A year has passed since the results of the architectural competition for the reconstruction of the Saxon Palace on Piłsudski Square in Warsaw were announced. However, there is still no contract for design work. The commencement of the announced in-depth archaeological research is also delayed.
The competition results were announced on October 12, 2023. On this occasion, a special ceremony was organized, attended by the President of the Republic of Poland, Andrzej Duda, and the then Minister of Culture in the PiS government, Piotr Gliński. According to the jury, the best concept for the reconstruction of the Saxon Palace, Brühl Palace and the tenement houses at ul. Królewska was presented by the experienced WXCA studio. The same office designed, among others: the monumental building of the Polish History Museum on the Citadel or the so-called square of five corners.
The organizer of the competition was Pałac Saski, and the direct operator was the Association of Polish Architects (SARP).
The contract is still not ready
The commissioning of both palaces and tenement houses is planned for 2030. However, a contract for design work has not yet been signed. We ask Sławomir Kuliński, spokesman for Pałac Saski, why it is taking so long.
– By allocating very significant amounts of money from the state budget for this purpose, the company must exercise extreme care in designing the contract on the basis of which they are to be spent – emphasizes Sławomir Kuliński in his response to our editorial office. He explains in quite general terms what the delay is.
Kuliński explains that the first outline of the contract was prepared at the turn of 2023 and 2024. But the management board of Pałac Saski decided to prepare a new project that “will take current realities more fully into account.” What is it about? This included in-depth archaeological work, which was to begin in the second half of this year. – A decision was made to expand their scope. Obtaining appropriate permits and making arrangements regarding this matter is, unfortunately, time-consuming – points out Kuliński. Even the approximate start date of the work is not known yet.
The company's spokesman also emphasizes that the contract must specify the terms of cooperation with the design studio more precisely than in the original project. – The company's intention is to sign the contract as soon as possible, of course after obtaining, among others, the legally required approval of the Prosecutor General's Office – emphasizes Sławomir Kuliński.
Preparatory work
At the same time, the company's representative emphasizes that the preparatory work for the investment is intensive. He enumerates that these include, among others: study work and external consultations regarding possible material and technological solutions. In addition, a program of conservation works on the palace relics is being prepared, as well as preparation of 3D scanning of the excavated stone and brick elements of the former facades of the Brühl Palace, the Saxon Palace and the Beck Pavilion.
– The company's architects constantly – using, among others, further acquired archival materials or 3D scans of excavated artifacts – with attention to the smallest details, clarify our knowledge about the appearance of the western frontage of Piłsudski Square in 1939. Communication and educational activities are also continued, adds Kuliński.
History of the Saxon Palace
The Saxon Palace, which was built as a result of the expansion of the 17th-century palace of Jan Andrzej Morsztyn, was rebuilt many times in the following centuries. During the Second Polish Republic, it was the seat of the General Staff of the Polish Army, and the neighboring Brühl Palace was the seat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
After the destruction of the Saxon Palace by the Germans at the end of December 1944, the only trace left of it was a fragment of the three central arcades, in which there is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier – a symbolic grave commemorating nameless soldiers who died in defense of Poland, a place of celebration of the most important national holidays.
In accordance with the provisions of the Act of August 11, 2021 on the implementation of investments, the reconstructed buildings will be intended for the needs of the Chancellery of the Senate of the Republic of Poland, the Masovian Voivodeship Office and cultural and social institutions.
SASKI PALACE – Warsaw. Saski Palace – general view. 1939 – 1944 LEAVES
The act obliges to rebuild
The estimated cost of reconstruction is approximately PLN 2.5 billion. However, it should be emphasized that these are estimates from three years ago. The investment has many supporters and opponents. Opposition to the reconstruction was manifested by politicians, but also by architects, urban planners and art historians.
After the change of government, questions arose about the future of the investment. In a February interview for the weekly “Newsweek”, Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz, who was then the Minister of Culture (he won a seat in the European Parliament in the April elections), assured that the palace would be rebuilt.
– The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is the only altar of the homeland we have – emphasized Sienkiewicz. – The only place in Poland that still unites all Poles, regardless of political views, religion and all other differences. And this altar has a hotel with a casino on one side, and a large building on the other where gentlemen sit and spend cash – he said. – I want to rebuild the Saxon Palace so that it will be a dominant feature of the surroundings of the most sacred place in Poland – he added.
Hanna Wróblewska took over Sienkiewicz's portfolio. In June, “Gazeta Stołeczna” asked the Ministry of Culture whether the ministry's involvement in reconstruction had changed under the new management. “The Act of August 11, 2021 obliges the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage to implement the investment in the reconstruction of the Saxon Palace, Brühl Palace and tenement houses at Królewska Street in Warsaw,” the ministry replied to “Stołeczna”.
Main photo source: WXCA studio