Kielce Bus Station

Kielce Bus Station
Dworzec PKS w Kielcach

Kielce Bus Station with a distinctive UFO saucer-shape
Location Czarnowska 12
25-504 Kielce
Poland
Coordinates 50°52′32″N 20°37′18″E / 50.87556°N 20.62167°E / 50.87556; 20.62167Coordinates: 50°52′32″N 20°37′18″E / 50.87556°N 20.62167°E / 50.87556; 20.62167
Owned by City of Kielce
Operated by Zarząd Transportu Miejskiego
Construction
Architect Edward Modrzejewski
Other information
Website dworzec.kielce.pl
History
Opened 20 July 1984 (1984-07-20)
Location
Kielce Bus Station
Location within Poland

Kielce Bus Station (Polish: Dworzec PKS w Kielcach) is a bus station in Kielce, Poland. It is a novelty architecture type of a building, shaped to resemble a UFO.[1] Opened in 1984, it was seen as one of the more modern bus stations of its kind in Poland at that particular time.[2][3]

History

The building was constructed from 1975 to 1984,[3] and opened on 20 July that year, two days before the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the People's Republic of Poland.[4] It was designed by Polish architect Edward Modrzejewski.[4] The facility was seen as highly advanced in terms of its overall capacity,[2] and quickly became a minor tourist attraction and one of the landmarks of Kielce.[4] It was designed to accommodate 1,500 buses and the projected number[2] of 24,000 passengers daily.[5] The size of the complex is about 4 hectares (9.9 acres).[6]

Recently the local government has declared the building to be a monument, and the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship monument curator has justified this decision by describing the building as [3] "unique and novel example of People's Republic of Poland-era type of architecture" and "one of the most valuable architectural designs of the years of 1970s and 1980s in Poland, and a material document of this period".[3]

The fortunes of the building decreased in the 1990s, as post-communist Poland saw a rise in private car ownership, and a decreased interest in public transit. The building, formerly owned by the PKS company, has been privatized in the early 2010s.[4][7] While the government authorities were interested in preserving the building, seen as an important landmark, its private owners were struggling to turn a profit out of it. As of the 21st century, the building became increasingly in need of renovation, and the owner, the PKS 2 company, was planning to replace it with a new construction at a different location, with the original building being heavily modified or replaced.[3][4][6] A spokesman for the company has even declared that they are not willing to invest in renovating the building, and in fact are waiting for the building to collapse.[4] This has caused criticism from individuals who see the building as part of modern Poland's cultural heritage, and demand that the design is not significantly altered.[1][8]

The city bought back the bus station at the end of March 2016. There are plans to rebuild the building to meet current standards.[9]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Stay informed today and every day (2013-12-19). "Poland's architecture: Love them or hate them". The Economist. Retrieved 2014-01-06.
  2. 1 2 3 "Kielce - Dworzec PKS. Atrakcje turystyczne Kielc. Ciekawe miejsca Kielc". Polskaniezwykla.pl. Retrieved 2014-01-06.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Ministerstwo pyta: Dlaczego wpisaliście dworzec PKS do zabytków?" (in Polish). Kielce.gazeta.pl. Retrieved 2014-01-06.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Dworzec autobusowy ma 25 lat" (in Polish). Kielce.gazeta.pl. Retrieved 2014-01-06.
  5. ↑ "Dworzec PKS w Kielcach" (in Polish). Kielce.gazeta.pl. Retrieved 2014-01-06.
  6. 1 2 "Powojenny Modernizm". Powojenny Modernizm. Retrieved 2014-01-06.
  7. ↑ "Dworzec PKS, Kielce, 1975-84" (in Polish). Bryla.pl. Retrieved 2014-01-06.
  8. ↑ "Nie damy zasłonić 'spodka'!" (in Polish). Wyborcza.pl. Retrieved 2014-01-06.
  9. ↑ Sztandera, Marcin (2016-04-01). "Miasto wreszcie kupiło słynny dworzec autobusowy. Za 20 mln złotych". kielce.wyborcza.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2016-04-17.
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