(Non) escalators in Krakow. Activists made fun of Jacek Majchrowski

The escalator, which is not only popular in Krakow, is part of the city’s largest transfer hub. They are located right next to the bus station, consisting of a lower and upper plate. There is also a road to the nearby railway station, as well as bus and tram stops.

Unfulfilled promise of the president of Krakow

The stairs, commissioned in 2005, were to facilitate moving with heavy suitcases between the levels. However, the mechanism kept failing. For several years, the stairs have been completely excluded from the communication route. Those going up have been closed since November 2018, and those going down have been closed since February 2019. Currently, they have been completely separated by a metal barrier. Pigeons also liked the place, which can be seen from the amount of bird droppings lying there.

The authorities of Krakow downplayed the problem and questions about the truth. In December last year, Mayor Jacek Majchrowski, when asked on TVP Kraków about when the stairs will be operational, said that from “August 17 from 15.30”. However, he did not say which year.

“Stairs of Prof. Jacek Majchrowski”

And it was on Thursday, August 17, after 3.30 pm, that city activists gathered around the Krowoderska.pl website decided to check whether the promise was kept. However, it turned out that the stairs did not work, so they still do not work.

Accordingly, the stairs were “given” the name of the president. Activists attached a sign to the railing on them with the inscription: “Professor’s Stairs. Jacek Majchrowski” and next to it appeared a number indicating how many days they have been out of operation. They also “lay” a “commemorative bunch” under them.

Repair planned

The Roads Authority of the City of Krakow is planning to renovate the stairs, but it is unlikely that residents and visitors to Krakow will be able to use them in the near future. A tender for the renovation and construction of the roof over them is to be announced later this year.

– The estimated completion time from the date of signing the contract is 11 months, which means that the task will be carried out in 2023 and 2024 – said Krzysztof Wojdowski from the Road Management of the City of Krakow in an interview with Interia.