Forum Gdańsk, often shortened to Forum () is a Polish

shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a large indoor shopping center, usually Anchor tenant, anchored by department stores. The term ''mall'' originally meant pedestrian zone, a pedestrian promenade with shops along it, but in the late 1960s, i ...

located in

Gdańsk Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...

and opened in 2018.

History

The mall was built in the lands formerly occupied by the Hay and Crayfish markets. The mall was originally called ''Forum Radunia''.

Design

The design of the mall is primarily

modern Modern may refer to: History *Modern history ** Early Modern period ** Late Modern period *** 18th century *** 19th century *** 20th century ** Contemporary history * Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century Philosophy ...

. A channel of the

Radunia The Radunia (; ) is a small river in Kashubia (Pomerelia) in northern Poland, which issues from a lake and falls into the Motława near the city of Gdańsk. Part of its water is conveyed into the city via the 13.5 km long Radunia Canal ('' ...

flows through it, which is one of the defining traits of the mall. It is a building complex, as can be seen from the outside. On the upper floor, a

Helios In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Helios (; ; Homeric Greek: ) is the god who personification, personifies the Sun. His name is also Latinized as Helius, and he is often given the epithets Hyperion ("the one above") an ...

cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking ** Filmmaking, the process of making a film * Movie theate ...

occupies most of the area. It is divided into three zones; each has its own design.

Doubts and controversies

Originally, the mall was supposed to be a group of smaller, more scattered buildings. After a change in the building plan, great opposition against it began, calling it "ignorant of the scale and character of Śródmieście". Forum Gdańsk was planned to be opened on 16 May 2018, though the building did not have the permission to open, so it was delayed. After two days of silence, on 18 May, the opening date was announced as the 25th due to a great number of people waiting for the mall to open. There was a major legal controversy surrounding the Radunia Channel and the preservation of its status as a

monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...

. After a year-long legal battle regarding the definition of monument in

Polish law The Polish law or legal system in Poland has been developing since the first centuries of Polish history, over 1,000 years ago. The public and private laws of Poland are codified. The supreme law in Poland is the Constitution of Poland. Po ...

, the (at this time, covered) channel was filled with water in November 2019.

Access

Forum Gdańsk is located within walking distance north of Gdańsk Śródmieście railway station.

References

Shopping malls in Poland Buildings and structures in Gdańsk 2018 establishments in Poland Shopping malls established in 2018 {{Poland-struct-stub