Wroclaw – European Capital of Culture 2016

Text: Edit Pálinkás
Photos: Wroclaw ECC 2016

Wrocław entered the competition for the title of European Capital of Culture, because it has a story to tell. The city wants to talk about its past and present, and architecture has a main role in it. Besides the completed buildings and ongoing developments, exhibitions, workshops and public discussions enrich the program of the city. The basic functional program of National Music Forum consists of the main Concert Hall for 1800 seats and three chamber halls. Besides serving the purpose of musical presentations, the building is also a seat of several musical institutions. The elevations of the building are finished with reddish wooden Prodema panels and golden aluminium which is a symbolic reference to the appearance of the musical instruments and a building’s dialogue with the surrounding red brick historical buildings. The main foyer with a big black Corian wall and white balconies reminds us to the keyboard of a piano. Architects working together with the city of Wroclaw initiated a unique project of an estate made for the needs of a contemporary citizen. The idea was to create a total and coherent housing estate equipped with a set of services to fulfil all the inhabitants’ needs: from a service and commercial base, public space, private space, to a community centre and school following the steps of the Werkbund’sWohnung und Werkraum (WUWA) exhibition in 1929.