- Miasto Dom Kultury Huta Stalowa Wola, The MDK building
The building was constructed in the years 1949-1952 as the Culture Centre of Stalowa Wola Steelworks is one of the few examples of socialist realist archi- tecture in the city and has a significant historical value for the local community.
The Municipal House of Culture at the Józef Piłsudski square is the main centre for the amateur artistic activities and a centre of education on culture and art for children and youth. Due to the great interest in the culture education offer, it became necessary to take steps to improve the technical condition of the facility.
After the completion of the planned renovation, conservation and installation works, the MDK has become an even more attractive cultural institution, with refurbished rooms and up-to-date systems that will provide better con- ditions for artistic and educational activities for the inhabitants of the city and the region. The following modernization works have been carried out as part of the project: construction of a modern, multimedia stage fitted with a trap- door; rebuilding of a small cinema hall to meet the requirements of a music and theatre hall, renovation of the ballet hall, historic bas-reliefs, wall and ceiling decorations, and installation of new lighting devices. The facility has also been adapted to meet the needs of people with disabilities. In order to improve the energy efficiency of the facility, appropriate solutions were used.
An important element of the project is the cooperation with the Norwegian Partner, the INTBAU Norway Association, and the exchange of knowledge in the field ofcultural heritage management, promotion of the values of traditional architecture and increasing access to art, culture and education. Joint work- shops, exhibitions and conferences are also organised as part of the project.
During the renovation works, beautiful wall decorations were discovered on the balcony of the auditorium, including a sgraffito with the inscription Stalo- wa Wola and symbols of the city’s coat of arms. These unique decorations had until then been hidden under the wainscoting, as other sgraffiti on the walls of the building.
The project strengthens the representative and tourist functions of the historic MDK, emphasizes its timelessness and richness of its art, whereas the cooperation with the Norwegian partner created space for learning from their experience in the area of protection of local cultural heritage.
Olav Bjerve
Breidablikveien 10 E
Board member of INTBAU
