Suicide Skyscraper
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Unique glass mosaic adornsthe outer walls of the building known as “Spiew Syrenty” (eng. the Mermaid Singing). Until 2017 it was popular evening place uniting Warsaw yuppies tired with the toils of past working week.. In 2017 the club was shut down due to introduction of plans replacing Mermaid Sing with a ten-storey apartment building. Luckily, the Mazovian heritage conservator listed pavillon in the register of monuments and saved the Mermaids from this oblivion
Apartment building, looking like it was purposefully hidden from the curious eyes of tourists visiting the Old Town, is a textbook example of Warsaw modernism in its prime. Intimate passage between two blocks leads from Teatralny Square to the a building erected between 1974-1976 as an asylum for for the highest officials of the People’s Republic of Poland. Made entirely from prefabricated elements and despite repetitive construction elements, extremely sophisticated in its fantasy form. From the east, the balconies are arranged in the form of luxurious sun terraces and from the west building intrigues the observers with narrow windows facing north. Excellent location surrounded by historic landmarks, Saski Park and great communication around makes it still one of the best addresses in the capital.
Project Jerzy Kuźmienko and Piotr Sembrata.
Apartment building, looking like it was purposefully hidden from the curious eyes of tourists visiting the Old Town, is a textbook example of Warsaw modernism in its prime. Intimate passage between two blocks leads from Teatralny Square to the a building erected between 1974-1976 as an asylum for for the highest officials of the People’s Republic of Poland. Made entirely from prefabricated elements and despite repetitive construction elements, extremely sophisticated in its fantasy form. From the east, the balconies are arranged in the form of luxurious sun terraces and from the west building intrigues the observers with narrow windows facing north. Excellent location surrounded by historic landmarks, Saski Park and great communication around makes it still one of the best addresses in the capital.
Project Jerzy Kuźmienko and Piotr Sembrata.
If the weather does not encourage going for walk, check the Iluzjon Cinema’s current repertoire. and you may discover many independent and alternative movies, rarely played in large multiplexes. But definitely worth your while. The building was designed by Mieczysław Piperek, who wanted to draw the attention to the entrance with characteristic, round vestibules. The wavy roof of the main body stresses out where the actual cinema hall is. A small rotunda with a soft top completes the whole the modernistic formula. Saved from demolition thanks to social protests in the early twentieth century and hidden in between apartment blocks on Upper Mokotów.
The written history of National Library building could accommodate a small library by itself. The winning project was announced in 1963, although the construction was completed over thirteen years later. In recent years it was heavily involved in numerous renovations and digitization of its resources.
Library does not interfere with the green and recreational space of Pole Mokotowskie and discretely fits int from the Wawelska avenue on the north. Come in and read a good book. Or a bad book. Don’t let other people tell you what to do.
Registration costs only 20 PLN
One of the most mysterious places in Warsaw, located at Sobieski 100 Street the building is still owned by Russian Federation. However, in 2017 the Polish authorities took steps to take over this property. At first glance it looks abandoned, but at a closer look one could see that it is constantly supervised meticulously by infrared protection and monitoring. There are various rumors and theories, one of them is that there is an underground passage to the embassy of Russia, located 1 km away. Distinguished by the characteristic clearance between two blocks and the pyramidal layout of the building. Designed by Piotr Sembrata (author of Kozia apartament)
A true pearl and a cherry on top of the Warsaw’s modernism. Cubes that distinguish themselves from the main body appear rhythmical and disciplined at the same time. Take your time and walk the few steps down and take a look from a different perspective – you might be surprised how it will impact your perception of the building. Beside the tasteful design, the residents especially value the morning routine of the sun, slowly rising over Vistula river. Situated next to the University of Warsaw Department of Sociology and Hotel Bristol Karowa is a gem often overlooked by tourists hurrying to tick all the tour guide “must sees” off their list . Completed in 1978.
Designed by a team of architects: Henryk Dąbrowski, Jerzy Kuźmienko, Janusz Nowak, Piotr Sembrat and Adam Snopek.
The blocks built in 1971-1973 are a great example of how to delineate thought-out lines of perspectives using balconies. The characteristic curvature of the buildings laid out on the X pattern generates a lot of curvatures of falling chiaroscuro.
Project: Jan Zdanowicz
The blocks built in 1971-1973 are a great example of how to delineate thought-out lines of perspectives using balconies. The characteristic curvature of the buildings laid out on the X pattern generates a lot of curvatures of falling chiaroscuro.
Project: Jan Zdanowicz
The blocks built in 1971-1973 are a great example of how to delineate thought-out lines of perspectives using balconies. The characteristic curvature of the buildings laid out on the X pattern generates a lot of curvatures of falling chiaroscuro.
Project: Jan Zdanowicz
The written history of National Library building could accommodate a small library by itself. The winning project was announced in 1963, although the construction was completed over thirteen years later. In recent years it was heavily involved in numerous renovations and digitization of its resources.
Library does not interfere with the green and recreational space of Pole Mokotowskie and discretely fits int from the Wawelska avenue on the north. Come in and read a good book. Or a bad book. Don’t let other people tell you what to do.
Registration costs only 20 PLN
Gigantic blocks, called ironically the anthills, surround one of the largest transport hubs in Warsaw. A unique (and questionable?) architects’ vision of utopia consisting of successive „superunits”. Roundabout Wiatraczna has numerous transport connections with districts and other cities.
Stand in front of the house on Katowicka Street. If it’s summer, try to peek through the leaves and have a look on the building’s body with a balancing undercuts, level differences and overhangs. The top of the villa is closed by a flat roof, the entrance leads through the ground floor supported on the stilts and the elevation is minimalistic with oblong windows. Functionalism determines the interior: economic matters downstairs, in the middle living rooms, and bedrooms under the roof. „I would like this house become a complicated puzzle of cuboids and cubes” said Bohdan Lachert who made a project with Jozef Szanajca. Currently, thanks to the generous subsidy of prof. Manfred Lachs, Dutch house is a home for the Society of Polish-Dutch Friendship (TPPN). You can join classes in language learning, cultural meetings and much more – all related to the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Ul. Francuska 49 and al. Waszyngtona 2A – twin buildings created in early 1960’ based on the design of Tadeusz Zieliński. They are located at a slightly elevated level compared to sidewalks. Together, they form a gate leading from the Washington Roundabout and further into the once luxurious district of Saska Kępa.
One of the most mysterious places in Warsaw, located at Sobieski 100 Street the building is still owned by Russian Federation. However, in 2017 the Polish authorities took steps to take over this property. At first glance it looks abandoned, but at a closer look one could see that it is constantly supervised meticulously by infrared protection and monitoring. There are various rumors and theories, one of them is that there is an underground passage to the embassy of Russia, located 1 km away. Distinguished by the characteristic clearance between two blocks and the pyramidal layout of the building. Designed by Piotr Sembrata (author of Kozia apartament)
The stadium at Marymont is a pearl of structural modernism. Designed by the eminent Polish architect Stanisław Barylski and built in the 1950s. Stadium creates a sense of intimacy with its gentle, harmonious details. Arched passages made of solid concrete serve as a beautiful complement to the entire facility. This theater was a host and witness of the famous sports stories with Kazimierz Górski beginning his coaching career and Zinedine Zidane playing one of his first matches in the French national team among others. Despite its poor condition, stadium is still alive with many minor sport clubs and associations. Recently social actions were risen aimed for restoring the stadium – without results for now.
Located halfway up the Warsaw Escarpment and between Powisle and Srodmiescie districts, railway station had to be equipped with two cash registers and commercial kiosks servicing both entrances. Shape of top pavilon is designed for optimal illumination of the interior with direct daylight and reflected light and also created a natural gutter from the roof. The lower pavilion refers to the arches of Poniatowski bridge as the roof allude to inverted bowl or sphere’s fragment. Concrete canopies were also used as anchors for the traction network, which allowed to minimize the loss of space for passengers.
A true pearl and a cherry on top of the Warsaw’s modernism. Cubes that distinguish themselves from the main body appear rhythmical and disciplined at the same time. Take your time and walk the few steps down and take a look from a different perspective – you might be surprised how it will impact your perception of the building. Beside the tasteful design, the residents especially value the morning routine of the sun, slowly rising over Vistula river. Situated next to the University of Warsaw Department of Sociology and Hotel Bristol Karowa is a gem often overlooked by tourists hurrying to tick all the tour guide “must sees” off their list . Completed in 1978.
Designed by a team of architects: Henryk Dąbrowski, Jerzy Kuźmienko, Janusz Nowak, Piotr Sembrat and Adam Snopek.
Since opening in 1958 this multi-storey, ramp structured garage was the headquarters and served as technical facilities for over 400 vehicles of the Metropolitan Sanitary Transport Column. And suprisingly it still is.
Project: Janusz Czajkowski, Wiesław Żochowski and Mariusz Dalak.
In the place of the once densely built-up pre-war Warsaw Norhtern Downtown, there are now 19 gigantic blocks resembling the “Superunits” from Katowice. Name for this residual area was inspired by the dismantled in 1818 rococo “Iron Gate”. What led to a decision of building nineteen, not exactly state-of-the-art, monstrous blocks in the place of completely demolished pre-war Northern Downtown? The winning project was meant to fulfill Le Colbusier’s dream of leaving „tight, damp, dark, nineteenth-century tenement houses” and create an estate full of space, light and green. The project was chosen because of its monumentality, metropolitanity and „homogeneous treatment of the whole area composition”.
Each block contains three to four hundred apartments with about a thousand residents each. Apparently, due to the savings that socialist system demanded savings every day, there were a lot of cost-cutting initiatives including leaving the useless l bourgeois ideas such as a private toilet or kitchen behind. The estate, despite the reluctance connected with, let’s call it „historical” connotations , has found a high demand among not only the more artistic part of sociality, but also also actors, footballers and intellectuals. Huge, glazed lobbies inside the blocks were designed for hosting the joint initiatives of the residents. Surprisingly, there were none. Palm trees in pots and pieces of furniture units remained a kitschy reminder of those notions. Over the years, the the estate habitat evolved into environment hosting students, retirees and Vietnamese. Built 1965 – 1972.
By the way, any ideas linked to demolishing the estate are impossible as a revolutionary Stolica concrete pouring system was used here, creating blocks into literally concrete monoliths.
Project: Jerzy Czyz, Jan Furman, Andrzej Skopinski.
One of the best examples of post-war modernism in Poland. Completed in 1949-52 in the time of city’s toilsome recovery after war armageddon. Owing its unique appearance to architects Zbigniew Ihnatowicz and Jerzy Romański,the largest toy store in the city soon became favorite visit place for kids all ages. In the famous novel „Bad” by Leopold Tyrmand one of the key plots is taking place on the Smyk’s escalators. The object itself received many awards with the most notable being the recognition from the Frankfurt am Main Museum of Architecture and choosing Smyk as one of the best polish architectural designs of the twentieth century. Currently is being rebuilt with a characteristic, twisted neon.
Designed to be t „exhibition pavilion of the Russian technical thought” and erected in the place of a demolished nineteenth century tenement house at 20/22 Belwederska Street, the building became a large bookstore. Nowadays it has become a simple, office building for banks, travel agencies etc.
Built: 1980. Project: Leszek Sołonowicz, Ryszard Lisiewicz, Arkadiusz Starski, and Włodzimierz Kaczmarczyk.
In the past times ironically called the „generals hat”, today is one of the favorite meeting places is located at the intersection of the two most important thoroughfares of the city – Jerozolimskie Avenue and Marszałkowska Street. The true pearl of modernism, decorated with a characteristic roof, slightly inclined towards north-east is a part of the Eastern Wall urban complex.
In 1979 took place the most tragic accident of post-war Poland. Gas explosion which took place there in 1979 is considered on of the most trafic accidents of post-war Poland. The explosion taking place during rush hours took lives of 49 people. Rotunda was rebuilt after the explosion, however the abandonment of the signature transparent glasses caused loosing a lot from its past charm. The current reconstruction of the modernism wonder brings hope for restoring the assumptions of the original project.
Created during 1960-1966 based on the design of Zbigniew Karpiński.
In the past times ironically called the „generals hat”, today is one of the favorite meeting places is located at the intersection of the two most important thoroughfares of the city – Jerozolimskie Avenue and Marszałkowska Street. The true pearl of modernism, decorated with a characteristic roof, slightly inclined towards north-east is a part of the Eastern Wall urban complex.
In 1979 took place the most tragic accident of post-war Poland. Gas explosion which took place there in 1979 is considered on of the most trafic accidents of post-war Poland. The explosion taking place during rush hours took lives of 49 people. Rotunda was rebuilt after the explosion, however the abandonment of the signature transparent glasses caused loosing a lot from its past charm. The current reconstruction of the modernism wonder brings hope for restoring the assumptions of the original project.
Created during 1960-1966 based on the design of Zbigniew Karpiński.
Unique glass mosaic adornsthe outer walls of the building known as “Śpiew Syrenty” (eng. the Mermaid Singing). Until 2017 it was popular evening place uniting Warsaw yuppies tired with the toils of past working week.. In 2017 the club was shut down due to introduction of plans replacing Mermaid Sing with a ten-storey apartment building. Luckily, the Mazovian heritage conservator listed pavillon in the register of monuments and saved the Mermaids from this oblivion
If the weather does not encourage going for walk, check the Iluzjon Cinema’s current repertoire. and you may discover many independent and alternative movies, rarely played in large multiplexes. But definitely worth your while. The building was designed by Mieczysław Piperek, who wanted to draw the attention to the entrance with characteristic, round vestibules. The wavy roof of the main body stresses out where the actual cinema hall is. A small rotunda with a soft top completes the whole the modernistic formula. Saved from demolition thanks to social protests in the early twentieth century and hidden in between apartment blocks on Upper Mokotów.
It is a „crossroads square” and not without reason. A multi-level interchange node located next to the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, Łazienki Park and many embassies. When you take a look around, you can not spot any closure of the square. Only on one side we have the opportunity to see modernist, concave blocks. They appear to open some kind of a gate to the North Middletown. It is worth taking a rest near a lonely fountain in the middle of the roundabout itself. Use underground passages – they are decorated with tiles from the 60s and filled with a small art galleries.
The numbers are impressive: 508 meters long, 43 staircases, 1200 inhabitants, 10 flats per each staircase and two flats per one floor. In the back, 132 almost-underground garages. In the collective consciousness of Varsovians it is not only the longest block in the capital, but probably in the whole world – and visually it certainly is. Close neighbour f of the East Warsaw Railway Station, welcomes travelers with its monumentality. Why is this monolith standing here? For purely practical reasons as Jarosław Trybus, deputy director of the Warsaw Museum said: „The building was built to cover the view of the old, crumbling buildings on Szmulki. It was meant to serve as a big screen covering what was uncomfortable „
Where can you spot the buildings with walls that seem most impractical and least adjustable furniture-wise in Warsaw? Not very far from the Żwirki and WIgury avenue, you can find charming houses shaped like mushrooms – don’t get to excited, since the Smurfs are nowhere to be found (ha ha ha…). The bizarrely shaped walls, in exchange for their impracticability, offered an opportunity to build larger objects than the strict communist law allowed. The project prepared by Andrzej Iwanicki initially assumed the construction of seventy houses – eventually only ten were created. Completed in 1961-1966.
Apartment building, looking like it was purposefully hidden from the curious eyes of tourists visiting the Old Town, is a textbook example of Warsaw modernism in its prime. Intimate passage between two blocks leads from Teatralny Square to the a building erected between 1974-1976 as an asylum for for the highest officials of the People’s Republic of Poland. Made entirely from prefabricated elements and despite repetitive construction elements, extremely sophisticated in its fantasy form. From the east, the balconies are arranged in the form of luxurious sun terraces and from the west building intrigues the observers with narrow windows facing north. Excellent location surrounded by historic landmarks, Saski Park and great communication around makes it still one of the best addresses in the capital.
Project Jerzy Kuźmienko and Piotr Sembrata.
The blocks built in 1971-1973 are a great example of how to delineate thought-out lines of perspectives using balconies. The characteristic curvature of the buildings laid out on the X pattern generates a lot of curvatures of falling chiaroscuro.
Project: Jan Zdanowicz
The current image of Polish National Bank was born at the Experimental Works Department of the Academy of Fine Arts. Design was constantly evolving during construction that took almost 30 years. The final visual effect is meant to resemble a tough safe or at least reliable a vault. Completed in 1975. Project: Bohdan Pniewski.
Designed to be a hotel for compatriots coming from abroad (mainly for those with a thicker wallet filled with foreign currency). However, the unexpected demand for flats even in the social higher classes has driven the change of the plans and what was meant to be a19-storey skyscraper, became a block of flats. Although not an ordinary block of flats the Varsovians were used to – the apartments could only be bought with foreign currency. This equipped with the hottest technological novelties back in 1976, such as intercom or fast elevators, had a two-tiered restaurant located at its very top..
Project: Jan Bogusławski and Bohdan Gniewiewski.
The longest facility in Warsaw with a hard to comprehend number of 2,330 flats with 5,000 habitants. The complex consisting of interconnected 23 blocks covering the area of 11 hectares with total length of 1.5 km was designed by Zofia and Oskar Hansen and founded in 1970. Staircases, corridors and galleries were supposed to give the impression of “space penetrating the buildings”. That is probably the case, especially for someone who gets lost in this maze of walls.
The numbers are impressive: 508 meters long, 43 staircases, 1200 inhabitants, 10 flats per each staircase and two flats per one floor. In the back, 132 almost-underground garages. In the collective consciousness of Varsovians it is not only the longest block in the capital, but probably in the whole world – and visually it certainly is. Close neighbour f of the East Warsaw Railway Station, welcomes travelers with its monumentality. Why is this monolith standing here? For purely practical reasons as Jarosław Trybus, deputy director of the Warsaw Museum said: „The building was built to cover the view of the old, crumbling buildings on Szmulki. It was meant to serve as a big screen covering what was uncomfortable „
The written history of National Library building could accommodate a small library by itself. The winning project was announced in 1963, although the construction was completed over thirteen years later. In recent years it was heavily involved in numerous renovations and digitization of its resources.
Library does not interfere with the green and recreational space of Pole Mokotowskie and discretely fits int from the Wawelska avenue on the north. Come in and read a good book. Or a bad book. Don’t let other people tell you what to do.
Registration costs only 20 PLN
Next to the one of the largest communication nodes in Warsaw emerges a beautiful railway pavilion, with its shape resembling a falling kite or a bird’s wing unfolding for a flight. This remarkable glass building with a hyperbolic paraboloid roof disappears surrounded by many commercial shops. To fully appreciate the craftsmanship of its creators one has to investigate every inch of this unique pavilon design. Built in the 1960s based on the design of Arsenius Romanowicz and Piotr Szymaniak.
The competition for the conceptual design of the Eastern Wall was fierce. With plenty of ideas, the socialist realist style aimed at complementing the Soviet Union’s gift for Polish nation came in close second. Fortunately, the modernist vision of Bohdan Pniewski finally won and in 1962 the seven-year construction started. The entire Eastern Wall complex consists of 23 buildings with a total cubage of 640 000 m3 . The three slim skyscrapers, towering over the rest of the Eastern Wall complex, became on of the most recognizable landmarks of the Warsaw panorama.
Designed to be t „exhibition pavilion of the Russian technical thought” and erected in the place of a demolished nineteenth century tenement house at 20/22 Belwederska Street, the building became a large bookstore. Nowadays it has become a simple, office building for banks, travel agencies etc.
Built: 1980. Project: Leszek Sołonowicz, Ryszard Lisiewicz, Arkadiusz Starski, and Włodzimierz Kaczmarczyk.
Apartment building, looking like it was purposefully hidden from the curious eyes of tourists visiting the Old Town, is a textbook example of Warsaw modernism in its prime. Intimate passage between two blocks leads from Teatralny Square to the a building erected between 1974-1976 as an asylum for for the highest officials of the People’s Republic of Poland. Made entirely from prefabricated elements and despite repetitive construction elements, extremely sophisticated in its fantasy form. From the east, the balconies are arranged in the form of luxurious sun terraces and from the west building intrigues the observers with narrow windows facing north. Excellent location surrounded by historic landmarks, Saski Park and great communication around makes it still one of the best addresses in the capital.
Project Jerzy Kuźmienko and Piotr Sembrata.
The blocks built in 1971-1973 are a great example of how to delineate thought-out lines of perspectives using balconies. The characteristic curvature of the buildings laid out on the X pattern generates a lot of curvatures of falling chiaroscuro.
Project: Jan Zdanowicz
Self-hosted video of the German capital