page_title: Theatre square in Bydgoszcz
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Theatre square in Bydgoszcz / History
caption_attribution_description: Polski: Teatr Miejski w Bydgoszczy (1909)Deutsch: Stadttheater in Bromberg (Bydgoszcz) (1909)
context_page_description: Theatre Square is a large and historical place in downtown Bydgoszcz. On its borders stand many buildings registered on the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship Heritage List.
context_section_description: The first buildings in the area of the current Theatre Square appeared at the end of the 14th century: it was St. Mary's Church of the Carmelites and their monastic buildings.
  In the middle of the 16th century,  both the monastery and church have been rebuilt using bricks, the convent was surrounded by a wall part of the defense system of the city. The road leading to the Baltic harbour of Gdansk was controlled by the now gone "Gate of Dantzig" (north of the actual square). 
  Secularization ordered in 1816 by Prussian authorities reshuffled this layout.
  In 1822 the church of the Carmelites was razed, and on the place was built the first theatre building. Since then, the area has always borne the actual name, Theatre Square ("Plac Teatralny").
  The building had a chaotic life: destroyed by a fire in 1835, it has been rebuilt and burned again in 1890. In 1895, finally, has been  erected the Municipal Theatre, designed by Berlin architect Heinrich Seeling. During this construction, the last relic of the Carmelite monastery -a Gothic tower- has been demolished. 
  In 1888 the square witnessed the first horsecar: 2 lines joined there. In 1896, a railway network was established to run powered trams. In the beginning of 1901, a 3rd line was added: the Square became the largest interchange in Bydgoszcz. On the eve of World War II, four tram lines were running through the place on daily basis. It lost its importance in 1953 when a new interchange in the district of Babia Wieś was set up. Rail tracks from the north-south lines have been liquidated in 1974, since then, trams run through the square on an east-west axis, along its northern frontage (Ferdinand Foch Street).
  In the garden along the banks of the Brda river was a popular café called "Theatre" ((in Polish) "Teatralną"). In a nearby square, on 18 October 1910, has been unveiled the sculpture The Archer ((in Polish) Łuczniczka) by Berliner Ferdinand Lepcke, considered as one of the symbols of Bydgoszcz. After World War II, the masterpiece has been moved to a public garden nearby Gdanska street.
  The reconstruction of the Municipal Theatre has been an opportunity of a modernization of the square. The eastern frontage was rebuilt in 1893-1912, with Neo-Baroque and Modern houses, and a partial modernization also was performed along facades onto Mostowa Street and Focha.
  During interwar period, Theatre Square was one of the most important and most prominent in Bromberg, and it would be displayed on many postcards and in works of local artists. In 1937-1938, the square underwent another renovation.
  In 1945, during the battle for the liberation of the city, the Municipal Theatre has been was hit by shells its interiors burned down. Municipal authorities, mistakenly associating the Theatre with German culture, had it demolished. Since then, Theatre Square lacks the building from which it derives its name.
  Eventually, after demolition, the area has been planted with grass and in 1959-1961 the square was extended and it took its current shape, moving out The Archer sculpture further north in Gdanska Street.
caption: Bydgoszcz Theatre ca 1900
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