Panorama Under Pressure: Kraków Between Heritage and Change – a discussion on the book

9 April 2026, 18.00

A debate on Dr Joanna Kołodziej’s book “Panorama of a Historic City: Kraków as a Testing Ground”, published as no. 171 in the Kraków Library series of The Society of Friends of Kraków History and Heritage, and published by Księgarnia Akademicka Kraków.

The meeting will focus on the dynamic changes taking place in the cityscape of Kraków. The discussion will also address the topic of historic city centres, which are becoming laboratories for contemporary tensions between expansion and conservation, as well as between community and the market.

The book’s author, Dr Joanna Kołodziej, Dr Andrzej Siwek, Konrad Myślik and the discussion’s moderator, Professor Jacek Purchla, will discuss how to protect the historic urban fabric and reconcile its existence with the development and expansion of urban centres. The invited guests will also discuss investment pressures and the controversy surrounding the city’s metropolitan function.

Dr Joanna Kołodziej’s publication offers a portrait of the city during a period of economic and political transition, highlighting the uncontrolled changes currently taking place in its appearance — particularly its city skyline — driven by the pressure of commercial development. The book is based on a doctoral thesis supervised by Prof. Jacek Purchla and defended at the Faculty of History of the Jagiellonian University.

Participants in the meeting:

Dr Joanna Kołodziej – architect and art historian, born in Kraków into a family with a long-standing connection to the Old Town. In 1995, she obtained her degree in architecture and urban planning from the Krakow University of Technology under the supervision of Prof. Witold Cęckiewicz. Since 2004, she has run her own architectural practice, specialising in public building projects.

Konrad Myślik – writer, journalist, and populariser of knowledge about the city. Co-author of the book “Nieznany portret Krakowa” and author of numerous walking guides to Kraków. He was the spokesperson for the Society of Friends of Kraków History and Heritage. A member of the board of the Kościuszko Mound Committee and editor-in-chief of the "Rocznik kościuszkowski". As a lecturer, he has collaborated with, amongst others, the ICC Heritage Academy.

Dr Andrzej Siwek – a graduate in history and art history (Jagiellonian University), with a PhD in architecture and urban planning (Krakow University of Technology). Since 2024, Deputy Director of The National Institute of Cultural Heritage of Poland. He lectures on the protection of cultural heritage at the Institute of Art History, Jagiellonian University. Author of publications on the theory of monument conservation and cultural landscape. 

Moderator:

Prof. Jacek Purchla, PhD – art historian and economist, specialist in the field of cultural heritage. Founder and long-standing director of the International Cultural Centre in Kraków, Vice-President of Europa Nostra and former Chair of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. Vice-Mayor of Kraków from 1990 to 1991. Author of numerous publications and articles on urban development and heritage conservation.