Road to Freedom in Poland's North

From March to June 2009, architecture students from Gdansk University of Technology prepared concepts of land development plan for one of the most important places in European post-war history - a promenade called the Road to Freedom, which leads from Solidarity Square to the pier of Dead Vistula, in the field of former Gdansk Shipyard at the Baltic Coastline of Poland.

Many of the proposals took into account the area’s history and the industrial nature of the shipyard, but there were also entirely unexpected concepts.

These are the winning projects:

Dorota Cichoń

“Taking into account the position of “Roads to Freedom”, the quest for a dead Vistula River - the natural desire was to use the idea of water as a symbol of the project of freedom and rebirth. The concept of solidarity promenade commemorations struggle with communism, presupposes the presentation of past events as a “melting” - struggle to live with fire fighting workers zlodowaciaÅ‚ym system.” (Google Translation from here)

Robert Juchnevic, Kalina Kowalska

no description available

Maciej Szylke

“Road to Freedom should be a place where niknÄ… divisions - to connect in this way symbolically with its history. This character can also capture small objects in the architecture, creating a unique atmosphere, for example, by working presented shelters called “Unity”. The world is equipped with two seats, and its form makes it even among the foreign people, kryjÄ…cymi in its shadow, odpoczywajÄ…cymi on both sides creates a kind of a sense of closeness. In terms of material, the world nazwiÄ…zuje to the elevation of the Center for Solidarity. Similarly, in referring to the accent with other elements of small architecture - benches, lamps, Å›mietniki, flagpoles and electronic info.” (Google Translation from here)

Mariola Bugajewska

no description available

Maciej Busch, Kamil Domachowski

“The concept, which proposes the idea was simple assumptions. Cornerstone for its creation were three entities that chararakteryzujÄ… and simultaneously build awareness of the fabric of time, these components to the past, present and future. Past determine cranes, shipyard workers killed and crosses the center of European solidarity. Today is specified by way of free men, the path of freedom. The future is a time not known, undefined space. The factors that led to the creation of composition to water and land, and more specifically their reactions, affecting each other. As far as away from the epicenter, the dynamism of the body relaxes, smoothly combining history with modern times.” (Google Translation from here)

Images of all entries can be found in the competition’s gallery.