Progress and Seasons in the Park

In April, we are launching the “Progress and Seasons in the Park” programme. This year, the city’s residents will be able to explore Lesław Węgrzynowski Park with us. From spring to autumn, we plan to listen to the sounds of the surroundings, talk about the industrialisation of the area and reflect on the contemporary character of the neighbourhood. Together with specialists from various fields, not only artistic ones, we will conduct workshops, lectures and creative activities for both adults and families with children.  

“Progress and Seasons in the Park” is a public programme where, since last year, we have been reflecting with the public on the dynamics of change and different strategies for living in a time of climate crisis. We look at architecture and post-industrial space, trying to see both the area and its inhabitants, human and non-human.  

“Progress and Seasons in the Park” is the second edition of the programme. It focuses on the themes of progress and natural seasons as if through a lens, this time around the future headquarters of BWA Wrocław on Kolejowa Street.

The former tennis courts in Lesław Węgrzynowski Park, which were used for recreation, will become a place for meetings, talks, workshops and lectures. During them, we will explore the neighbourhood in terms of its post-industrial, historical and contemporary character, as well as the space of the park or the ruderals of Świebodzki Station, located in the immediate vicinity.

Social relationships are also important to us, both contemporary and the stories of residents in pre- and post-war times. It is difficult to combine these perspectives, but they can certainly be woven together to see the wider context of the area’s settlement and history.

During this year’s events, we will invite you to a meeting around the history of the former tennis courts to learn together about their architecture and the profile of their author, Elżbieta Król-Bać. We will discover the history of the post-industrial space on Kolejowa Street, where one of the industrial plants was located in the mid-19th century. The headquarters of the Hofmann Brothers company located there, later the Linke-Hofmann-Werke, and even further, the Kraftpost, gave impetus to the development of the area and the subsequent changes in its urban planning and architecture.

At the former tennis courts in Lesław Węgrzynowski Park, we will discuss the need for gardens in the past and today. Walk, design and plant together with the naturalist and environmentalist Małgorzata and Marian Piszczek. Walk through the ruderalia of Świebodzki Station with writer and ornithologist Stanisław Łubieński. Experience artistic activities and learn about the history of the park, which was originally a hospital garden and a place of respite for nursing home patients.

We will explore the park and its immediate surroundings from different perspectives, including those of children. With different senses we will try to experience and name what surrounds us. In spring and summer we will observe and describe birds, making recordings and broadcasts together. We will invite you to take part in a field game, during which you will learn natural and historical curiosities and solve puzzles and tasks. We will work manually by making handmade paper from plants, and at the end of the summer we will get dirty by creating a neighbourhood landscape.