Kino Fala

In Giżycko, north-eastern Poland, the Kino Wanda opened in 1946. It was equipped for live events, with concerts and theatre shows being programmed alongside the films.

A thorough modernisation was carried out from 1965 to 1966, including a new two-storey foyer, an attractive mosaic on the façade and a rooftop neon sign with its new name: the Fala (“Wave”).

Kino Fala closed in January 2009. The building remained unused and became very dilapidated.

The city government eventually expressed a desire for it to be demolished and replaced with a cultural centre. In October 2020, the Provincial Conservator of Monuments refused demolition and started the process of entering the building into the Register of Monuments. However, in October 2021, an unspecified government ministry overturned this process and referred it back for reconsideration.

A compromise was then reached. In February 2023 it was announced that the initial stage of the conversion of the building into the Giżycko Generations Centre would begin in the first quarter of that year. The façade will be preserved, while the badly degraded rear will be demolished.

The principal space in the new Generations Centre will be a new Kino Fala, with an auditorium seating 450. In addition, there will be workshops for young people, and a place for seniors, including a doctor’s office, and conference rooms. The intention, as set out by Wojciech Karol Iwaszkiewicz, mayor of Giżycko, is that all the generations should be accommodated.

The area around the building will also be transformed. A botanical and sensory garden will be laid out, and the adjacent library will move to a new building, also nearby. This will have three floors, for adults and children, and access to the garden.

Get Movie Tickets & Showtimes

Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.