CSA's "Ribbon of Memory" memorial in Krakow, Poland being built to honor Polish WWII resistance

"Ribbon of Memory" by Vienna-based team CSA is currently being built into a memorial dedicated to Polish World War II resistance fighters in Krakow, Poland. CSA's proposal was the winning entry for the international competition held in June 2013 by the World Association of Polish AK veterans.

The memorial celebrated its groundbreaking on Sept. 27, and completion is expected in 2014.

Below are some images CSA sent us.

CSA's project outline:

"The memorial, an unfolding meandering corten steel ribbon that symbolizes the spirit of a rising power of resistance is dedicated to Polish WWII resistance fighters. It features as the centrepiece of 25 000m2 square at the foot of the Wawel Castle in Krakow. The memorial consists of a terraced courtyard and a ribbon which reveals a carved imitation of the former map of Poland by redrawing a fragment of its historic borders."

"The inner side of the ribbon is decorated with engravings which tell the story of the polish secret state under German occupation between its foundation in 1939 until its end in 1945, incorporating a group of sculptures by Silesian artist Zygmund Brachmanski. They represent male and female civilians as a united group of resistance fighters in their different roles, conspiring and finally emerging as an underground army."

"The project intends to extend the existing historic royal road which leads from Krakow city centre with a promenade flanked by cherry trees and decorative bushes that continues to the place of the memorial. Both the promenade and the memorial are symbolically orientated towards the Wawel castle, the home of Polish kings and poets."

"At the very top end the ribbon carries the anchor; the symbol of the resistance movement (Kotwica). The sculptural form of the ribbon grows to a height of 4.20 meters, pointing into the sky in the direction of the river Vistula. Thus, it represents the brave struggle of Europe’s biggest non-party resistance movement for freedom and independence against two totalitarian regimes during WWII. The memorial square serves for commemorative ceremonial events and demonstrations and is part of the public space of the Boulevard Czerwienski. It can host up to 300 people."

"An embedded vertical column of light in the centre with a minimum height of 50 m will light up on the occasion of important commemorative events, representing those who have fallen in battle. The project adopts a cartographic language, as both the form of the ribbon and the place resemble the boundaries of the former second Polish Republic; it is the territory the resistance fighters fought for from the outbreak of WW2 to its conclusion. The memorial will be an important urban landmark..."

"Lightweight construction and sustainable materials:
The memorial will be prefabricated in a shipyard or a steel plant with montage on site.
The ribbon is made of a two layer structure of prefabricated bended and welded panels, CNC-cut corten plates on the outside and CNC-cut satine mate stainless steel panels which carry the inscriptions, signs and engravings. The ground will consist of pigmented light grey concrete panels that are arranged to form a cartesian grid with spot lights on the ground. The Urban furniture will be made of prefabricated concrete benches covered with granite panels and park benches with wooden seats."

Project Details:

Dimensions:
Length of the ribbon: 70m
Height of the memorial: between 1.60m – 4.20m
Statues: 1.3-1.5 of human body size
Place: 300m²

Project status: 1st prize, competition-winning project - the project has been scheduled for construction
Completion date: The memorial will be completed and inaugurated in 2014
Project costs: in progress
Investor: SZAK Armia Krajowa, The Polish Home Army
Project team: Alexander Smaga, author, project leader
Gilles Chardayre, co-author, project leader
Zygmund Brachmanski, sculptor
Hannah Luegmeyer, visualisations
Ursual Wieser, landscape consultant, AEP Topolis
Izabela Auner-Kargól, organisation

Images courtesy of CSA.

Browse the thumbnail gallery below to see additional diagrams, sections, and more.