There’s a certain charm to Wrocław Świebodzki, a railway station built between 1842 and 1843 when the line from Wrocław to Świebodzice was opened when both cities were part of Prussia. That changed after World War Two, when both locations became part of Poland. Long since the second railway station of Wrocław, it closed in 1991 although there are active plans to bring the line back into use. It’s not clear to me whether they’re taking the station buildings back as well, slightly awkward as they’ve been repurposed.
Here’s the rear of the railway station which is now being used as a food court, but more on that in a moment.
Quite a lot of clutter has been added to the rear of the building, but the railway station arches are still visible.
The station canopies are still in situ.
Under the canopies, looking away from the railway station.
And looking towards the railway station.
Known as Hala Świebodzki, there are now two food halls and this is the main one which was once the main railway ticket hall. Some of the original fittings are still here, rather hidden away behind the modern structures, but they could be restored if the station does come back into use.
The second food hall which is located in the wing of the former station which is next to the tracks.
I visited at lunchtime and only a few of the outlets were open, although there were a few diners dotted around the place. It apparently gets rather busier in the evening and seemingly plays some loud music judging from the reviews. There are QR codes on the tables where customers can order, although I decided against purchasing anything until there were a few more food outlets open. They’re trying to push some lunchtime offers, but it will perhaps be hard to get more customers into the building if most of the venues aren’t routinely opening.
Anyway, architecturally it’s a fascinating site and I very much like food courts like this, so I will be back…..