New Headquarters 

In 2028, we plan to open the largest headquarters of the BWA Wrocław Galleries of Contemporary Art. It will be located at 63 Kolejowa Street – in the building where, in the days of Breslau, the assembly and repair hall for the yellow Kraftpost postal buses operated. 

The construction of the new BWA headquarters is the largest investment in contemporary art in Wrocław since the European Capital of Culture – of immense significance for the city and the region. 

The new BWA will cover an area of approximately 4,000 m², comprising two exhibition halls measuring 1,000 m² and 230 m², with the possibility of adding a third hall of 500 m² and a height of 6 to 10 metres. The building will also house a video art presentation room, an educational room, a multifunctional foyer (500 m²) and a 250 m² auditorium. The latter will be used for performances, film screenings and smaller concerts. The architecture of the new headquarters, thanks to the possibility of direct access to the hall for delivery vans and lorries, will allow for the display of large-scale works of art. In addition to the rooms designated for art exhibitions and cultural and educational activities, the new BWA will include recreational and utility spaces: a regeneration area, a quiet room and a canteen. Thanks to cooperation with the National Institute of Museums, the building will meet the highest standards of heritage conservation. 

The process of creating the new headquarters for BWA Wrocław has been ongoing for many years and is currently being led by the institution’s director, Maciej Bujko. At various stages, the project has involved and continues to involve artists, activists, former and current staff, as well as city officials and dozens of committed individuals who form a broad, cross-divisional coalition in support of an art centre in Wrocław. The result of this work will be an institution serving both exhibition and community functions, whose statutory mission will be to operate in the fields of contemporary art, design disciplines and post-artistic activities. 

The building is adjacent to Lesław Węgrzynowski Park, which, together with the greened and opened-up square in front of the gallery, is intended to create a shared, sustainable, green space for art and regeneration. The conversion and refurbishment of the old assembly hall is being carried out in partnership between the City of Wrocław and PFR Nieruchomości. This type of cooperation is in line with PFR Nieruchomości’s strategy, which, by developing residential estates, revitalises degraded areas in city centres and creates a harmonious urban fabric whilst respecting local cultural and historical values. 

Artists are involved in the creation of the new headquarters. Anna Szpakowska-Kujawska, co-initiator of the Wrocław 70 art symposium, has designed the installation Wędrowcy (The Wanderers), which will be realised by Jerzy Kosałka and Tomasz Opania on the building of the new BWA. Olaf Brzeski, winner of the Wrocław Art Award, will create a work in the garden area on the square in front of the hall. Anna Orłowska, a photographer and visual artist, together with the PROLOG architectural studio and Łukasz Izert, has developed a visual brief for the new BWA Wrocław headquarters, serving as a kind of guide for the architects designing the institution’s interiors. Meanwhile, a group of creators, artists and researchers are taking part in the long-term project Expedition to the 17th Meridian, during which they are conducting artistic and material research centred on the immediate surroundings of the hall and the historical region of Silesia. The list of participating artists is open and continues to grow. 

Would you like to stay up to date with the development of the new BWA Wrocław headquarters? 

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