kościelna Street. The tenement house will be constructed under the supervision of the heritage conservation officer.
The building is to become a showcase for Bolesławiec and, together with the Market Square development, one of many elements in the revitalisation of the Old Town. As part of revitalisation efforts launched in 2007, the main Market Square and adjacent streets were paved. The façades and lighting of the Market Square tenement houses were also restored. Renovations were carried out in internal courtyards, including the courtyard adjoining the property mentioned above.
Has the time therefore come to develop the empty plot in the Old Town Market Square? After nearly 38 years, is it worth attempting to rebuild the historic tenement houses and revitalise this forgotten place?
Czy pusty plac przed Sanktuarium powinien zostać zabudowany?
The public debate “Empty Square in the Market Square—Should It Be Built Up or Not?” will take place on 26 June in the conference room of the Bolesławiec Cultural Centre–International Ceramics Centre. It will begin at 4:30 p.m..
The debate will be led by Grzegorz Zieliński from the Social Dialogue Centre at the Institute of Process Psychology in Warsaw.
The forum is organised as part of the “Social Revitalisation—Seize the Opportunity” programme, implemented under the Human Capital Operational Programme, Priority I—Employment and Social Integration, Measure 1.2—System support for social assistance and social integration institutions. The project is co-financed by the European Union through the European Social Fund.
(information: Bolesławiec City Hall/ii)