Exactly 50 years ago, the first residents of Gdańsk’s box-fresh Zaspa housing estate were making themselves at home, completely unaware that they had just moved into what would later become one of the largest open-air art galleries in Europe.
Now known for its rich spread of supersize murals this was, of course, not always the case. Built on the site of a former airfield, the leviathan Zaspa project was developed at the height of the People's Republic of Poland. Breaking ground in the summer of 1973, the following year, in mid-July, the first wave of residents had already arrived.
What greeted them must have felt visionary. Designed by a team led by Roman Hordyński, the architects had been inspired by Toulouse’s Le Mirail, an ambitious housing scheme whose high-rise blocks had been linked together in a hexagonal, beehive-style pattern.
Replicating this style in Zaspa, the different towers were angled so as not to gaze directly towards each other, but instead to stare out over the generous expanses of open greenery.
What greeted them must have felt visionary. Designed by a team led by Roman Hordyński, the architects had been inspired by Toulouse’s Le Mirail, an ambitious housing scheme whose high-rise blocks had been linked together in a hexagonal, beehive-style pattern.
Replicating this style in Zaspa, the different towers were angled so as not to gaze directly towards each other, but instead to stare out over the generous expanses of open greenery.
Initially, the plan had been to build enough housing for 50,000 people. Although this never quite came to pass, it did become one of the most densely populated areas in the city - and among those who settled here was an electrician by the name of Lech Wałęsa.
Living at Pilotów 17 for most of the 1980s, it was during Wałęsa’s stint in Zaspa that the trade union he led, Solidarity, would spearhead the collapse of Communism in Poland.
Living at Pilotów 17 for most of the 1980s, it was during Wałęsa’s stint in Zaspa that the trade union he led, Solidarity, would spearhead the collapse of Communism in Poland.
This was not Zaspa’s only claim to fame. On June 12, 1987, Pope John Paul II held a mass here for over a million people. Coming at a time when Solidarity had been driven underground, the Pope’s message of hope and unity galvanized the public and breathed new energy into the protest movement.
Yet despite its fleeting moment in the spotlight, by the 1990s Zaspa had largely sunk into anonymity. To all intents and purposes, it had become just another faceless urban sprawl - that is, until art interceded.
Yet despite its fleeting moment in the spotlight, by the 1990s Zaspa had largely sunk into anonymity. To all intents and purposes, it had become just another faceless urban sprawl - that is, until art interceded.
As Gdańsk prepared to celebrate its 1,000th birthday in 1997, local activists hit upon a novel way to celebrate - by transforming Zaspa’s vast and empty walls into a riot of colorful murals.
Coming at a time when street art was considered something of an unknown quantity, and pre-dating the widespread adoption of the internet, the challenges were significant. Even so, the project’s coordinators were able to convince artists from Poland, the U.S., Lithuania, and Mexico to visit the city and paint ten murals in Zaspa.
Coming at a time when street art was considered something of an unknown quantity, and pre-dating the widespread adoption of the internet, the challenges were significant. Even so, the project’s coordinators were able to convince artists from Poland, the U.S., Lithuania, and Mexico to visit the city and paint ten murals in Zaspa.
Billed as the Festival of Monumental Painting, and organized by Rafał Roskowiński, this opening harvest of large-scale artworks included Tim Portlock’s panorama of the Bay of Gdańsk, as well as Piotr Bondarczyk’s interpretation of Clark Gable’s smooch in Gone With the Wind.
According to some, Bondarczyk’s mural was actually meant as a subtle homage to Lech Wałęsa’s kiss with his wife Danuta, a moment famously caught on camera by the photographer Chris Niedenthal in 1980.
With many of the murals referencing the city’s history, it came as no surprise to find that two years later another was added featuring the faces of Pope John Paul II and Lech Wałęsa. Arousing plenty of controversy at the time, its detractors viewed the comic book depiction of the pope as verging on the blasphemous.
According to some, Bondarczyk’s mural was actually meant as a subtle homage to Lech Wałęsa’s kiss with his wife Danuta, a moment famously caught on camera by the photographer Chris Niedenthal in 1980.
With many of the murals referencing the city’s history, it came as no surprise to find that two years later another was added featuring the faces of Pope John Paul II and Lech Wałęsa. Arousing plenty of controversy at the time, its detractors viewed the comic book depiction of the pope as verging on the blasphemous.
The idea of an international mural festival was revived in 2009 and for the following seven years each summer saw domestic and international artists descend to add their own contributions.
Covering a broad range of themes and topics, one mural by the Italian artist Ozmo, was painted to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Poland’s first rock concert which had been held in 1959 in Gdańsk’s Rudy Kot club.
Covering a broad range of themes and topics, one mural by the Italian artist Ozmo, was painted to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Poland’s first rock concert which had been held in 1959 in Gdańsk’s Rudy Kot club.
Also from 2009, another mural depicts the Graf Zeppelin which once landed nearby in 1932. Formerly the pride of the German airfleet, the Graf offered the world’s first commercial transatlantic service.
As one expects in Poland, patriotic outbursts are not uncommon either and the smorgasbord of murals include a striking tribute to the doomed defenders of the Westerplatte Peninsula. One more is a respectful nod to the 303 Squadron, a Polish fighter unit that fought with great distinction in the Battle of Britain.
As one expects in Poland, patriotic outbursts are not uncommon either and the smorgasbord of murals include a striking tribute to the doomed defenders of the Westerplatte Peninsula. One more is a respectful nod to the 303 Squadron, a Polish fighter unit that fought with great distinction in the Battle of Britain.
Stepping away from history, yet more broach environmental concerns. Depicting a tin of ‘Baltic treasures’ such as cod and herring, one artwork warns of the dangers of overfishing. Treading further through Zaspa, one more favorite shows the bottom of the Baltic Sea littered with man made objects.
Again we see Wałęsa, this time adorning the side of his old apartment. Painted as if pixelated, the style was chosen to reference the often indistinct road that led to Poland’s freedom.
Again we see Wałęsa, this time adorning the side of his old apartment. Painted as if pixelated, the style was chosen to reference the often indistinct road that led to Poland’s freedom.
These are serious subjects, but Zaspa’s mural safari isn’t short on lighter moments. While exploring, visitors come face to face with the surreal, the abstract, and the endearingly odd.
In this regard, few murals charm more than ‘the caretaker’. On an otherwise gray and soulless wall, a small figure of a janitor can be seen sweeping the ground. Eulogizing the everyday heroes that make the world tick, the mural feels like a discreetly hidden Easter egg - its discovery delights.
In this regard, few murals charm more than ‘the caretaker’. On an otherwise gray and soulless wall, a small figure of a janitor can be seen sweeping the ground. Eulogizing the everyday heroes that make the world tick, the mural feels like a discreetly hidden Easter egg - its discovery delights.
But then, so too does the rest of Zaspa. Now boasting over 60 murals, there are some people that have described it as “the world’s largest gallery of murals”. Whether this is true is subject to debate, but what is not is the impact these works have had on the local community.
Doing more than just sprinkle color on the estate, the murals have lent Zaspa a unique personality and sense of being - a purpose and a place in this booming city.
Doing more than just sprinkle color on the estate, the murals have lent Zaspa a unique personality and sense of being - a purpose and a place in this booming city.
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