Wyspiański Pavilion

Up until 1939, a narrow two-bay townhouse “Pod Lipkami” stood on the smallish plot at ul Grodzka 19. For decades following its demolition, the square where it used to stand was the subject of architectural competitions and discussions concerning its possible development, or any other way of managing the empty space.

These discussions only made real progress in 1998 when the film director, Andrzej Wajda suggested the construction of the Wyspiański 2000 Pavilion (today it is simply called the Wyspiański Pavilion). The idea was anchored in the Kraków 2000 Festival which took place at that time and whose main task was the cultural promotion of the city.

Wajda’s concept assumed that the façade of the building could make use of Stanisław Wyspiański’s three stained-glass works presenting St Stanislaus, Prince Henry the Pious (Henryk Pobożny), and King Casimir the Great (Kazimierz Wielki), which the artist had designed for Wawel Cathedral in a project that was never implemented.

Naturally, Wajda’s idea became the subject of disputes that questioned, for example, the sombre and eschatological climate of the proposed stained-glass decoration. The Saint and the Prince are presented at the moments of their death, while the image of the King – the bare skull wearing the Royal Crown – is what Wyspiański saw after opening the King’s coffin 600 years after his death. Controversies were also raised by the texture of the façade and the whole design of the building by Krzysztof Ingarden. The façade consists of rows of moving brick elements mounted on metal rods, which allow the lighting of the interior to be changed. The Pavilion was opened on 2nd June 2007 as a part of the celebration of the 750th anniversary of the Great Charter of Kraków. The Pavilion is managed by the Kraków Festival Office (KBF), which – in addition to using the Pavilion for conferences and exhibitions – runs a point in the City Information Network here.