Bednarski Park

The idea of establishing a public landscape park in the closed limestone quarry in Krzemionki was put forward in the 1890s. Thanks to the personal involvement and perseverance of Wojciech Bednarski (1841-1914), then a Councillor of the Town of Podgórze – still independent at the time – the idea was soon put into practice. The park was opened on 19th July 1896. Its carefully orchestrated composition was dominated by the landform – the only one of its type – at the foot of limestone rocks. The choice of trees, shrubs, and plants was also carefully planned, as here they are growing in the shadows of the rock faces. The Park was successively expanded – its last section was only opened after the second world war – and today covers 7.2 hectares (17.8 acres).

Plac Lasoty square was designed early in the 20th century together with villa-type development in the style of picturesque historicism (Nos 1 and 2), Art Nouveau (No. 3), and modernism (No. 7). It was here, in the Wisłocki’s villa at No. 3, that a plot inspired by Lt Antoni Stawarz resulted in the bloodless takeover of the city from Austrians on 30th October 1918 after more than 100 years of occupation.