Juliusz Kossak Square

Kossak Square should be a representative public space as an urban interior with an insight into the most representative axes and panoramic views of Krakow, including the Wawel, Vistula Boulevards and Retoryka street. Today, unfortunately, all this space is degraded, and the potential is completely wasted. Kossak Square requires a redefinition of its identity and character. An identity is built on respect for history, surroundings, and tradition. The square should become an extension of the Kossakówka Mansion - just as the villa used to be a bustling meeting place for Cracovians - today, this role should be played by the square. In Juliusz Kossak's paintings, we find not only the history of Poland but most of all the preservation of the landscape of Polish villages, meadows, and forests. It is the background that commemorates the increasingly rare and so deeply rooted panorama in Polish national consciousness. The design of Kossak Square creates a unique opportunity to restore this romantic landscape to the inhabitants of Krakow and to honor the painter's work. The composition consists of two main elements. The first is a circle cut by a path - an extension of the walking avenue of Retoryka Street. On one side there is a garden part that brings back memories of rural meadows. On the other side, where the Rudawa riverbed historically ran, there is a pond. The second element is a bench that surrounds and connects this whole. It constitutes the "City Salon" - a meeting place for the inhabitants, facing the historic buildings and the Wawel Castle towering over the city. The essence of the project is the meadows and fields of the rural landscape surrounded by the panorama of the Old Town.