Residential buildings on Podwale Street 45-56 in Wrocław

The residential buildings on Podwale Street 45-56 are a housing complex from the second half of the 1950s in the Przedmieście Świdnickie district of Wrocław, seen from the outside on a walk around the Old Town.

A design by Witold Skowronek

The buildings were designed by architect Witold Skowronek, and construction lasted from the second half of the 1950s to the early 1960s. The complex has a simple architectural form, arranged around courtyards with well-proportioned dimensions.

Mosaics by Józef Hałas

The facades of the buildings at numbers 45 and 47 feature decorative mosaics designed by Professor Józef Hałas, who had his flat and studio in the building at number 47. The mosaics were restored through a community initiative supported by Skanska Property Poland and architect Zbigniew Maćków. Because of these mosaics, the buildings at numbers 45 and 47 were recognised as works of contemporary culture and protected under the local zoning plan. Two years after Józef Hałas's death, a memorial plaque was unveiled in the entrance of number 47, where his studio had been.

Practical information

• Address: Podwale Street 45-56, Przedmieście Świdnickie, Wrocław
• Getting there: on foot from the Old Town, near the junction with Hugona Kołłątaja Street
• What to expect: residential buildings viewed from the outside, with mosaics on the facades of buildings 45 and 47, and no access to the interiors