Poland

The Alternative Heart Of Warsaw

Alternative Warsaw

Palace of Culture and Science - Warsaw

Calling Warsaw a classic beauty would be difficult indeed. Picture perfect isn’t a description that springs to mind, especially in winter, when oppresive grey skies accentuate the architectural cacophony of a city still halfway between drab socialism and the capitalist boom. But you can find inspiration in everything, a famous designer once said.

What to call the centre of Warsaw has long been debatable, in part because the Second World War turned the city into a pile of rubble and nearly all of the historic buildings, including the Royal Castle, are actually post-war replicas. The Intercontinental qualifies as central, being across from what has become the most popular symbol of the city: the Palace of Culture and Science, a curiosity of Stalinist architecture completed in 1955. The tower is said to have been Stalin’s own idea, but he died before the building was finished. Though local attitudes toward this Communist relic have been sharply divided, the structure was declared a historic monument in 2007. The Palace of Culture and Science is 231 metres high, with 42 storeys. The observation deck on the 30th floor is as integral to a tourist’s itinerary in Warsaw as a visit to the Eiffel Tower in Paris. There are three theatres, a cinema, a concert hall and a museum of technology in the building.

Warsaw – An Urban Puzzel

When you descent and start to wade through the slushy streets, the brief mirage of beauty glimpse from the 41st floor will dissolve in the grey monotony of socialist housing or be lost in some concrete subway. You might well ask yourself what you are doing in Warsaw and why. The experience can be worth it, though, because the city really has no equivalent. As a result of its tortured history, Warsaw can seem like a giant jigsaw puzzele from which some pieces have unfortunately vanished, while other pieces are stuffed into the gaps so there wouldn’t be a blank spot. More so then in other cities, things are hidden in the interiors. In the people, in the courtyards, in the vestibules.

Next to the city’s principal artery, Ulica Chmielna, behind the monstrous shopping tower that serves as a local children’s world, there is a cafe without a sign in a small side street, the ulice Bracka. It is called the Miedzy Nami, which means “Between Us”. No matter what day it is, it is invariably crowded, with creative types. It seems that many know each other. It is unclear why at first, since the waiters, though friendly, don’t hurry to find you a table and the worn interior is quite ordinary, if there was any real design involved at all. The Miedzy Nami Cafe is a sort of informal centre, however, for various events, a sort of staging ground for fresh ideas. Exhibits are held here and the owners publish stylish guides to other European cities like Paris, Rome, Berlin and London. The Miedzy Nami can also be appreciated for its friendly prices. Most of the places the waiters recommend are in Praga, currently the most fashionable district in Warsaw.

Praga in Warsaw

Koneser Vodka Factory - Warsaw

Long a separate town, Praga joined the city only in the 18th century. On the right bank of the Vistula and a ways from what might be dubbed the centre, it was comparatively unscathed when central Warsaw was devastated in the Second World War. Praga has preserved its pre-war architecture and offers a completely different atmosphere. Only a decade ago it was an outlying district with a distinctly criminal reputation. Though there are still some streets where nocturnal wanderings are not recommended by locals, the last few years have brought about a total transformation of Praga. It could now be called the epicentre of alternative culture in Warsaw. Artists’ studios, galleries, clubs, bars and cafes abound, and fashion shows, festivals and theatre thrive.

Some locals rarely make the trek; and with completing the new airport they might never cross the Vistula again. The streets of Praga formed the backdrop of Roman Polanski’s The Pianist. The former Koneser vodka factory, built in 1897 and distilling such famous potions as Wyborowa and Zhuborvka, is now a centre for the artistic spirit. Taking up five hectares, it’s quite fabulous architecturally, its Gothic structures having survived the war almost untouched.

On one side the premises of the factory, beside a pair of statues of two boys, there is an antiquarian shop. The brick walls of the courtyard are decorated with graffiti, a sketch of the Dalai Lama peering out between cartoon heroes. An iron door leads to the Sygnatura Gallery. Like the rest of the district, it lives a fully autonomous life. The gallery showcases new art from Warsaw and also offers various souvenirs. Next door, is Magazyn Praga. This is doubtless the most striking store for leading-edge design in Warsaw. One’s first impression may be one of chaos, the stock arrayed on crates and old barrels. Another look will tell you that nothing is even slightly out of place. Everything here has character and every item in this conceptual whole is discrete. Besides the latest Polish design, one can find the latest from the rest of Europe.

Theatre, Bars en Clubs in Praga

Fabryka Trzciny in Praga - Warsaw

The former vodka factory also offers theatre, and in the summer the brick walls become screens for art films. The early bird in the transformation of the Praga district was Fabryka Trzciny. Opening in 2003, it was the first non-governmental cultural centre in the city. Wojciech Trzcinski, a well-known composer and TV producer, was its creator. Like the Koneser, Fabryka Trzciny is a former factory. Built in 1916, it manufactured marmalade an later the popular Polish gym shoes known as pepegi. The industrial atmosphere remains; knots of pipes and ventilators have not been removed. One of the gems at Fabryka Trzciny is the bar and concert hall Denaturat, where Cesaria Evora ones performed. The bar itself is a gigantic metal pipe, and one off the walls is lined with 4,000 turpentine bottles.

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