Importance and Protection of Architectural Detail - Krakow Case Study

Abstract

Nowadays, cities experiencing fast-paced growth need to tackle a plethora of issues. It has become necessary to marry multiculturalism and individuality, booming tourism and the day-to-day lives of the residents. Not unlike other cities, Kraków is experiencing rapid development - many townhouses are being modernised, and their appearance is evolving; it is especially the details. One pertinent task is to adapt historic townhouses to their new functions, while respecting the needs of their owners. This is why the protection of precious architectural details has become a particularly pertinent issue. State laws and local legislation adopted by local authorities protect buildings as a whole - in terms of their form and mass - but provide insufficient protection to precious architectural details of historic townhouses. Only few buildings have become officially recognised as monuments and entered in a relevant register. One of the objectives pursued in this paper is to popularize the need to preserve and protect the architectural heritage in the form of historic details of Kraków townhouses. The analysis of townhouses from the turn of 19th and 20th century produced the necessary basis for drawing several key conclusions. The manner of rendering details provides a link between the townhouses and the cultural heritage of the region, as well as to its flora and natural resources. What is more, architectural details enable us to identify connections between the form and its background - objects created in different periods of time - in terms of composition and space. Their continuity testifies to respect for the place, its culture and tradition. What is more, the paper also emphasizes the role of details in creating friendly urban space. They constitute an immanent part of the buildings, closely related to the human scale. They catch our eye and inspire curiosity, motivating us to ponder on the meaning of metaphors and symbols that they represent. The diversity of detail renderings ensures variable stimulation of spatial perception, while their artistic value and capacity to influence our emotions leave a permanent mark in our memory, facilitating the identification and memorisation of forms. The ambiguity that the details contribute to architecture catch our eye and create the specific atmosphere of a place. Although such details can seem of secondary importance, they constitute an essential part of the urban structure, and determine its quality. As a result, urban space becomes friendly and attractive. Diversity in terms of forms and materials, the vast array of textures and colours, not to mention the artistic value, strengthen one's identification with one's living quarters and offer props that facilitate the memorisation of forms. The dynamism of the 21th century necessitates, once again, the unification of physical urban structures - buildings, spaces, streets - with the cultural and economic aspects of life. Architectural details found, among other things, on townhouse facades, can be instrumental to this process. Good quality details, referring to the history of the city and found across public spaces, contribute to the formation of new civilizational patterns and can provide inspiration for the development of new architectural forms.