Kopiec Powstania Warszawskiego

The Mound of the Warsaw Uprising is one of several artificial hills raised from the rubble of the destroyed Warsaw. Once located in the suburbs, today it is adjacent to a rapidly expanding residential district. We want the Mound to have a form adequate to its rank and symbolic meaning. At the foot of it, we propose to create a truly open, egalitarian public space in which contemporary Warsaw residents will find a place for their passions, sports, rest, and contact with nature.

One Park – three landscapes. The anthropogenic landscape of the Park is divided into three areas with a different terrain, which is exposed and strengthened by giving them different functions:

1. Mound of the Warsaw Uprising – a hill with steep slopes and dense vegetation composed of pioneer and invasive species. The mound is a space of commemoration of the Uprising, the destruction of Warsaw and its reconstruction.
2. The rubble terrace – a flat, treelace area elevated from 4 to 7 m above the level of the surrounding area. The terrace is transformed into Gymnasium – a public space enabling sports, watching athletes, tracking games, spending time surrounded by people with different interests, different physical abilities (and disabilities) and of all ages.
3. The Vistula Valley – a relatively least transformed fragment of the park, formerly agricultural, intended for recreational and ecological functions (including water retention and purification). Part of the area will be occupied by the reconstructed Oxbow Lake – the former Vistula river bed.

Landscape management. The Mould’s vegetation gives the impression of a lush forest in the middle of an intensively developing city. However, compared to other parks in Warsaw, this is an area with much lower species biodiversity. Separate landscape management programs have been developed for individual areas of the Park, which over the years will lead to a gradual reconstruction of the forest stand towards the habitats of river valleys and marshy meadows.

The architecture of the pavilions is simple, archetypal, of a small scale, and user-friendly. The buildings integrate residents of old and new housing estates surrounding the Park. There will be 8 pavilions of various purposes: educational, gastronomic, recreational and sport. From the top of the Mound, we will only see their characteristic sloping roofs. Deep eaves extended along the facades will provide shade in summer and protection from rain. They will become a new type of public space, allowing the use of the Park regardless of the weather. The walls erected with the addition of Mound debris will testify to the history of the place.

Public space. The route to the top of the Mound will start at the Entrance Square, allowing anniversary gatherings as well as sport events. Individual visitors will be able to see the historical exhibition. Irregular stairs leading to the top of the Mound, will hinder automatic climbing/descending, stimulate the conscious movement of the visitors. The viewing platform at the top will have two levels. The lower level ends with an unexpected dramatic closure of the view: a wall of exposed debris. Only after entering the upper level of the platform you can see the panorama of the city.