Świebodzki Railway Station

Świebodzki Railway Station historically is the second railway station of Wrocław. It was inaugurated in 1843 as the beginning of the newly opened line connecting the capital of Lower Silesia with the industrialized mountain region of the Sudetes. Initially it was composed of simple one-storey buildings situated on both sides of the platform. Later subsequent parts were added, such as the segment with the main hall, waiting rooms by the departures platform, a post office, and a telegraph room. The entrance was rebuilt as a rotunda, and its shape had been inspired by the form of a triumphal arch. After World War II the intact building still served its function, however with the gradual curb of rail traffic, its importance in passenger and cargo operation was diminishing until the closing down of the station in 1990. In the 1990s one of the wings of the building was transformed into a stage of the Polski Theatre in Wrocław that works until the present day. Currently among the places located in the station’s buildings there is the greatest railway model in Poland and Stacja Dizajn with a restaurant, that hosts exhibitions, art meetings, as well as promotions of Polish designers and graduates of the Academy of Fine Arts in Wrocław. The grounds of the station are also the place of regular street markets. Despite partially destroyed interior decorations and other adaptation works, the building remains one of the most important architectural objects of the 19th century Wrocław.

Based on: Atlas architektury Wrocławia, ed. by Jan Harasimowicz. Wydawnictwo Dolnośląskie 1997.