Kożuchów – a historical town with a future

Wojciech Eckert

Abstract

Kożuchów is a unique town, not only in the Lubusz Voivodship but also in the whole country. The well-preserved defence system, consisting of two rings of curtains and a moat, distinguishes this town from hundreds of others. It is also one of the oldest towns in the Middle Oder Region. Nearly the entire circumference of the fortifi cations has been prevented, which makes it impossible to merge the centre with the suburbs. For this reason, the original layout of this part of the town and its historical character have been preserved. However, these factors are a big challenge for urbanists and architects in terms of urban-planning. The old town has become a central point in the spatial layout of Kożuchów. Moreover, there are a number of additional important objects such as buildings of signifi cant cultural value: the castle, the town hall, the gothic church and the residential buildings as well as the fortifi cation system with the well-preserved curtains, bastion, fortifi ed towers and moat. The historical layout of the streets makes walking and driving diffi cult in the Old Town. The green areas have enormous potential. Unfortunately, there are also a number of elements spoiling the look of the town: the business buildings, the neglected yard, the modern buildings – so called blocks of fl ats, the commercial pavilions, the undeveloped plots and quarters. The paper presents an attempt to analyse the problems and to provide suggestions for changes so as to preserve the unique character of the town and, at the same time, to add value resulting from the introduction of new architectural and urban-planning ideas.