Warszawskie Stare Miasto z perspektywy urzędnika

• Authors: JANIAK JÓZEF MATEUSZ

Title variants

EN

The Warsaw Old Town from the perspective of civil servant

• Languages of publication: PL EN

Abstracts

EN

The Old and New Towns in Warsaw, and Mariensztat, especially the Old Town Square and the New Town Square, are one of Europe’s unique urban ensembles, rebuilt after the World War II with the support of the entire population of Poland. Although not fully reconstructed in its pre-war form, their unique cultural, material and historical values, which are cherished by the whole Polish State and Nation, cannot be overestimated. The Old Town and the New Town in Warsaw, the capital city of Poland, combine to form an exceptional ensemble, which deserves special attention, protection, and interest from the local authorities. Warsaw’s Old Town was entered in the Register of Monuments in July 1965, initially as an urban plan. Over time, the individual spatial arrangements of its streets and squares, as well as over 200 individual architectural monuments, started to be registered as monuments under separate official decisions. In 1980, the area of the Old Town, now a residential district, was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List as a unique example of comprehensive reconstruction of an urban ensemble that had been intentionally destroyed in the physical sense. Following this, the Old Town was declared a Monument of History under an Order of the President of Poland of 8 September 1994. Certainly, the fact that the Old Town is covered by such strict protection by the conservator has an effect on the lives of its residents in a number of ways. Admittedly, although the old town community is not very numerous (several thousand residents) and most of its members are adult and elderly citizens, their daily life amidst such a unique group of monuments, which, according to annual statistics is visited by more than two million tourists from Poland and abroad each year, is different from life in other parts of the city. Therefore, the city authorities see the need to pursue a particularly coherent and far-reaching policy which is reflected in the activities of the Śródmieście District Office of Warsaw City Council, which has appointed an independent Coordinator for the Old and New Towns and Mariensztat. The Coordinator, who is employed in the Organisational Department of the Śródmieście District Office, is mainly responsible for working together with the associations, organisations and institutions active in the Old Town and New Town, especially as regards any vital matters concerning the area and its residents. Day-to-day and ongoing contacts are maintained with associations of Warsaw residents, enthusiasts of Warsaw, artists representing various fields of culture and art, war veterans and entrepreneurs, the last group including a large number of restaurateurs. The cooperation referred to above includes liaising with a number of cultural institutions, such as museums, archives and libraries, including the Museum of Warsaw (together with the Heritage Interpretation Centre), the Museum of Literature, the Royal Castle, the State Archive in Warsaw, the Central Archives of Historical Records in Warsaw, and the Old Town Branch of the Public Library in the Śródmieście District. The cooperation results in regular and occasional events, including exhibitions and anniversary celebrations. The Coordinator is also responsible for working together with the Old Town Community Council, representatives of the various city administrations, especially as regards a broad range of real estate-related matters, and with the services responsible for maintaining safety and order. Crucial importance is attached to coordinating and streamlining the way information is communicated to residents and ensuring that they can easily contact the individual departments of the District Office to handle their affairs. Efforts are also made to improve the flow of information to the citizens and housing communities, and ensure seamless cooperation with the Plenipotentiary of the City Mayor for the Management of the UNESCO World Heritage. The key postulate of the Old Town inhabitants is to preserve the residential character of their quarter, while taking into account its touristic, artistic, educational and awareness-raising functions. Another key issue they stress is the availability of stores and service providers, and the need for more parking space as well as limiting the number of two-wheeled vehicles, including bicycles, in the narrow streets of the Old Town. The local community show great care for the environment in which they live, including such elements and aspects as street furniture, green areas, lighting, and cleanliness in the streets and squares. By inscribing the Old Town in the UNESCO World Heritage List, and thus confirming its global uniqueness, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee obliged the manager to comply with the requirements resulting from the ratification of the 1972 World Heritage Convention, which includes the preparation of a site management plan. The management plan for the Historic Centre of Warsaw provides inter alia for the establishment of the post of Coordinator/Plenipotentiary for the Old and New Towns and Mariensztat, along with the associated tasks, as laid down in the Organisational Regulations of the Śródmieście District Office of the Capital City of Warsaw. Of particular note is the invaluable contribution made to the management of the area by its residents, as well as tenants’ and other associations, and other activists and organisations who build lasting and meaningful relationships ensuring the continuity and permanence of the Old Town and its surrounding areas, as well as their preservation in unchanged form. However, the Old Town is also facing major challenges, including those associated with its location. Lying partly on the Vistula Slope, the Old Town has posed a great challenge to the city as a whole and to the district itself because of the geology of the area, the urban structure, and the density of the buildings within its historic core, including the underground installations used by the residents and users on a daily basis. However, this has been addressed by the activities carried out over many years to ensure the safety and harmony of the Old Town, and to preserve the beauty of the extraordinary UNESCO-listed urban townscape of the rebuilt area for future generations.

Keywords

PL

Warszawskie Stare Miasto; warszawska Starówka; Warszawa; Stare Miasto w Warszawie; wartości Starego Miasta; Pomnik Historii

• Publisher: Narodowy Instytut Dziedzictwa
• Journal: Ochrona Zabytków
• Year: 2017
• Issue: Dodatek Specjalny. Dziedzictwo w Polsce.
• Pages: 161-164

Dates

published

2017

Contributors

author

JANIAK JÓZEF MATEUSZ

• Główny specjalista ds. Starego i Nowego Miasta oraz Mariensztatu. Dzielnica Śródmieście Urzędu m.st. Warszawy
• Chief Specialist for the Old and New Towns and Mariensztat. The Śródmieście District Office of Warsaw City Council

Identifiers

ISSN

0029-8247