Szczecin Dialogue Centre wins international prize

The centre is a unique project, with the surface of the square serving as the roof of an underground museum that charts the city’s recent history.

Solidarity Square, the site where 16 workers were killed during a December 1970 protest and where Solidarity’s anti-communist demonstrations were held, is one of the focal points of that history.

The ‘Przełomy’ Dialogue Centre was designed by world-renowned Polish architect Robert Konieczny.

It shares the prestigious European Prize with the Recovery of the Irrigation System at the Thermal Orchards around the Spanish town of Caldes de Montbui.

A total of 276 projects from 33 countries were in the race for the prize. The Polish project was among 25 finalists from 12 countries.

Established in 2000, the European Prize for Urban Public Space is awarded every two years by the Centre of Contemporary Culture of Barcelona. Its goal is to highlight the public character of urban spaces and their capacity for fostering social cohesion.

The ‘Przełomy’ Dialogue Centre is located next to the Philharmonic Hall, which last year received the EU Prize for Contemporary Architecture, the Mies van der Rohe Award, for “delivering a dignity to urban life and at the same time enhancing the city’s specific historical identity with a contemporary 'monument'.” (mk/pk)