“Green Gwarna” is a multidisciplinary revitalisation-social-memory project aiming at restoring memory, dignity and quality space of a forgotten and physically degenerated Jewish-German cemetery located in the city center in the middle of a housing quarter in a Polish city of Wrocław. The project proposes an original green commemoration and inclusive dialog-oriented approach to working with difficult heritage and local communities by incorporating educational, civic and environmental elements.
Local
Poland
Municipality of Wrocław - although the project is grassroots and bottom-up from the start, the project initiators have established a good and working relationship with local authorities (please note however that funding for soft investment has so far been successfully obtained by the partners without direct involvement of the local authorities – more info in the application).
Mainly urban
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
Yes
In relation to soft investment, the initiative, via Urban Memory Foundation (entity submitting the application) is currently involved in two EU co-funded projects financed by Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme (Remembrance strand), focusing on establishing a pan-European framework for difficult heritage and organizing events fostering debate around Jewish heritage sites in Poland and in Europe in particular:
1. NeDiPa (Negotiating Difficult Pasts) - CERV-2021-CITIZENS-REM
2. MultiMemo (Multidirectional Memory: Remembering for Social Justice) - CERV-2022-CITIZENS-REM
The projects bring partners from 3 EU countries, with 63 events and activities (conferences, workshops, online seminars, peer-to-peer exchanges, artistic interventions, debates) spanning throughout the period from 2022 till Dec. 2024. The partners of two projects include among others, civil society actors, activists, art festivals, youth, researchers, local governments.
No
Yes
As a representative of an organization, in partnership with other organisations
Name of the organisation(s): The Urban Memory Foundation Type of organisation: Non-profit organisation First name of representative: Agnieszka Last name of representative: Jablonska Gender: Female Nationality: Poland Function: Executive Director & Co-founder Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: ul. Wrobla 62/7 Town: Wroclaw Postal code: 53-327 Country: Poland Direct Tel:+48 695 730 706 E-mail:info@urbanmemoryfoundation.org Website:http://urbanmemoryfoundation.org/en/home/
Name of the organisation(s): Zapomniane Foundation Type of organisation: Non-profit organisation First name of representative: Aleksandra Last name of representative: Janus Gender: Female Nationality: Poland Function: Vice President of the Board Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: ul. Twarda 6 Town: Warsaw Postal code: 00-950 Country: Poland Direct Tel:+48 506 017 919 E-mail:aleksandrajanusss@gmail.com Website:https://zapomniane.org/en/
Name of the organisation(s): FestivALT Type of organisation: Non-profit organisation First name of representative: Magdalena Last name of representative: Rubenfeld-Koralewska Gender: Female Nationality: Poland Function: Co-director & Co-founder Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: ul. Jozefa Dietla 29/1 Town: Krakow Postal code: 31-070 Country: Poland Direct Tel:+48 507 609 229 E-mail:lena.rubenfeld@gmail.com Website:https://www.festivalt.com/
Name of the organisation(s): ch+ architekci Type of organisation: For-profit company First name of representative: Wojciech Last name of representative: Chrzanowski Gender: Male Nationality: Poland Function: co-founder and manager Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Piastowska 35 Town: Wrocław Postal code: 50-361 Country: Poland Direct Tel:+48 608 585 133 E-mail:wojtek@chplus.pl Website:http://chplus.pl/en
“Green Gwarna” proposes a comprehensive series of well-planned activities leading to functional, social and visual transformation of a heritage site in Wrocław (European Capital of Culture 2016). The memory of the Jewish cemetery on Gwarna Street in currently Polish Wrocław (former Claassenstrasse in the German city of Breslau), faded away and was neglected in the post-war period after 1945, becoming an example of a difficult heritage site where Jewish, Polish, German and European history intertwined. Currently, the area of the cemetery, located in the very city center, is an abandoned, unaesthetic and disarrayed plot of land, constituting both physical and symbolic scar on the city’s tissue - typical for many European (in particular Central and Eastern European) cities that experienced the whirlwinds of the 20th century. As Judaism does now allow the human remains to be exhumed, the project aims at restoring dignity and memory of the Jewish cemetery and improving the quality of the quarter for residents.
At the core of the project is an inclusive multidisciplinary approach to revitalization and commemoration, and dialog-oriented actions. Some of the actions have already been implemented by UMF since 2020, or are currently ongoing. Future reshaping of the quarter’s interior and restoring balance of its functions and forms is possible only through civic participative decision-making every step of the way, which UMF is advocating for and fostering by involving all stakeholders and a group of volunteers. The site is a complex and sensitive example of the lost sense of belonging – in metaphorical, historical, cultural and literal meanings. “Green Gwarna” project proposes the path to restoring the connection and shaping it anew. Once achieved, the cooperation model developed in Wrocław can serve other locations, and future generations, providing educational, sustainable and beautifully simple solutions serving citizens.
Community building
Green commemoration
Caring
Learning
Inclusive
Context:
From the mid-18th century till WWII the site that is at the center of the “Green Gwarna” initiative, served as the first modern period and biggest Jewish cemetery in Wrocław (then German city of Breslau). The characteristic triangular shape of the cemetery was covered with plants and trees until the late 1930s.
Due to the pre- and post-WWII dramatic transformations, the triangular shape of the plot was changed into a rectangular, semi-open urban living quarter. Former burial function was ignored and forgotten and other facilities were built over the cemetery. Even though the site still bore the cemetery's traces - including human remains and artifacts buried in the soil – a tennis court and adjacent sport facility pavilion were constructed in the 1960s directly on the graveyard. Parts of the interior of the plot have since been used also as parking, location for garbage cans and other facilities serving local residents.
Solution:
With “Green Gwarna” we have an opportunity to introduce commemorative and educational spaces as green, sustainable, high-quality areas filling most part of the quarter's interior. The idea is to turn this chaotic and densely built up area into a space that meets the needs of the quarter’s inhabitants while also performing a commemorative function. Cemetery memorial, commemoration plaque or other new commemorative form - selected through a competition - incorporated with greenery of diverse scale and form will provide suitable landscape quality, both for memorial visitors and residents of surrounding housing buildings.
Our objective is to provide simple, durable and relatively low-budget solutions designed for decades and next generations, feasible and easy to maintain, that improves the quality of life for the quarter’s inhabitants and does justice to the historical significance of the site. In addition, the application of greenery reduces city global warming effects.
A) Commemoration artistic form - a need for discussion and multi-disciplinary contest:
Cemetery commemoration in the middle of a housing quarter is not an easy task and the design has to respond to inhabitants’ needs going beyond the historical meaning of the site. In addition, there is also the aspect of double otherness of the site as the cemetery was/is a Jewish-German heritage pointing to the German pre-war past of the today Polish city of Wrocław. It is crucial to reach solutions in the spirit of dialog and understanding of various cultures and stakeholders.
The form of commemoration should come as a result of a multi-disciplinary competition involving architectural, landscape and urban designers as well as visual artists. The competition jury should include representatives of all stakeholders – experts, local community, Jewish community and descendants, municipality. The final form of the commemoration may result in bigger or smaller ideas but it is critical to make the decision process as inclusive as possible, combining the needs of all groups of citizens visiting the place in the future and those living in the space.
Next to dialogue, education and educational function of the site are the key to create a meaningful future for this specific quarter where people would be able to spend their time, rest and learn in a peaceful quality space.
B) Sustainable, green interventions around the quarter:
Planting new trees and nursing the existing ones would provide an environment-friendly solution reducing climate change effects – especially the heat in the summer. It would offer shelter for birds and create shade and relief spaces for commemoration areas and living/ housing spaces around. Refilling the quarter’s interior with trees and greenery would also refer to the historical unique form of the place before WWII.
Direct, sensitive neighborhood:
Cemetery memorial located just outside the home window-view calls for a sensitive and inclusive approach. The Halacha (Jewish religious law) offers an inspiration on how to approach it: „darchei shalom” (path of peace) calls our attention to solutions that do justice both for the living and for the dead, along with the history of the site. The project seeks for best possible spatial and functional solutions based on deepened research methodology, interviews with all stakeholders (local residents, local businesses, Jewish community and descendants, municipality representatives and other public actors, architects and artists etc.).
The final form and function of the refurbished quarter’s interior is planned as a result of negotiations and participatory decision-making process. We believe it is possible to find a command ground between the Jewish law - the Halakha - in regard to the Jewish burial sites and the needs of local residents. A commonly accepted vision for “Green Gwarna” is indispensable for the whole commemoration and educational project to be successful and sustainable.
Visuals enclosed with this application are only illustrative boards showing work in progress, or rather thinking in progress, on several key aspects of the site design and requirements to be taken into consideration when setting up the contest. They are a conceptual visualization of anticipated quality of function and landscape design compromise, that is yet to be agreed on in an inclusive decision making process. The visuals are only a starting point for discussion in order to show the direction of aesthetics and also to demonstrate possible architectural solutions to issues that are blocking revitalization and commemoration initiatives so far. The final design and solutions will be subject to a multidisciplinary competition.
One of the elements that will be needed on site is the education and learning pavilion.
A compact, modern and light education pavilion could be located next to the entrance area. Refurbishment of the quarter's interior and creation of space where local residents, citizens of Wrocław and visitors can spend their free time combined with green commemoration/ memorial space is a way to connect with the past and the place, to educate present and future generations about the city's difficult history, and at the same time about the vibrant life and contributions to the city's growth of the Jewish citizens of pre-war Breslau, including families buried at the Gwarna/ Claassesntrasse cemetery.
Small pavilion in the memorial area may serve for smart, multidisciplinary or virtual expositions and would fulfill the educational program of commemoration space.
“Green Gwarna” is a locally led initiative developed together with national Jewish-Polish partners from other Polish cities, Krakow and Warsaw, listed in this application. It has been endorsed by the National Association of Polish Architects - Wrocław branch (SARP), the Family Memory Trust from the US, the Association of Former Breslauers in Israel, the Rabbinical Commission for Jewish Cemeteries in Poland and we are in on-going consultations with the Halachic law experts, as well as with the city authorities who own the cemetery site.
In 2021-2022 the initiative engaged volunteers from the Lower Silesia region and beyond who got involved in developing and collecting surveys among the site stakeholders (at the level of sociological field research). These were preparatory activities mapping stakeholders' needs and views on possible commemoration; the survey and its results are presented in the final report (attached, in Polish). This preparatory initiative called “Places of Remembering and Forgetting” for Gwarna funded by the Norwegian fund - Active Citizens was also endorsed by the German Consulate in Wrocław.
In addition, partners are currently implementing two EU co-funded projects (NeDiPa, MultiMemo) focusing on organizing events fostering debate around Jewish heritage sites in Poland and in Europe. A conference in Wrocław dedicated to the theme of “Difficult Heritage” received patronage from the Regional Representation of the European Commission in Poland, based in Wrocław. Key stakeholders for “Green Gwarna” accepted invitations to be panelists, including SARP and Wrocław municipality.
The project is truly multidisciplinary and involves experts, researchers and practitioners from the following fields: sociology, anthropology, memory studies, architecture, design, urbanism, landscaping, ecology, Jewish studies, cultural studies, civic activism, political science, tourism and education.
Experts from different task groups and were/are involved at different stages of the project, already implemented and those planned in the future. Here are a few examples:
Designing, conducting and analyzing stakeholders’ survey > sociologists, expert in civic participation, volunteers and activists;
Developing parameters and requirements for the multidisciplinary competition > architects, designers, Halachic law expert, non-invasive ground research experts (GPR), ecologists, local government experts, sociologists;
Developing flexible and adjustable educational programmes for the site > cultural activists, educators, researchers in Jewish studies, city guides.
UMF’s role is to facilitate the process and advocate for recommended inclusive dialog-oriented path (public consultations, multidisciplinary competition organized by SARP and the municipality etc.) and provide skills, advice and know-how. In the last two years UMF generated a network of local supporters, other activists and researchers at the University of Wrocław and descendants of the Jewish Breslauers living in different parts of the globe. We also continue developing relations with local residents through a variety of informal events and on-site visits.
A) Green commemoration of Jewish cemetery – cultural, religious and administrative requirements:
Hard investment of refurbishing of the existing quarter fulfills the local spatial development plan requirements. Actions planned in the project are thus legitimate and realistic. The quarter would experience dramatic positive change, regaining a sense of belonging in physical, social and cultural aspects.
Also, using greenery and non-invasive treatment of the site corresponds with the Jewish law. Currently there are still human remains in the ground.
GREEN COMMEMORATIONS propose a new approach to remembrance, centered around sustainability and proposing conscious interventions into the natural and social environment that include various stakeholders and a variety of voices into the process. Last year partners prepared an e-book on Green Commemorations and new strategies of remembering public spaces (in Polish, attached as supporting document).
B) Smart design - defining spaces at the border and beyond commemoration area to address current needs of quarter’s residents
As the quarter’s interior has to support living needs of its residents, such as car and bike parking places and garbage facilities, it is vital to find smart solutions serving both, the service/ technical part of the quarter and as the cemetery commemoration space (sacrum– profanum situation).
Creation of a folded ground at the critical border line inside the quarter where the two functions of the site meet is an example of a sustainable green-roof answer to the issue of delimiting borders that the architects working on the project proposed for “Green Gwarna”. This “invisible'' passive green border provides a safe and functional boundary between two areas, serving both the best possible way. The folding of ground level allows for hiding of all technical facilities and creates a smooth poetic border from within the memorial site.
Approach to commemorations of difficult heritage
Green commemorations
Civil society as initiator of change
Cooperation model - the cooperation model developed in Wrocław can serve other locations in Poland and in Europe when dealing with complex sites.
Activating citizens to take responsibility for their local heritage and history
The destruction of European Jewish communities left behind, especially in East Central Europe (ECE), a very troubling legacy that can be defined as „difficult heritage”. This difficult heritage consists of: abandoned, destroyed or inappropriately repurposed architectural heritage (synagogues, bathhouses, schools, etc.), neglected and often desecrated Jewish cemeteries, unmarked and uncommemorated burial sites of Jewish victims of the Holocaust, as well as material remains of the infrastructure of genocide. In ECE, these objects of material heritage were further neglected under the Communist rule but today the civic society is stronger and more mature and “Green Gwarna” is an example of that process.
Our methodology relies on four main pillars: INCLUSIVITY, SUSTAINABILITY, EPISTEMIC JUSTICE and RESCUE HISTORY and proposes GREEN COMMEMORATION as an approach to dealing with difficult heritage. When it comes to INCLUSIVITY, it introduces the concept of „heritage community” - as a community of different stakeholders. SUSTAINABILITY integrates two aspects: ecology and community. This approach effectively proposes a new language of commemoration that is environmentally friendly and sustainable. It also aligns with a perspective proposed in the New European Bauhaus. Another aspect of our sustainable approach is the emphasis on local engagement and community building. As for EPISTEMIC JUSTICE, it is understood as justice in access to knowledge, in contrast to the situations when certain topics are excluded and/or silenced. RESCUE HISTORY proposes engaged, socially and ecologically responsible practices of civic society, academia and grass-root initiatives aimed at discovering, discussing and commemorating the past in order to save the future.
Our methodology aims at facilitating coming to terms with the difficult past and expressing this experience as part of a broader difficult heritage of Europe and incorporating it into the shared European memory culture.
Challenges:
1) Climate emergency and overheating of cities during the summer due to dense concrete buildings and lack of greenery
2) Urban challenges - dense buildings in cities, decreasing quality of living spaces, limited access to nature
3) Disconnected communities, isolation among citizens which lead to mental health issues and decrease of the level of happiness of societies
4) Distortion of memory and history
5) New heritage sites often bring about gentrification of the area and imposing a form of commemoration that does not resonate with local context and local residents who live next to it
6) Social injustice and exclusion, acts of intolerance and xenophobia due to the rise of nationalistic sentiments and fear of the other
Our response through “Green Gwarna”:
1) Creating a green island in the city center and cooling down the temperatures; providing shade and shelter for humans and other species
2) Well-maintained and cared for green area, refurbished quarter’s interior, example of repurposing city space, quality solutions for all space users
3) Building strong, connected and involved local community; educational activities at the memorial site (for seniors, youth, young adults, mixed groups etc.) and opportunities to be involved as a community in caring for the green area
4) Developing social responsibility for local shared history and heritage which foster local ethic of care, even for the co-called “foreign” heritage
Involving residents and local community in the process of creating the commemoration site; giving agency and a decision making voice to citizens
5) Teaching about diversity and history of totalitarian regimes, anti-discrimination workshops, ecological workshops (bringing people closer to nature and teaching about plants - healing potential of nature)
At the core of the project is an inclusive multidisciplinary approach to revitalization and commemoration, and dialog-oriented actions. UMF presented recommendations for the Gwarna site to the city authorities and is currently waiting for another round of meetings. Our goal is to convince decision makers to cooperate closely with us on the “Green Gwarna” project and to join forces and skills in looking together for funding and planning the project's next steps.
A series of actions to be undertaken jointly with/or by stakeholders include public consultation on possible commemoration form and scope, fostering multi-disciplinary contest for space design, selecting the winning project (jury), sourcing funding for the investment and maintenance (ideally in a public-private model), selecting contractor and site operator, developing educational programming, implementing the project, opening the site, maintaining the site with the involvement of the local community and a larger international community of supporters.
In 2020-2022 UMF and its partners undertook a number of reconnaissance activities and series of events dedicated to the local community and residents of Wrocław, including checking (at the level of sociological field research) stakeholders' attitudes towards the issue of commemorating this cemetery. The activities were carried out by a team of 21 volunteers - mainly students, doctoral students and graduates of Wrocław universities. We learned a lot during this process and the result is a comprehensive report from the surveys showing that the desired direction by all stakeholders is greenery/ park and some form of commemoration (memorial, memorial plaque).
We are hopeful that the work invested so far in the topic and envisioning a different future for the site can bring about change.
The initiative directly links to sustainability competences: embodying sustainability values, embracing complexity of sustainability, envisioning sustainable futures and acting for sustainability (as defined by GreenComp).
The project promotes fairness, political agency and collective action combined with individual initiative in solving challenges: related to the quality of local public space, reconciling past and present, looking into future scenarios.
Given its multidisciplinarity, UMF and its partners have been working with experts from various domains (architecture, landscaping, urban and spatial planning, social sciences, sociology, political sciences), including both established specialists as well as students and young professionals. Experiences of the project have great potential to be reused in the educational setting - which has already been happening in Wrocław via local educational establishments, but could be promoted further on the European level (which is also already materialising via EU-funded projects NeDiPa and MultiMemo mentioned before).
