Krakow officials want to buy land from the developer near the Zakrzówek reservoir, which they protected from development a few years ago. The investor brought a lawsuit against the city because he planned to build a complex of apartment buildings there – which he would have been entitled to do if it were not for the ecological use established in this place, i.e. a special form of nature protection. Mediations between the company and the city hall are ongoing.
The Krakow City Hall wants to buy – at market prices – from a Portuguese company land located near the Zakrzówek reservoir, popular among residents and tourists. The area around the former quarry has recently been turned into a parkand swimming pools were created on the reservoir itself, which are very popular in the summer.
However, the area could have looked completely different if it were not for the ecological use established there in 2018 (a special form of protection of a given place in terms of nature introduces different rules of use, e.g. a ban on development). The part of Zakrzówek covered by it is protected because it is the habitat of, among others, smooth snake, great crested newt, fire-bellied toad and blue butterfly.
The use, located between Wyłom and św. Jacek, was established after residents protested the developer's planswho intended to build apartment buildings there. Of the 18 hectares covered by this form of nature protection, 10 belong to the Kraków City Park company. Its president, Jose Eduardo Goncalves dos Reis, recalled that the company has owned the land in Zakrzówek since 2006 and that until recently its plots were intended for development. – I believe that both Polish and local law guarantees that we will be able to obtain high compensation – he said.
Mediation between the city and the developer
The city informed in 2021 that the Kraków City Park company demanded PLN 109 million in compensation for the change. The officials refused, so the developer went to court, suing Kraków for PLN 150 million. It was the beginning of 2021.
So far, the dispute has not been resolved.
– Mediation is taking place in court. We hope that the matter will be resolved amicably. We are ready to negotiate the purchase of this area at market prices – Dominika Jaźwiecka from the city press office told tvn24.pl. In return, the developer would agree to waive any claims before the court. Jaźwiecka emphasized that it is not known yet when the mediations will end or what their effect will be.
The local portal LoveKraków.pl, which was the first to describe the case, reported that this was the second attempt of the Krakow city hall to reach a settlement with the Portuguese company. Kraków City Park did not agree this spring – under the previous president, Jacek Majchrowski – to purchase plots as green areas.
According to LoveKraków.pl calculations, the company could expect from PLN three to four million per construction hectare. In 2016, the city purchased almost 28 hectares from the company (including 11 hectares of water reservoir) for almost PLN 26 million. This purchase was the result of demands from residents who appealed for taking care of this valuable natural area and creating a public park there.
Zakrzówek. What's that?
Zakrzówek Park is a unique project in Poland, in which walking paths and five swimming pools with a depth of 40 centimeters to two meters were created in the area of the former quarry reservoir. The water is surrounded by high cliffs from which, despite the fact that the area was private and fenced, residents and tourists often jumped into the reservoir. Often, they were students celebrating passed exams – the campus of the Jagiellonian University is located right next to it. Unfortunately Jumps into the water often ended tragically. Construction of the park began in August 2019.
The 60-hectare area includes: a swimming area with toilets and showers, walking paths and marked jogging paths, ping-pong tables, climbing walls, observation points, swings, a barbecue area and a picnic area.
The investment cost is nearly PLN 60 million – the construction was entirely financed from the budget of the Kraków commune.
Zalew Zakrzówek was created in 1992 after flooding a former limestone quarry.
Main photo source: PAP/Łukasz Gągulski