The bus station in Gdańsk without conservation protection. The investor plans to demolish it

The Pomeranian provincial conservator of monuments, Dariusz Chmielewski, did not agree to include the bus station in Gdańsk in the register of monuments. The decision was announced by the official website of Gdańsk.

The building is located in Śródmieście, at ul. 3 Maja, next to the Gdańsk Główny station and at the foot of Grodzisko Hill. The owner of the area is PB Górski. The company wants to demolish the current station and implement an investment there including a commercial and service complex with office buildings and a hotel.

According to the presented concept, bus services are to remain in this location, but the station would be moved underground. The space would also be adapted to be used as a place of refuge, in accordance with the requirements for the protection of civilians.

A recreational square has been planned between the new buildings, which will highlight the Grodzisko Hill. The authors of the project also declare that the inscription "PKS Station" will be retained as a symbolic element reminding about the history of this place.

The association fought for entry into the register

The application to enter the building into the register of monuments was submitted in December last year by the Bydgoszcz Association for the Protection of Post-War Architecture (SOAP). The organization argued that the Gdańsk station was a valuable example of modernist architecture from the Polish People's Republic period.

The design of the facility was created in 1968-1969 under the supervision of architect Bernard Cofta. Construction was completed in 1973. At that time, the station was distinguished by its dynamic shape and glass façade, and was intended to serve up to 27,000 people. passengers per day.

This is not the end of the proceedings

The refusal of the Pomeranian Provincial Conservator of Monuments does not definitively determine the future of the building. SOAP has 14 days from the delivery of the decision to submit an appeal via the Pomeranian Conservator to the General Conservator of Monuments.

After the case is resolved by a higher authority, it is also possible to submit a complaint to the Provincial Administrative Court, and then - if necessary - a cassation appeal to the Supreme Administrative Court. If the station is not ultimately granted conservation protection, the investor will be able to proceed with the planned development.

The Gdańsk portal reminds that SOAP activists have already managed to save one building of this type. In January 2021, the railway station in Grudziądz, built in 1960-1962, was entered into the register of monuments.