Sky Tower Leszka Czarneckiego, symbol Wrocławia XXI wieku i jego miejsce w sylwetce miasta

Abstract

Leszek Czarnecki’s Sky Tower as a symbol of twenty-first century Wrocław. Its significance in the cityscape

Some of the most valuable iconographic materials concerning the history of European cities are artworks presenting their panoramic images. They typically show cityscapes dominated by the towers of churches, town halls, and fortifications. Indeed, the number and height of church steeples as well as the size of the town hall tower were the pride of the townspeople and reflected the city’s status and economic clout. This is also true of Wrocław, whose spatial structure and architecture, typical of Central Europe, was perpetuated in a number of historical prints and drawings from the end of the 15th century to the beginning of the 19th century. Today, Leszek Czarnecki’s Sky Tower has become a new vertical symbol of the city’s economic prosperity and development. Built in the years 2007–2012, it not only rises far above Wrocław’s city line, but is also one of the tallest and most architecturally significant buildings in Poland. Visible from miles around, the Sky Tower can certainly be deemed an icon of twenty-first century Wrocław.