An historic theatre built in 1938 in Białystok, Poland, which survived Nazi bombs in the German advance against the USSR in 1941 and again during its retreat in 1944, is to be renovated by Ferrovial subsidiary Budimex.
It won the job with a bid of just under $8.3m (PLN 31.77 million) to modernise the Aleksander Węgierko Dramatyczny Theatre. Work starts immediately and is due to finish in 18 months, during which time the theatre company will perform wherever it can.
"This day will certainly go down in the history of our institution," said Dr. Martyna Faustyna Zaniewska, the theatre company’s deputy director.
"The long-awaited renovation is finally coming true. Before us is the time of creating and presenting plays on guest stages. I believe that the strength of our team will allow us to successfully get through this difficult period."
The cost is met with funding from Poland’s Governmental Fund for Local Investment and Podlaskie Province, of which BiaÅ‚ystok is the capital.
Ferrovial say the city and region "had been waiting over 70 years for the Dramatyczny Theater to be rebuilt".
"This investment shows that the Polish government recognises the needs of the capital of the Podlaskie Province and supports investments that serve the residents," said Artur Kosicki, Marshal of Podlaskie Province.
"I am glad that our promise from the 2018 local elections is becoming a fact. I hope that in two years we will meet in a modern, comfortable and, above all, disability-friendly theatre."
Image: The Aleksander Węgierko Dramatyczny Theatre was built in 1938 (Krzysztof Kundzicz/CC BY-SA 3.0)
