Old Town Boulevard

The area of the Old Town Boulevard follows the layout of Wrocław’s historic city fortifications. Today, the grounds along the former city moat form a green recreational belt marking the boundary of the Old Town. The Old Town Boulevard is the final section of this belt to be opened to the public. It is defined by the moat, the Oder River, and the buildings of the former hospital complex. Now, it’s a place where residential, recreational, commercial, and service functions meet.

The site once occupied by the All Saints Hospital had long remained a blank spot on the city map. During construction and excavation works, remnants of fortifications from the 16th to the 20th centuries were uncovered, along with traces of a castle, a bridge, and numerous historical artefacts. These discoveries naturally transformed the area into an open-air exhibition of Wrocław’s layered history.

Our task was to design the wayfinding and interpretive signage for the area, and to present its story in an accessible yet factual manner. We collaborated with researchers specializing in the site — Dr. Małgorzata Wójtowicz and Dr. Piotr Kmiecik. Our scope covered the full visual concept: place branding, signage design, and several graphic installations integrated into the complex’s architecture.

For the signage, we used steel I-beam structures in varying sizes: the largest ones carry maps, the medium-sized provide directional and historical information, and the smallest serve as carriers of short messages. The color system distinguishes functions — green elements support navigation and orientation, while those in an iron-red hue communicate historical context. The buildings of the former hospital are also marked with plaques containing historical notes.

In the graphic design, we chose the Di Grotesk typeface by Marian Misiak from THREEDOTSTYPE, a type designer originally from Wrocław. Based on this font, we developed a series of icons symbolizing both functions and key architectural landmarks. The arrow forms from Di Grotesk also inspired the logo mark of the Old Town Boulevard.