Since the mid-90s of the twentieth century, shopping centers found their place also in the landscape of Polish cities. Their forms and function changes over time following the global trends and varying customer needs. Many of these objects are not only inscribed permanently in the city landscape, but also created added value, spirit of place (genius loci). Some have become a magnet for locals and tourists. Taking as an example Manufaktura in Łódź, Mokotów Gallery in Warsaw and Silesia in Katowice I would like to show that a shopping center can be a vivid center of residential district or neighborhood full of social functions. And it accommodates a wide range of entertainment and recreational as well as cultural and educational programs, such as art galleries, cinema, aquariums, planetariums, water parks, climbing walls, discos, bowling alleys etc. All under one roof in a secure, air-conditioned, carefully arranged space. All that is consistent with the plan of the mall creator Victor Gruen, for whom malls should imitate the atmosphere of the city, and the shopping was to do by the way.

Od połowy lat 90. XX wieku centra handlowe na trwale zaistniały też w krajobrazie polskich miast. Ich forma i funkcja z biegiem czasu zmienia się podążając za światowymi trendami i zmieniającymi się wymaganiami klienta. Wiele z tych obiektów nie tylko wpisało się na stałe w krajobraz, ale także wytworzyło wartość dodaną, ducha miejsca (Genius loci). Niektóre stały się magnesem przyciągającym mieszkańców i turystów. Na przykładzie łódzkiej Manufaktury, warszawskiej Galerii Mokotów oraz katowickiej Silesii chcę pokazać, że centrum handlowe może stanowić centrum życia osiedla lub dzielnicy. Pełni funkcje społeczne i mieści w sobie szeroką gamę usług rozrywkowo-rekreacyjnych oraz kulturalnych i edukacyjnych takich jak galerie sztuki, kina, akwaria, planetaria, parki wodne, ścianki wspinaczkowe, dyskoteki, kręgielnie. Wszystko to pod jednym dachem w bezpiecznej, klimatyzowanej, starannie zaaranżowanej przestrzeni, co jest zgodne z zamysłem twórcy malli Victora Gruena, dla którego centra handlowe miały naśladować klimat miasta, a zakupy miało się w nich robić niejako przy okazji.

Shopping center as an entertainment and recreational center based on selected objects in Poland

Since the mid-90s of the twentieth century, shopping centers found their place also in the landscape of Polish cities. Their forms and function changes over time following the global trends and varying customer needs. Many of these objects are not only inscribed permanently in the city landscape, but also created added value, spirit of place (genius loci). Some have become a magnet for locals and tourists. Taking as an example Manufaktura in Łódź, Mokotów Gallery in Warsaw and Silesia in Katowice I would like to show that a shopping center can be a vivid center of residential district or neighborhood full of social functions. And it accommodates a wide range of entertainment and recreational as well as cultural and educational programs, such as art galleries, cinema, aquariums, planetariums, water parks, climbing walls, discos, bowling alleys etc. All under one roof in a secure, air-conditioned, carefully arranged space. All that is consistent with the plan of the mall creator Victor Gruen, for whom malls should imitate the atmosphere of the city, and the shopping was to do by the way.