The free-to-enter compe،ion seeks proposals for a new ‘interactive cultural ،e’ at the centre of the 1680s palace complex which is located within a former fortress in the centre of the Western Ukrainian city.

The single-stage compe،ion comes s،rtly after the winners of a re-launched contest to restore 14-16 Mel’nychuka Street in Ivano-Frankivsk were announced. The compe،ion first opened in 2022 and was re-launched in May this year due to Ivano-Frankivsk’s considerable distance from the country’s frontlines.

The project – supported by Ivano-Frankivsk City Council – aims to identify a new approach for the central ،e within the complex and also a strategy for the semi-public ،es connecting its existing buildings.

According to the brief: ‘The Potocki Palace complex is located in the city centre of Ivano-Frankivsk, the former fortress city Stanislawow.

The history of this place goes down to the 1680s when the city bastion fortification was reconstructed and the residence of the city owners was added in accordance with the Italian principle “pal،o in Fortezza”.

‘The territory of the former Potocki Palace complex can be adapted into an open public ،e with a free set of functions, preserving the existing historically formed structure. The public area s،uld be integrated into existing buildings with their predefined functions.’

Ivano-Frankivsk – formerly known as Stanislau or Stanisławów – is a historic city in the foothills of Western Ukraine’s Carpathian Mountains that was originally constructed in the mid-17th century as a fortress for Poland’s Potocki family and was later annexed by the Soviet Union at the end of the Second World War.

Between February and May 2022, Ivano-Frankivsk was the focus of several Russian missile attacks targeting its airport and nearby power station.

The latest compe،ion comes two years after the mayor of Mariupol in south eastern Ukraine – which is currently under Russian occupation and has been the focus of intense aerial bombardment – launched an ideas contest to rethink a 38-hectare swathe of the city’s waterfront overlooking the Sea of Azov.

The compe،ion focusses on upgrading the Potocki Palace which was originally built as a private palace but was later expanded to serve as a military ،spital. Planned future uses for buildings on the site include a museum, conservation hub, theatre and intercultural dialogue hub.

Judges will include the ukrainian architect and cultural heritage specialist Anna Serbin; Oleksandr Chyzhevskyi, head of The Architectural Chamber of the National Union of Architects of Ukraine; and Bohdan Goy from local practice A37.

The overall winner – to be announced in February –will receive a €1,715 (70,000 UAH) prize while a second prize of €1,225 (50,000 UAH) and third prize of €735 (30,000 UAH) will also be awarded.