 How to breathe a new life into an abandoned industrial zone? How to turn it into one of the most popular places for recreation? And even receive the award the best attraction of the year? Hello! This is Cities for All and in this video we're gonna travel to Mlinska or Male Island in Bygorsk, Poland to see a nice example of such a transformation. From the 18th century males and granaries worked on this island surrounded by branches of the Barda river but over the time the area gradually fell into a disrepair and turned into a wasteland literally 300 meters from the market square. Only about 20 years ago the townspeople bypassed this place far away but after the reconstruction the picture has changed dramatically. Now many different events are held here and museums, cultural centers and restaurants have opened in some of the old industrial buildings. Satellite images show changes over 10 years. The work lasted from year 2005 to 2012 and in addition to the changes on the island itself the important change was the construction of several new pedestrian bridges that connected it to surrounding neighborhoods. Now you don't need to walk too much to reach the island there are bridges on all sides and thanks to it you can also use the island for pedestrian transit between different areas so the island was filled with people and became safer. This is how the reconstruction process looked like. This is view of the island from the north side near the opera house and very interesting bench. One of the new pedestrian bridges connecting the island with the city. As I have noticed different street amphitheaters like these are a very popular thing in Bitgoszcz. New opera house of Bitgoszcz was built on the side of old military barracks. Its construction began back in 1990s but due to political and economical disputes the process was delayed and the final opening took place in 2006. The dark building on the right is Bitgoszcz marina which includes a hotel and a training center for rovers who by the way are among the strongest in Poland. As we can see here you don't have to remove all the trunks of cut trees. Braided with ivy they become an interesting decorative element and a hiding place for various small animals and insects. And also you can sit on them. And here we are in the middle of the island. Thanks to the system of logs the water from different sides of the island has a difference in levels which was used to arrange such a stream. It creates coolness and gives a great possibility of safe interaction with water the depth of which here is literally several centimeters. They've planted lots of bushes here. In the center of the island there is a huge lawn which is used for big events and lounging and it is forbidden to walk dogs here. A smart mix of old and new architecture. And here are the steps on which you can sit among the streams of water like this. Here is the navigation stand near the southern entrance. The houses overlooking the southern branch of Barda river reminded me of Italy. And as it turned out it is not for nothing because the locals call this place the Venice of Bitgoszcz. Quite a few half timbered houses have been preserved here reminiscent of the German past of the city when it was called Bromberg. Children's playground on the south side of the island. This lush levitated hill is not really just a hill. On one of its sides there is another street tribune and on the opposite side there is the entrance to the public toilet. In my humble opinion this could be one of the most beautiful entrances to the toilet in the world but only after they replace that horrible sign. The largest building on the island up close. When I was there it was just waiting for reconstruction. Preparation for a concert were underway and some of the pathways were blocked by the organizers' cars. And one more time Bitgoszcz Marina up close with the theater on the background. So this is how in seven years and 21 million euros an abandoned area in the very center of the city became one of its new symbols. And this is a great example for in other cities do like Bitgoszcz. And that's all for a moment. If you liked this video please hit the subscribe button and leave your comments and also visit our Patreon page where you can support our channel. See you in the next videos!