Gdańsk Street is one of the main streets of downtown Bydgoszcz, Poland. Initially, the street was a thoroughfare, but in the second half of the 19th century, it was designated as residential. It ran from the Brda river to the northern part of Bydgoszcz and has gradually become the city's center of trade and entertainment. During the interwar period, Gdańsk Street was the third longest street in Bydgoszcz, with a total length of 3.19 km.
The street connects the Old Town Road with the northern areas of Bydgoszcz's agglomeration. The southern part is the real "vertebrate column" of Bydgoszcz's downtown and the most architecturally representative, while the northern partfrom the Municipal Stadium to the southern boundaries of the cityis bordered by the Forest Park of Culture and Leisure and the Gdańsk Forest. Gdańsk Street is rich architecturally and has many buildings that are registered on the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship Heritage list.
History Gdańsk Street was laid in the 1820s, following the old route leading to Gdańsk (parallel to Pomorska Street).Bręczewska-Kulesza Daria, Derkowska-Kostkowska Bogna, Wysocka A., i inni: Ulica Gdańska. Przewodnik historyczny, Bydgoszcz 2003 The creation of the street is associated with the expansion of the city to the north, which happened after 1816, when the city bought the land east of the route to Gdańsk. The thoroughfare has been designed as a straight line, wide: the land on both sides was then divided into plots, which became the property of individuals.Jastrzębska-Puzowska, Iwona: Od miasteczka do metropolii. Rozwój architektoniczny i urbanistyczny Bydgoszczy w latach 1850-1920. Wydawnictwo MADO. Toruń 2005. , 978-83-89886-38-5 At the beginning, suburbs were limited to the area delimited by the , Gdańsk Gates, Carmelite Church (now Theatre Square) and the Old Church of the Holy Spirit (now Poor Clares' Church). The area was used by townspeople from downtown Bydgoszcz for their annual shooting competition, awarded by the "Golden Hen" badge". The first intersection in Gdańsk Streetwith Dworcowa Street and Pomorska Streetis located at the medieval road fork leading to Koronowo.
The pace of urban center development to the north-west has increased from 1850 onwards, after the construction of Railway Main Station in the Bocianowo district, which became an area of the city. Gdańsk Street quickly became the central representative thoroughfare and developed as a new city ().
Inextricably linked with the development of the street was the construction of cross and parallel streets, enabling Gdańsk Street to connect to the downtown district (on the other side of the Brda River), the Bocianowo district to the west, and Grodztwo, Bielawy and Forest ( Leśne) districts to the east. This network of adjacent streets was created between 1850 and the early years of the 20th century. The only surviving lattice of the old streets, dating back to the Middle Ages, consists of Focha, Jagiellońska, Dworcowa and Pomorska streets.
Important milestones in the evolution of Gdańsk Street were the setting up of Freedom Square (, ) in 1854, and Adam Mickiewicz Alley in 1903, since they particularly influenced sections of Gdańsk Street in these areas. Many landmarks on Freedom Square have been established consecutively: in 1876 the Evangelical parish church; in 1893 an equestrian statue of Kaiser Wilhelm I; and in 1904 a monumental fountain. After 1854, in the western part of the street between Artyleryjska street and Powstańców Warszawy street, was created as a training and shooting area, which resulted in the development of the so-called "Barracks area". In 1861, the newly built Warsaw-Bydgoszcz railway line crossed Gdańsk Street at Artyleryjska street, cutting off those military areas and putting a provisional end to the northern extension. It was only in the 1930s, after a level crossing had been established, that further developments towards Forest district could resume.
The attractiveness of the street declined after World War II. After 1996, a gradual revitalization began. In 1998, initial sections of the street (from downtown to Freedom Square) had their car traffic significantly reduced. In 2002–2007, a modernization of the pavement was performed, as well as roads and streetcar railways, and stylish lighting was installed. Continuous work is also underway to restore buildings facades and interiors. In 2005 and 2006, two sculptures by Michał Kubiak were unveiled: "The Wanderer" and "Marian Rejewski on a bench".
Naming Since Gdańsk Street was formed in two steps, it originally had two names. Its primary sectionfrom Brda river to Dworcowa streetdating back to the 14th century, was called Gdańsk Street (), while the extension that started in 1820 was named Road of Gdańsk (, ). Later, with urban development, Gdańsk Street was the denomination of subsequent extensions (in 1879 it stretched to Warsaw Uprising street intersection). In 1977, the street reached its current administrative length and borders, and therefore "Gdańsk Street" indicates now the road leading from Bydgoszcz Old Town up to the northern boundary of the city.
Successive names of the street in its historic section are as follows:* 1820-1920 – Danziger Straße / Danziger Chaussee; 1920–1939 – Gdańsk Street; 1939–1945 – Adolf-Hitler-Straße; 1945–1990 – 1 May Avenue, and since 1990 – Gdańsk Street.
Tract division Once Gdańsk Street was established, the land situated on both sides was divided into plots and sold to individuals. Most of the plots all the way to Świętojańskia street, have been drawn around the 1850s, and their limits are still the same today. The parcelling process of properties on Gdańsk Street and their numbering was finally completed in February 1931, followed by the administrative imposition for even-numbered (eastern side) and odd ones (on the west). Between 1879 and 1931, 169 numbers were registered and since 1931, 190 are in use in total. Following adjustments were related to the further development of the street to the north, especially on the eastern side. Currently, the highest administrative number is 260, corresponding to the Forest district ("Myślęcinek") area.
Development of buildings and means of communication The origins of the construction of the road dates back to 1448, when the buildings of the Old Church and Hospital of the Holy Spirit (now Poor Clares' Church) were erected just on the immediate northern side of the river. In 1615, the Church of Rome took over the Order of Saint Clare, which had a significant impact on the Poor Clares' Church architecture: until the mid-17th century, the building was redesigned in the late Gothic - Renaissance style and the monastery's cloister connected with the temple. At the end of the 18th century, there were several residential buildings along Gdańsk Street: in addition to the Church, an inn was standing at the crossroads with the road to Koronowo and Świecie. In 1816, Gliszczyński family established another inn at the location of the current Hotel "Pod Orlem".
The rapid development of building frontage along the entire length of Gdańsk Street took place after 1835. Around 1860, edifices extended up to the crossing with Śniadeckich street, then in 1870 up to the Świętojański street; while basic, core buildings across Kamienna street – where there was a level crossing – were established in 1890.
After 1900, the first large buildings in the northern part of the street were built including: Water Supply station (1899–1900), War College building (1913–1914), along with buildings within the newly created Forest district () after 1933, like houses at Nr.208 to 238. In the 1950s, new buildings in Osiedle Leśne have been constructed, such as the "Zawisza" WKS sports complex.
In 1860, the street began to be illuminated with gas lanterns, which were replaced by electric lights from 1900. The street on the entire length of the road had paved surfaces, separating curbs, along with a tree line. The sidewalks were laid from granite boards. On May 18, 1888, a horse-powered tram was launched, along the so-called "Red" line (from Theatre Square to Dworcowa street) and in 1892 a second line, "Green", was launched (along the entire length of Gdańsk Street to the artillery barracks). Trams were electrified in 1896, and in 1937, in connection with the creation of the district Forest, a bus line was launched.
In 1932, with the construction of the Polish Coal Trunk-Line, a viaduct was built over the railway (named after Józef Święcicki). It was rebuilt in 1968 and 2006, and the level crossing was closed. In 1989, a viaduct was built for the tram, and a tram terminal was set up in the immediate vicinity of the Forest Park of Culture and Leisure, at the intersection with Rekreacyjna street. In 2012 the first contraflow lanes for cyclists appeared in Gdańsk Street.
Architecture The landscape of Gdańsk Street has remained unchanged for over 150 years. The lengthy construction process made the ensemble of the whole street much diversified. Adjacent houses, hence, generally come from different eras, with different scales and styles. Originally sections up to Świętojańska Street consisted mainly of tenements for rent, and further north were reserved plots for construction of grander buildings with front-gardens. Between 1890 and 1914 a significantly increased number of grandiose buildings were constructed including: nine grand habitation houses, at Nr.16, 27, 30, 34, 51, 55, 63, 62 and 95; and several reconstructed or built villas for rich industrialists and bureaucrats, like at Nr.48 & 50, with dominant architectural importance.
Until the end of the 19th century, the predominant style was Neo-Classicism: tenements were built with simple, symmetrical facades and usually modest decoration. In the last quarter of the 19th century, classicism forms were tinged with Neo-Renaissance, Neo-Gothic and Neo-Baroque elements.
Between 1885 and 1898, Bydgoszcz's architect Józef Święcicki built 21 edifices along Gdańsk Street and associated Eclecticism with different new styles; some of his projects permanently etched the street landscape with Neo-Baroque designs, such as Nr.14, 36, 63, or 1 Freedom Square. The best instance of this is Hotel Pod Orlem at 1 Gdańsk Street which is now a showcase of Bydgoszcz's architecture.
At the beginning of the 20th century, houses were built following German Historicism, pioneering architecture style. As such, specific architects possessed their own characteristics: Fritz Weidner represented the picturesque current; Rudolf Kern, the German Secession; Alfred Schleusener and Paul Sellner the early Modern Architecture.
Houses built in the 1930s in the northern part of the street followed the so-called International Style with simple cubic lumps, like Jan Kossowski's works. After World War II, building architecture was styleless, as displayed in the features from this period: Supermarket "Rywal" (1971–1973) at Nr.47 or three typical houses at Nr.23, 53 & 76. Three new edifices were erected between 1990 and 2005 in Gdańsk Street, Nr.121, 125 & 139, none of which fit into a proper style regarding the surrounding buildings.
At the eve of the 20th century, several architecturally interesting buildings, referring to Eclecticism and Art Nouveau, rose in the network of adjacent streets buildings. Such realizations can be found mainly in following places: Krasinski St., Słowacki St., Adam Mickiewicz Alley, Cieszkowski Street, Paderewski Street, Weyssenhoff Square, 20 January 1920 Street and partly in buildings around Świętojańskiego St., Zamoyskiego St. and Chodkiewicza St.
Social Role