Małopolski Instytut Kultury w Krakowie (Lesser Poland Institute of Culture in Kraków) invites you to the premiere screening of the documentary ‘Brutal znad Wisły. Biografia Hotelu Forum’, directed by Dominika Mietelska-Jarecka. The film traces the history of the Hotel Forum building: its construction, its operation and the controversies surrounding the investment, including the demolition of the earlier stadium of the Garbarnia football club. The director, together with art and architectural historians, assesses the architectural merits of the building’s modernist form.
The film features, among others, co-designer of the hotel Marzanna Miłkowska, who discusses the design principles. The hotel was raised on reinforced concrete pillars so as not to obscure Wawel and Skałka, creating a ‘window’ with a view of Kraków’s historic architecture. The narrative is driven mainly by the recollections of former hotel staff, including reception staff, the head chef and the hotel detective. They describe the building as a complex in its own right, which, in addition to 279 rooms, housed a swimming pool, restaurants, underground car parks, tennis courts, a hairdresser’s, a Pewex shop, a flower shop, medical consulting rooms and a childcare facility. They also recall the nightclub ‘Szalony Smok’, the visit of Mikhail Gorbachev’s delegation, the stay of the crew of ‘Lista Schindlera’, the takeover of the building by the Accor hotel chain and the hotel’s closure a quarter of a century ago. The film concludes with a discussion about the building’s future in the context of the recent entry of the Hotel Forum into the register of monuments.
Before the screening, there will be a debate on the historical and architectural significance of the building and its future. Taking part will be:
- Professor Krzysztof Ingarden, DSc, architect, nephew of the Hotel Forum’s designer, Janusz Ingarden,
- Patrycja Jastrzębska, editor of the ‘Tu było, tu stało’ service,
- Dominika Mietelska-Jarecka, MIK, screenwriter and director of the documentary,
- Melania Tutak, Muzeum Krakowa, curator of the exhibition ‘Hotel Forum’ at the Muzeum Podgórza,
- Katarzyna Urbańska, MSc, architect, Lesser Poland Voivodeship Conservator of Monuments,
- Dr Michał Wiśniewski, Krakowski Szlak Modernizmu (Kraków Modernism Trail).
The debate will be moderated by Dorota Leśniak-Rychlak from the quarterly ‘Autoportret’ (MIK).
Admission to the event is free. Booking is not required, but the number of seats is limited. The film is recommended for adult audiences. Organisers encourage guests to embrace the fashion of the 1980s and 1990s, including full period-style outfits.
From Friday 13 November 2026, the film will be available free of charge on YouTube, on the channel of the Małopolski Instytut Kultury.