Cafe Berg opened in a small stall by the city moat, at the intersection of Podwale and Piotra Skargi Streets. For several days now, you can buy coffee and sweet pastries in the historic suite. Just eat out now.

Berg Café is open from Wednesday, April 7. The fact that the building was designed by Max Berg is recalled with a portrait of the famous architect and a short biography right at the entrance to the building. For now – due to restrictions related to the Coronavirus pandemic – coffee, sweet pastries or sandwiches are only served to take away, but eventually you’ll also be able to sit indoors, at one of the tables with a beautiful view of the city moat. And the Partyzantów Hill.

Image via Thomas Matijuk

The selected tenant is in the recurring bid

Remember that in the first half of July 2020, the Municipal Resource Board announced a tender for a tenant of a home above the moat. The tender was settled in mid-August, but the chosen tenant abandoned the signing of the contract. Therefore, on September 10, ZZK announced the re-lease action. Four interested people called him.

After analyzing the bids submitted, the Tender Committee decided that the best bid was made by Nasza Pączkarnia. As the representatives of ZZK noted, not only the proposed rental amount was taken into account, but also the economic credibility of the tenant and the experience in running the catering business.

– The next step is to prepare the building for the opening. The company representative has already announced that it plans to arrange the interior décor in such a way as to give the Berg Café the pre-war atmosphere and flavor. – It was revealed in November of last year Thomas Jankowski Spokesman for the Municipal Resources Council in Wroclaw.

Tenant to rent a renovated historic building of approx 90 sq.m. The Wroclaw Commune pays approximately 4,000 PLN per month.

– We are pleased that at such a difficult time for many entrepreneurs, we were able to find a new tenant for the historic wing. It is a unique facility which has been recently refurbished. According to the contract, a café will be built there – She confirmed Anita Biaufus, Director of the Municipal Resources Council in Wroclaw.

The historic booth has regained its splendor

Small building on the slope of the moat on Podwale Street, right next to it Partizantov HillsIt was designed in 1910 by the famous Wroclaw Architect Max Berg, designed among others the Centennial Hall. The building is used to house a gas reduction station in the basement and a milk pumping room on the ground floor. It was then rebuilt several times, and in recent years, there has been, among other things, a point of producing duplicate stamps and keys. In May 2018, it was entered into the Antiquities Registry, and has recently been fully restored.

The first tender to revitalize the building over the moat was announced by officials in 2017. However, it ended in miserable failure, as the only bid submitted significantly exceeded the judge’s budget. The contractor was selected to reconstruct the building for the purpose of establishing a café there after a second attempt, in early 2018 and 2019.

The construction work, which consumed less than 1.4 million Polish zlotys, was completed in the spring of last year. It included, inter alia, the renovation of the reinforced concrete structure of the entire building, the roof, the porch with handrails and antique floors. The original reinforced concrete interior walls were also exposed and secured.

– We have renovated the twelve columns that make up the facade of the building. We have restored the exterior stairs on the slope of the moat and handrails of the building, while preserving their original appearance. As part of the works, the contractor has also replaced all fixtures and connections to the building – List the Mayor of Wroclaw Jacek Sotrick.

The culmination of the project was the installation of the glass that forms the current space of the building, between the columns (sliding glass panels).

– Thanks to this, the usable area is larger, in addition, it allows you to open up to the greenery located next to the trench. – It is to explain Sotrick.

Balcony over the moat in the next stage

Let us add that in the next two phases of the facility re-evaluation, which will be carried out in the future, it is planned, among other things, to build a gazebo on the slope of the moat, as well as renovate the former underground gas reduction station with internal platforms, arrange the exhibition space and rebuild the entrance to the station From outside. The Cafe Berg project, commissioned by the Municipal Investments Board, was prepared by Grupa 33_03, a team of authors led by architect Anita Luniak.

– In the building, we designed a small cafe overlooking the moat. A suspended pier will be built over the water on the slope, from which it will be possible to see Partizanto Hill and anchor the canoe upon their return to the moat. – The architects announced.

Designers hope that in the future it will also be possible to see the preserved and restored remains of the gas reduction station in the basement, which is a reminder of Wroclaw’s artistic heritage.

  • Photo: Grupa 33_03
  • Photo: Grupa 33_03