Foksal Gallery Foundation. Fundacja Galerii Foksal *

Gallery

@. Gorskiego 1A
architect.
finished.

Yet another funny modernist building. Unfortunately I really havn't been able to find much info about it. On the first floor it houses the 'Fundacja Galerii Foksal' which seems to have some really decent exhibitions going through it. foksal. It is interesting because it's a modernist building in an area that was historically reconstructed after the war. It's right behind Nowy Swiat and sits quite nicely on a little green square.

U Kucharzy

Restaurant

@. Ossolinskich 7

architect. Henryk and Leander Marconich

finished. 1878

I have to admit that I don't know who is responsible for the interior of U Kucharzy. Probably Magda Gessler, 'the' restauranteur of Warsaw. Henryk and Leander are responsible for the design of Hotel Europejski, and probably the design of the hotel's kitchens, in which the restaurant now functions. So I've give them partial credit for the interior of today's restaurant which opened a few years ago. It was a genius move to locate the restaurant here, it makes the experience of eating theatrical. You can watch your food being prepared. While it is an upscale restaurant you feel relaxed and at home, after all you are in the host's kitchen. There's a maze of rooms and a general chaos as dozens of chefs, apprentices and  waiters run around serving everyone. However the unfinished wood chairs and tables, the white linens and plates, the well-worn white tiles do calm down the rush of people, clanking of pots and haze of smells.

Monstfur Mural

@. Most Slasko-Dabrowski, southwestern pedestrian stairway

artist. Monstfur Group
finished. 2009


Out of all the street art that is in the area surrounding the Old Town I will discuss a mural by Monstfur. It was created, along with many others in prominent places in the city, for the Street Art Doping Festival that occurred in the summer of 2009. The mural is situated just below the Castle Square. The location, in close proximity to the Old Town, was chosen to commemorate the 65^th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising. The organizers felt obliged to include the anniversary in their festival. The decision illustrates how important the event still is in mainstream culture and how its appropriation by street art elevated the medium itself.

The group Monstfur painted a black fissure filled with screaming white faces on a blood red background. The artists criticize, while commemorating an event important to the city. The mural represents how the uprising against German occupation divided Varsovians. It honors the sacrifice of the resistance fighters while acknowledging that their insurrection led to heavy retaliation by German soldiers, and the further destruction of the city.

Krakowskie Przedmiescie

Urban space.

@. Krakowskie Przedmieście
architect. Dawos, Krzysztof Domaradzki
finished. 2008

What was once amongst the busiest streets in Warsaw just became a pedestrian artery closed to private vehicles (taxis and buses are Ok though). It's quite a facelift for the street which is now being called the 'salon of Warsaw'. The sidewalks are wide and comfortable, they can definately accomodate the crowds that show up on sunny weekends. The choice of materials is kept in an earthy-warm range, a good choice that strays away from the slate-grey that overpowers the city during winter. Various surfaces demarcate paths for pedestrians, vehicles and buffer zones. Well designed urban furniture is modern but maintains a sort of aesthetic from the thirties that blends in well with its historic backdrop. Overall everything is well done. My only gripe is with the bus-stops, so delicate and transparent that you can hardly see them (probably a good thing) but covered in the poorly designed signage of the Warsaw transportation system and the security company that monitors the stops.

Bastion: Polish National Bank. Reduta Bank Polski

Bank

@. Bielańska 10 
architect. Leontij Benois
finished. 1911

These are the remains of one wing of the headquarters of the National Bank of Poland which was a site of heavy fighting during the uprising. It was captured by Polish Army soldiers early in the uprising and the name reduta (bastion) has stuck. It was originally designed by a Russian architect in the art nouveu style. The building is more sculpture than architecture, a very evocative monument to the realities of WWII - a more powerful visual image than the nearby memorial to the uprising. Currently its use is incongrous with its visual impact. It is privately owned and available for organized events.

Escalator Stare Miasto

Urban Space

@. Krakowskie Przedmiescie 87/89
architect. Henryk Stamatello
finished. 1949

The first escalator in Poland debuted, along with the East-West Way, 'Trasa W-Z', in 1949. It was constructed in a Soviet factory along with those used in the Moscow metro. The escalator bridges 12m of the Warsaw bluff, 'skarpa', the equivalent of a 5 storey buillding. An engineering feat at the time. The entire passage is worth a look. There are relief scultptures depicting Russian-Polish brotherhood. And supposedly a machine room to visit.

The East-West Way was amongst the first large post-war reconstruction efforts. The idea of running traffic under the Castle Square already existed in the 30's and after war this clever solution was implemented. I really appreciate that mobility through the modern city is maintained at no expense to the old city fabric. When you're standing infront of the castle it's impossible to imagine that the equivalent of a freeway is running underneath. The escalator is just icing on the cake.

Before the renovation.

Stare Miasto/ Old Town

@. Old Town
architect. Jan Zachwatowicz, head of the 'Landmarks Bureau'
finished. 1953 (end of the first phase of reconstruction) 

Old Town is a pastel colored and romantically cobbled postcard, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1980. Its narrow streets are lined with charming, old-world restaurants, amber shops and ice-cream parlors. Today the Old Town is probably Warsaw’s largest tourist attraction. It is a popular destination for Poles from other parts of the country as well as Varsovians out for a Sunday after-church walk. During the summer months the Market Square and nearby Castle Square host a very popular Jazz concert series and many outdoor art exhibits.

The Old Town is a source of pride to Warsaw not just because it is a picturesque, historical corner of the city to show visiting friends. The memory of the reconstruction is alive because it is linked to the martyrology of a war that was its direct precursor.

However, outside the tourist season and the warmer summer months Old Town is virtually abandoned. Commerce is limited to tourist and foreigner friendly (over-priced) restaurants, pubs and souvenir shops. When no friends are visiting and when the weather turns gray, there is no reason to go to the Old Town.   

Metropolitan

Office building

@. Pl. Pilsudskiego 1
architect. Norman Foster
finished. 2003

The building occupies an important position in the city. It has blocked the view of the National Theatre (a feat in and of itself) from Pilsudski Square, probably the largest open space in the city. It fits in seamlessly with the surrounding architecture, picking up on the rounded edges and slate gray of the neighboring Hotel Europejski and the vertical decorative elements of the theater. The site is deep and to allow natural light into the offices within there is an interior courtard. This is both practical and in keeping with traditional Warsaw tenement buildings. The courtyard is cool in the summer and protected from the winter winds and because there is a fountain it has become an attraction for smaller children. It's integration into the city fabric is what makes me happiest.

Pegasus

@. Pl. Krasinskich 3/5
artist. Beata and Pawel Konarscy
finished. 2008

The work by Beata and Paweł Konarski deals with urban identity, they are reacting to a perceived overabundance of memory. The husband and wife team created a sculptural installation in front of a branch of the national library that houses its oldest and most valuable collections. The sculpture consists of five over-sized, primary-colored pegasi that look like a 3-D version of a child’s drawing. The installation was inspired by an exhibit inside the library devoted to the poetry of Zbigniew Herbert, whose work frequently referenced mythology. While this forms part of the context of the sculpture, it is also necessary to look across the street to the memorial of the Warsaw Uprising. It is a striking contrast; the somber figures bravely fighting against unbeatable odds are opposite a green field, a pasture with colorful and airy mythological creatures. It is hard to imagine that the contrast was not a conscious choice by the artists. The pegasi were installed in the summer of 2008 and are still on site despite the fact that the Herbert exhibit is gone. They have created a necessary counter balance to the bleak memorial.

Karowa 18a

 

@. Karowa 18a

architect. Jerzy Kuźmienko, Henryk Dąbrowski, Janusz Nowak, Piotr Sembrat, Adam Snopek

finished. 1970

These architects are also responsible for Kozia 9 and Sobieskiego 100, pretty brutalist stuff, the latter.This building is surprising because it's an infill right off of Krakowskie Przedmiescie a historical reconstruction. The street is perpendicular to the bluff, very steep. I like the building for its dramatic geometry that somehow manages not to be overbearing and while remaining different from the surroundigs the building in no way dominates them.

Walk - Ogrod Saski

This walk takes you through the areas surrounding the Saski Gardens. Start at Galeria Zacheta, a nice modern art gallery in a 19th century building, Thursdays are free. Walk across the street to the Saski Garden passing by the tomb of the unknown soldier (in the remaining arcades of the Saski Palace) and wander through the park. Make your way out the southwest exit and walk down Grzybowska where you will see upscale new apartments and restaurants, walk north through them to Hala Mirowska a 19th century market hall, then walk back east along Elektoralna, a calm old-worldy street. Cross Marszalkowska and peek into the courtyard of Senatorska 38 (today the Belgian Embassy). Head north to see the Reduta Bank Polski. Head back towards the National Theater and take a look at Senatorska 16/18, the old Town Hall, completely burned down during the war, paved over in the 50's and rebuilt in the 90's. Pass along the northeast side of the National Theater and check out Foster's Metropolitan office building. Afterwards head down to Krakowskie Przedmiescie and the corner of Ossolinskich for a quick snack at Bistro a la Fourgette.