Public greenery in Głogówek from the 19th century to the present day: An analysis of historical and compositional changes

Public greenery is an essential part of a city’s or town’s urban layout. When it is designed in an informed manner during its various stages of development, it becomes an artistically and functionally mature organism. In Głogówek, the first systems of landscaped public greenery were observed to be built in the 19th century. With the development of industry and the expansion of the town, new urban public gardens were created – they formed a distinct system in the spatial layout. At present, the number of public greenery complexes has increased, but they no longer form an ordered and interconnected system. This paper discusses the public greenery system in Głogówek in different historical periods. This paper analyses the changes that took place between the 19th century and the present. This made it possible to formulate guidelines for revalorisation and define directions for further development. They aim to develop a system of urban gardens based on historical patterns and place-based identity. Available archival material, including cartographic and iconographic material in particular, was used to characterise the public greenery system in the city, as well as the transformations it underwent. The research also drew on literature on design guidelines, analogies or the wider context. The contemporary state was determined by in-situ surveys. After analysing the findings, it can be assumed that public greenery designed in an informed manner is of great significance – as it is one of the expressions of a place’s identity that enables not only a link between historical and contemporary buildings, but also a better identification of the city in the region.