To the rescue of old houses

The „To the Rescue of Old Houses” project is intended to promote the value of old buildings in Bialystok and sensitize city residents to their beauty. Four historic walks along the trail of old houses were held in May 2022. In June and July, around selected buildings, we organized events for white residents and white residents. The plebiscite began in October. It will show which old houses residents care most about and should be revitalized immediately

May walks "To the rescue of old houses"

WALK I

WALK II

WALK III

WALK IV

Summer events "To the rescue of old houses"

MAPPING

BEAUTY

PICNIC

INSTALLATION

About the project

The „To the Rescue of Old Houses” project is designed to engage Bialystok residents in activities that promote the city’s old, mainly wooden, architecture. As a result, we want to put 13 historic houses in its area under „civic” protection.

Target

Bialystok is famous for its wooden buildings, but most such structures are neglected vacant lots. Formally they are protected (the lowest IV category), but in reality they are left alone and falling into disrepair. The one-off campaigns implemented by various entities aimed at their protection are not succeeding. The project is expected to make the voice of NGOs and residents of Bialystok better heard and taken into account in urban planning for historic buildings. As a result, as a result of public consultation and a plebiscite among residents, something like a ranking list of historic houses (wooden and brick) that should be protected will be created and recommended to the City.

Coalition

The coalition is a group of NGO representatives and practitioners from various fields. It is formed by:

– Ośrodek Wspierania Organizacji Pozarządowych;

– Fundacja Dom;

– Koło naukowe SKN Mała Architektura z Politechniki Białostockiej;

– Fundacja Laboratorium Badań i Działań Społecznych „SocLab”;

– Fundacja Teatr Latarnia;

– Białystok subiektywnie, grupa przewodników PTTK;

– Kronika Białostocka, fanpage skupiający białostoczan zainteresowanych historią miasta;

– Stowarzyszenie Edukacji Kulturalnej WIDOK;

– Stowarzyszenie Arteko.

The Coalition’s activities are coordinated by the WIDOK Cultural Education Association, which is the project implementer.

Activities

As part of the project:

– we created a list of 13 properties remaining in the city’s resources, which, in the opinion of a coalition of NGOs, are worth saving, (historical and technical searches were made, photographic documentation, house charts were prepared);

– public consultations were held with residents of the neighborhoods where the selected houses are located. Their results can be found in the house charts.

– We developed a newspaper about old houses; students of Bialystok University of Technology designed postcards with visualizations of houses after revitalization;

– We conducted events to promote the selected homes: four historical walks and four events involving residents and residents;

– We have prepared a poll among male and female residents of the city. It will create a ranking list, showing which should not disappear from the map of the city (the announcement post is a tenement at Młynowa 2):

– organize a press conference with the participation of the authorities of Bialystok, where we will present the results of the plebiscite / December 2022.

The project runs from September 2021 to December 2022.

It will be implemented in the Bialystok area. The coordinator is Ursula Dabrowska, email: uladab@op.pl