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MIXED-USE CENTER HELPS POZNAN REGAIN ITS LUSTER

History has been harsh to Poznan. Once the capital of Poland, the prosperous trade center fell on hard times after the 16th century. Poznan recovered between the two world wars, only to be devastated by Germany in 1939 and then nearly flattened by the Soviets in 1945.

Despite all that, Poznan has re-emerged as an important cultural and industrial center and as Poland’s third-largest tourist destination.

With resurrection so much a part of its civic life, it is fitting that one of Poznan’s proudest recent accomplishments has been the transformation of the dilapidated, 19th-century Hugger Brewery into a stunning $66 million center that mixes retail with offices and serves as an important cultural center for the city. Stary Browar (or Old Brewery), as the center is called, which opened in 2003, contains 270,000 square feet of retail and has proved a powerful draw, averaging 27,000 visitors a day. In fact, officials say, a third of the city’s tourists visit Stary Browar.

The center, designed by Poznan-based Studio ADS, fits more than 100 retailers into a soaring building that retains the brick-and-steel industrial style of the old brewery. It won top honors for medium-size European center from ICSC this year.

Stary Browar’s owner, Poznan-based Fortis, is now building an adjacent mixed-use development that it expects to complete late next year. It will contain additional retail, a hotel and space for cultural events.

— CH