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Powiśle: Warsaw’s Riverside District

Funky forms in Powiśle’s cultural zone; photos by Mat Fahrenholz. Above: Museum on the Vistula (p.45).

It might seem like quite a stretch to refer to any part of Warsaw as a hot spot, particularly in winter, but the city’s riverside Powiśle district has been blipping on the radar for quite some time� In recent years its rapid transformation hasn’t escaped the notice of travel writers eager to identify the next urban gem (ourselves included)� Once a fairly mundane area full of apartment blocks, factories/warehouses and workshops (often dilapidated), Powile was even avoided by many locals as there was simply nothing interesting to see or do here that warranted rolling down the hill� Fast-forward to today and this is one of the most intriguing parts of Warsaw, containing some fantastic museums, the modernised riverside boulevards, a revamped power station (Elektrownia Powiśle), photo-friendly uni gardens (open from April until end of October), an iconic train station bar (Warszawa Powiśle) unique shops, and of course, a gastro and social scene hotbed! It’s time for an explanation for this mish-mash through a brief history lesson (don’t yawn, it’s worth it!)� Warsaw University got the ball rolling by relocating its library to its current location on ul. Dobra 56/66 in 1999 and subsequently adding the now popular gardens (including rooftop garden with viewing platform) in 2002� The intelligentsia had officially moved in� But Powiśle was still seen as an area of little interest, the most interesting point being the left-bank riverside boulevards, which were merely cracked concrete slabs covered in weeds, the remnants of a pre-war effort to build a promenade, and subsequently became a favourite haunt of local drunks� Oh, dear� But once city centre rents began sky rocketing, the vanquished found their new home here� Local artists, small cafe and restaurant owners, shop owners, even activists, looking for a near-thecentre area to relocate saw the potential in the leafy riverside district�