about space
The brightest backyard in Wrocław – Ruska 46, lit by historic neon lights, is a place that brings together cultural organisations, art galleries, music bands, clubs, theatres, NGOs and freelance artists who have their headquarters or studios here. It is a cultural hub for meetings, creative activities, as well as entertainment. The Recepcja club, which is located in the very heart of the artistic enclave, is a place representing the community of neighbouring interests of the Ruska 46 Backyard.
Ruska 46Neon lights gallery
In 2005, Tomasz Kosmalski bought his first neon sign – former signboard of a confectionery shop, which was about to be scrapped. It soon turned out that all the illuminated advertisements started disappearing from the streets of Wrocław almost overnight. Thus, after the first, the collector decided that it was time for other ones – store and cinema signs, as well as neon signs from train stations and industrial plants. This is how the Neon Side Wrocław foundation was established, whose mission is to save historical illuminated neon signs from destruction. In 2014, after years of efforts, thanks to the cooperation between Neon Side and the City of Wrocław, a place was created where neon signs from the 1960s and 1970s can be seen and admired by anybody at any time, alongside other historical forms of advertising. The choice of the location of the gallery was not an accident, either – this is the former headquarters of the now-defunct Reklama company, which was the largest manufacturer of neon signs in Lower Silesia since the mid-1960s. Thus, the history has made a full circle and the retired neon signs returned to the place where they were made.
Neon Side foundation