Slaskie

23rd July 2010

"...they find it easier to knock it down than to clean it.” Share:

Katowice architects and art historians are up in arms at the reconstruction of Katowice’s main station, which work began on this week. The station is a remnant of the communist period’s love of concrete, in the modernist brutalist style widely applied the 1970s.

“We have to show that this is serious, that we won’t let the bulldozers into the station. This could be another Rospuda,” declared architect Robert Konieczny, head of Katowice’s Society of Polish Architects. “They’re trying to persuade us it’s a choice between filth and a shopping centre. We can’t tolerate this,” he continued.
Mr Konieczny is backed by Dr Irma Kozina, an art historian from Slask University. “On the last day of August we’re planning a funeral ceremony. We want to show that we don’t agree with knocking the station down and putting up yet another shopping mall.”

Dominik Tokarski from the Moje Miasto society pointed out, “Everyone can see that the station on the side of Plac Andrzeja has been cleaned. It can be done! This just makes it more outrageous, they find it easier to knock it down than to clean it.”

However, Monika Olejnik-Okuniewska, spokesperson for Neinver Polska, who are carrying out the construction work pointed out that the project is well-advanced and the protests are unjustified, “Any changes whatsoever are out of the question. I don’t understand where this sudden outpouring of emotion is coming from. We put our position forward a year ago.”

Bikes for blood

A blood donor centre in Raciborz, alarmed at the drop in donor levels during the summer months has organised a lottery in order to increase stocks. Every time you give blood at the station, you receive a ticket for the blood lottery, with a chance of winning a bike, microwave or an iron. And it’s working – donor levels are now up above a hundred a week, despite the holidays being in full swing. Aleksandra Dylag of Katowice Blood Donor Centre ruled out a similar lottery there, though, “Personally, I view it not as a voluntary blood donation, but for money – I heard that in Lublin they’re even offering the top prize of a car.”