Warsaw Insider September 2023 #325

EUROPEAN BEST DESTINATION 2023

SEPTEMBER 2023

#325

INDEKS 334901

ISSN:1643-1723

Features:

City secret: walking Boernerowo – p. 12

Interview: drone photographer Mavic Daily Life – p. 16

Expat life: Warsaw’s Italian connection – p. 24

Discover: the Uprising Hill reopens – p. 53

Reviews: EAT & DRINK

Review: Café Pląs – p. 35

Review: Nicoletta Saska Kępa – p. 38

Drinks: Grace Drink Bar – p. 40

Review: Serso – p. 41

Drinks: H.4.0.S – p. 42

The Buzz – p. 44

Foodie Radar – p. 49

DISCOVER

Kopiec Powstania Warszawskiego – p. 53

Event: TISH – p. 56

IT’S NOT OFTEN WE WELCOME the end of the holiday season, but August’s heatwave was nothing if not brutal – another ten minutes in the sun, and it’s likely we would have melted into a fizzy pool of lager. September, therefore, brings the promise of relief with the drop in temperature finally making the city more bearable – and that’s a good thing too given what we’ve lined up. First up, with your risk of being toasted alive now diminished, we’re sending readers to explore Boernerowo, a historic garden suburb that remains largely undiscovered. Keeping outdoors, we’ve also had a sniff around the revamped Uprising Mound, a striking natural reserve built on war rubble. Elsewhere, we’ve taken to the skies to interview one of Warsaw’s best drone photographers, and also sat down with representatives of the city’s Italian community to learn about their efforts when it comes to bridging cultures. And, of course, all that has been paired with our usual in-depth reviews and latest bits of news. Hope you enjoy it, and see you next month.

Alex Webber insider@warsawinsider.pl

Intel

Going For Gold

Often bordering on controversial, the globally acclaimed artist Paweł Althamer has returned to the headlines after turning a concrete island gold…

ften hailed as one of Poland’s greatest living artists, Paweł Althamer has breathed new life into a concrete island that, until recently, served as an open-air bear enclosure. First built in 1952 to showcase the nearby zoo, for decades the moated pit was home to a trio of bears. Amid mounting concerns for its furry residents, it was finally closed in 2020 after a drunk man entered the pen and sustained minor injuries after attempting to befriend its inhabitants.

Lying empty ever since, City Hall had initially announced the island would be turned into a gastronomic facility. However, in August residents woke to find Althamer at work together with a crew of young volunteers clad in golden overalls. According to the artist, by transforming the sad-looking pen into glimmering gold, a reference is made to the mental state of people living in big cities.

“People are overstimulated, they live in a constant rush,” says Althamer. “The antidote is an old animal enclosure where you can sit and read a book or meditate.” With the artist himself taking up residence on the island for a couple of weeks, the project will include family picnics, book readings and art classes. Enabled by the zoo, the Zachęta Art Gallery and the Museum of Praga, the island can be seen in its current golden state until the end of September – thereafter, its future remains unclear.

Green Chmielna Cancelled?

Plans to reboot Chmielna street have been placed on ice after bids submitted during the tender process proved too expensive. Not to be outdone, City Hall have promised to launch a new tender in September. With PLN 20.505 million set aside for the investment, the project envisions the planting of 130 trees and the introduction of a water feature, LED street lighting, and new street furniture.

Lost & Found

Data released by the subway’s lost property office has revealed that 9,400 items were handed in last year, a dramatic spike from the 6,600 objects that were collected in 2021. Over 5,600 of these were documents of one kind or other. Also handed in were 612 telephones, 187 watches, 76 laptops, 65 tablets, 35 e-book readers, 26 bikes and 23 cameras. Of the more curious items, the office said they had also received orthopaedic crutches, scooters and a handmade skateboard. As part of an ongoing collaboration with the Youth Council, 146 unclaimed tablets and 41 laptops have since been donated to local students.

PHOTOGRAPH CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT; UM.WARSZAWA, KEVIN DEMARIA, PRESS MATERIAL

Army Museum Now Open!

Opened to coincide with Armed Forces Day on August 15th, the Polish Army Museum made its long-awaited debut in its new HQ inside the Citadel complex in the north of Warsaw. Designed by the acclaimed WXCA architectural studio, the partially opened facility will be completed in full in 2025. In the meantime, visitors can sate their curiosity at the museum’s inaugural exhibition titled “1,000 Years of Glory of the Polish Military”. Presenting 3,000 of the most valuable artefacts from the museum’s 300,000 strong collection, the most prized objects include the country’s first tank (recovered in Afghanistan in 2012), a part of Hitler’s desk from the Reich Chancellery, Enigma cipher machines and a banner from the January Uprising.

Take a building

Tales From The Villa

Regarded as a classic of inter-war architecture, the uncertain future of the Pniewski Villa has sparked a media outcry…

Although the building itself faces no immediate danger, the Museum of the Earth inside stands to be liquidated as per an announcement made in July. This, fear activists, will mean not just the loss of a cult museum, but will also see one of Warsaw’s quirkiest architectural wonders blocked from public use.

With an estimated PLN 80 million needed to renovate the wider museum complex, its

operator, The Polish Academy of Science, issued a statement saying that they were unable to bear this cost. As such, the complex has been put up for sale on the condition that its architectural integrity would be protected. This, though, has failed to placate the public. As things stand, nearly 6,000 people had signed a petition to save the museum in its current form.

Found on Aleja Na Skarpie near the Parliament, the museum occupies both the

Branicki-Lubomirski Palace and the Pniewski Villa. Yet as elegant and engaging as the former is, it is the fate of the Pniewski Villa that has caused the most outrage. Originally constructed in the 18th century as a palace built to the design of Szymon Bogumił Zug, later years saw it function as a secret masonic lodge and a privately run aviary filled with exotic birds. Later falling into disrepair, it was purchased in the 1930s by the famed architect Bohdan Pniewski.

Under his direction, a full-on revamp occurred. Whilst the Classicist colonnaded portico, terrace, and side annexes were kept, the rest was given a modernist makeover with much of the external façade clad in decorative stone. Serving as the architect’s home and studio, Pniewski was displaced during the war. When the 1944 Warsaw Uprising broke out, the residence was the scene of heavy fighting and to this day a patch of dried blood can still be seen staining a stairwell leading to the basement. Acting as something of a macabre and poignant shrine to the anonymous soldiers that fell, it’s frequently cited as one of Warsaw’s most unusual sights.

Restored in the post-war years by Tadeusz Zieliński, Pniewski settled back into his home after the war and lived there until his death in 1965 – the same year, the villa was entered into the Register of Monuments. Handed over to The Polish Academy of Science in 1966, for decades it has served as a branch of the Museum of the Earth.

WELCOME TO HALLERA

Offering a sedate tonic to Warsaw’s rampant and aspirational consumerist culture, Plac Hallera in the Praga district is retro throwback to times gone…

WHAT’S IN A NAME

Originally known as Pl. Leńskiego after the Communist agitator Julian Leński, Pl. Hallera was rechristened in 1991 and named to honour Józef Haller, a general that played a decisive role in vanquishing the Red Army in the 1921 Battle of Warsaw.

BACK STORY

Built to accommodate employees of the nearby FSO car factory, the wider settlement weighed in at 50 hectares with enough housing for 25,000 people. Starting in 1950, the design was initiated in Socialist Realist style, though with Stalin dying half-way through the project, this guiding architectural doctrine was abandoned. Sometimes nicknamed Praga’s MDM in comparison to Pl. Konstytucji, it shares the same Orwellian, dehumanising architecture, but none of the grand colonnades or reliefs.

NOW

From an architectural point of view, Hallera impresses as a thoroughly preserved fragment of 50s Warsaw. At its heart lies a long shard of parkland and it is this that glues the community together. Chillout by the graduation tower, leave a manuscript at the book share point, or cool your fingertips in a small fountain crowned by a gold-painted ornament.

LIVE IT!

When it comes to food and drink, what Hallera lacks in choice it makes up for in quality. In the

Trzy Kruki

Centrum Nepal

form of Trzy Kruki, the area has a standout café dealing specialty coffee and bio wines to a cool crowd engrossed in books and tablets. On the other side of the square, Tu Mi Wolno offers homemade pastries, craft beers, and smoothies in a room decked out with theatre seats and posters. For food, Centrum Nepal looks gloomy and barebones but cooks up some great Nepalese and Indian food – our tikka masala was every bit as good as most found in the centre.

IS IT WORTH IT?

Plac Hallera can strike the Warsaw novice as a lifeless void. More appreciative are the connoisseurs who see it for what it is – a living time capsule to be savoured and enjoyed. Lacking the wanton commercialism that defines modern Warsaw, being here can feel like travelling back to the Cold War period.

Tu Mi Wolno

Graduation Tower

Siostry Plotą

LEADING LIGHTS

Warsaw’s neon resurgence has seen clusters of hotspots emerge – this issue, we spotlight a dazzling trio found bunched close together on lower Marszałkowska…

WIELKA WARSZAWA

Marszałkowska 77/79

One of the city’s newer signs was conceived by artist Arek Vaz and was implemented as part of the city’s public ‘participatory budget’. Shown is the ‘General Plan for Great Warsaw’, an urban spatial plan that was developed in 1928 by a team of architects and engineers under the direction of Stanisław Różański. With Warsaw’s population projected to triple to up to three million residents by 1958, Różański’s team sought to counter the chaos of such a population explosion by establishing new districts and infrastructure that would readily absorb the rising numbers of people. This neon depicts that plan in stunning detail – casting a reddish-blue glow on the pavement below, it’s one of Warsaw’s most visually engaging neons.

IZIS

Marszałkowska 55

Hailing from the 70s, and with an older (uglier) brother on Pl. Bankowy, this neon flags the presence of a health and cosmetic clinic operating in Warsaw for nearly 100-years. Famed for providing fancy Swiss treatments, few beauty clinics enjoyed the same reputation as IZIS during the PRL period. With its rich, red colors and enormous size, few neons in town make such a visual impact. However, consider this: as glorious as the individually mounted letters may seem, the building’s façade was once even more impressive –back in the 60s, an illuminated Egyptian goddess also clung to the wall.

RUCH

Marszałkowska 80

Returned to its rightful perch at the tail-end of 2020, the ‘newspaper boy’ originally made his debut in the 60s and was designed to promote the activities of the media distribution firm Ruch. Turned off in the 1980s, it was later dismantled altogether before returning in 2014. Immediately falling foul of vandals, it would take another six-years before it was given another crack at life. Now a much-loved feature of Marszałkowska, it’s a reminder of the times when the street was considered the de facto capital of Polish neon.

Neighbourhood: Boernerowo

URBAN JEWEL

Tucked in the north-west of Warsaw, the quaint, wooded Boernerowo estate is one of Warsaw’s best-kept little secrets…

You sure can trust Warsaw to keep a secret under wraps – after all, how else could you explain Boernerowo. Despite being one of the capital’s most scenic idylls, it’s unlikely you’ll know (m)any people that have even heard of it, let alone actually visited.

A sub-district of the borough of Bemowo, the area was born in the 1920s when a Tsarist era fort was purchased by the government. Handed to the Ministry of Post and Telegraphs, it was around it that the Transatlantic Radio Station was built. More than just the most significant radio communication investment of the Second Polish Republic, when it was finished the station was reputedly the most advanced in the world.

This, however, was just the beginning of the story. Aware that the station’s employees needed housing close to the station, Ignacy Boerner, the Minister of Posts & Telegraphs, pressed Prime Minister Ignacy Mościcki to green light the development of a residential estate for the workers. Receiving the go-ahead, on April 29th, 1932, an executive committee convened to select a 52-hectare site close to a pine forest. To all intents and purposes, it was this moment that signalled the birth of Boernerowo even though the district would not be named such until 1936.

Ignacy Boerner would not live to see this moment. Passing away in 1933, his untimely death at the age of 57 did not impact the construction of the area. Initially known as the First Housing Estate of Łączności, by the time Boerner died building work was already well underway – in fact, such was the breakneck speed of the project, within just six-months 56 houses had been built.

Soon enough, other stages followed with the over-arching concept authored by Adam Kuncewicz and Adam Jurewicz. Their idea was guided by the ‘garden suburbs’ that were trending around Western Europe and included plans for a school, kindergarten, sports facilities, a market and so forth.

In all, 284 building plots were created and these were filled by five types of housing designed by Wanda Boerner-Przewłocka. Defined by their charming wooden form, these ranged in size from 32.68 sq/m to 144 sq/m. Construed as a self-suffi-

cient community, many saw it as an almost Utopian micro-world complete with its own fire commission, nighttime patrols by six guards, an artesian well, and a community newspaper edited pro bono by the handful of journalists living on the estate.

Connected to Warsaw via tram, the area – which was rechristened Boernerowo on September 28th, 1936 – also had a wooden chapel which served as an anchoring point for the local community. More than just a place of worship, it was here that meetings and concerts were held. Among those who

Neighbourhood: Boernerowo

performed there were the outstanding tenor, Michał Szopski.

Soon enough though life in this happy, little bubble would irrevocably change with the German invasion of Poland. Set to the north-west of Warsaw, the settlement came under bombardment by the Luftwaffe and was occupied on September 10th, 1939, for four days before the Wehrmacht were beaten back on the 14th. Fiercely contested between the two warring factions, its defence would last until the capitulation of the capital on the 27th. Despite seeing bitter trench warfare in the forests, the battle for Boernerowo now largely stands forgotten.

The occupation bought little respite and for the next few years Boernerowo proved a thorn in the side of the Nazis. A subversive radio station operated from Telefoniczna 18 throughout the war while a clandestine printing house was created on what is now Telewizja 35. A stash of arms were kept at Boernera 35, whilst several other houses served as meeting points or headquarters for local units of the Home Army.

Although the population

numbered little more than 1,000, the residents of Boernerowo also stepped up to the plate when it came to protecting Warsaw’s Jews. Among those that sought refuge in Boernerowo were Marek Edelman, the last commander of the 1943 Ghetto Uprising. In all, six locals have since been recognised by Yad Vashem for their selfless actions, and these include Bronisław Przybysz who was executed in the woods in front of the police station that stood on what is currently Grotowska 38. Denounced by a neighbour, he was shot along with the family of four Jews he was caught sheltering.

After the war, Boernerowo finally found itself officially incorporated into Warsaw in 1951, but by this stage it was already demonstrating its importance. As early as 1949, around 2,000 German prisoners were tasked with adding runways to the nascent Babice Airport.

Left off the maps, this military airfield became the source of wild rumours – some speculated that the Soviets stored atomic weapons here. Shrouded in secrecy, it was to here that Charles de Gaulle, Nikita Khruschev and

Richard Nixon flew on their visits to Warsaw. In 1996, Babice was back in the news when Michael Jackson performed in front of 120,000 people.

Bizarrely, this was not Jacko’s last flirtation with the area, either. When the King of Pop entered discussions to launch a Disney-style amusement park in Poland, the airfield was the leading candidate to serve as a site – billed to become the largest such attraction in the whole of Europe, the deal was soon scuppered by the military who refused to sell the land.

Today, Boernerowo has largely faded back into obscurity, yet it feels all the better for this. Sixty-two wooden houses have survived, and both they and the surrounding woodland have made this little area a jewel to discover. Perfectly primed for weekend walks, this is truly one of the unsung treasures of the city.

WHAT TO SEE & DO

Arrival & Departure

Boernerowo saw its first tram in 1936, however, war damage meant it was only reconnected on September 8th, 1946. For locals, this was a red-letter day that was covered by the Warsaw press and attended by government officials and a marching band. Typical of the party-pooping attitude of the new Communist system, one of the speakers reminded residents that “the saved energy that had been used to walk to work, could now be used to increase your efforts at work.” Silly as it might sound, the tram terminus is still worth a look, ribboning as it does through the forest. Cutting a loop through the tangled woodland, it’s one of Warsaw’s more enjoyable tram rides.

Follow The Bears

In an effort to raise public awareness as to the wider area of Bemowo, last autumn saw the introduction of six bronze bears to mark local achievements and landmarks. Inspired by Wrocław’s plague of gnomes, these include Latarek, a goggled bear standing by Babice Airport and Watek close to the Military University of Technology (it was here that Poland’s first laser was built in 1963 as well as an analogue computer called ELWAT). Sitting by the bus station close to the Adameckiego roundabout is the cutest of them all, Radarek – a pint-sized radio operator celebrating the area’s historic station.

Pop Into Church

The church at Kaliskiego 49 is worth a quick detour to view the various plaques, urns, busts and banners that commemorate its role throughout the area’s history – among other things, in 1939 it served as a military field hospital. Notable for a groovy 1970s mosaic on its façade, its features include an urn of soil from Katyn and some carefully tended war graves.

Walk The Streets

The greatest pleasure in Boernerowo lies in simply walking the streets and allowing curiosity to be your guide. The best examples of wooden architecture can be found on

Grotowska, Telefoniczna and Bawełniana, but the truth is no matter which direction you find yourself pointing you’ll discover leafy side streets set with charming homes. Interspersed with intriguing, luxury new build, your journey will take you past a mix of perfectly preserved chalets as well as overgrown, derelict cabins. The contrasts are captivating.

Remembrance

A few monuments and memorials can be found scattered around Boernerowo, including a pillar honouring Ignacy Boerner right by the church – when Boernerowo was absorbed into Warsaw it was renamed the Bemowo Estate. Its former name was only restored in 1987, the year before the Boerner bust was unveiled. Also noteworthy is an Uprising monument at the top of Westerplatte that pays tribute to the troops of the Żywiciel battle group that were massacred in 1944. In the forest just beyond traces of trenches dug in 1939 can also be spotted.

Explore The Forests

The sprawling forest directly north is filled with criss-crossing pathways that take you past clearings, picnic spots, footbridges and outdoor gym equipment. Occasionally disorienting, along the way you might find yourself bumping into snuffling boars, the occasional deer or even foxes and badgers. It was here that the transatlantic station was built and elements of this have survived. For years the Germans used it to help coordinate the movement of Kriegsmarine U-boats before destroying it in 1945. Despite this, strollers will run into abandoned guardhouses, chunks of reinforced concrete since eaten by nature as well as swampy moats ringing the old fortresses.

Get The Beers In

Feeling like the ultimate locals’ bar, Łośka on Kaliskiego 20 touts a small, terraced garden and an interior cluttered with bikes, books, benches and brickwork. Offering up a selection of mainstream and craft beers, it’s a supremely friendly spot in which to refresh yourself after a sweaty afternoon walk.

THE SKY’S THE LIMIT!

Emerging as one of Warsaw’s most talented drone operators, we join Krzysztof Klimkiewicz (a.k.a. Mavic Daily Life) to find out more about his photography…

WI: What makes a great photo?

MDL: There’s some brilliant photographers here in Warsaw, but I think what really sets the great apart is the way they frame a picture so that it surprises. A good photo should showcase a particular place in a way that’s not been seen before. Composition and editing are important too, but nothing is more vital than a good frame.

What do you love about photographing at this time of year?

Because sunrise occurs early you have the chance of capturing the city when it’s totally empty, giving it the vibe of an abandoned town. The morning mist that often hangs over the city also adds a romantic touch. Plus, there’s the temperature – you don’t

freeze your fingers while trying to get the perfect shot!

A lot of your images show the contrasts of Warsaw – is this something you actively seek to show, or is that just the city’s character?

Warsaw is a blend of new and old; many buildings were reconstructed after the war, while others were initially constructed as temporary structures and systematically replaced with new ones. This dynamic has led to the emergence of numerous new locations featuring exceptional architecture. In terms of green spaces, Warsaw boasts a lot of parks, and the growing pro-ecological awareness in recent years has resulted in an increase in the number of trees. At the end of the day, I

am merely an observer who strives to discover new places that no one has captured yet.

Some of your perspectives have felt unique – for example, Polonia’s stadium and the National Stadium in a single frame, or Wola’s industrial rotundas against the newer skyscrapers. These perspectives feel really fresh. Do you spend a lot of time planning shots, or are they based on spontaneous exploration?

I try to choose locations as a starting point to capture intriguing shots, but looking at things from a bird's-eye view truly fuels the imagination, revealing fascinating compositions while up in the air. Like anyone else, I draw inspiration from other photos, but I make a conscious effort

not to replicate shots that have already been taken. Over the past year, I've found myself with less and less time to plan my flights. I seize every free moment to fly, whether it's during social gatherings with friends or family outings. Fortunately, both groups are incredibly understanding and supportive of my passion. However, there are instances when atmospheric conditions demand immediate action. There are times when I drop everything, grab my drone, and head out to the city… especially when there's mist in the air!

Do you have a favourite landmark or area to photograph?

No matter which part of Warsaw you're photographing, it's always nice to capture skyscrapers in the background. These provide an interesting point of reference.

What have you learned about the city since you started flying over it?

Through flying, I've come to understand the diverse urban fabric. Viewing things from a bird's-eye perspective makes people suddenly disappear from the city, leaving me one-on-one with the architecture, which transforms based on the time of day or the weather.

How do you feel about the huge spike in drone photographers?

An increasing number of people are starting to use drones as another means of expression in photography. I personally draw inspiration from many creators, and it seems like we mutually feed off each other's work. I make an effort to stay on top of my game and continuously

evolve, investing in equipment that provides me with more and more possibilities.

Everyone loves the idea of flying a drone – but what difficulties do you face? The latest drones allow you to effortlessly take to the skies. However, it takes some skill and practice to achieve satisfying results. I've been using FPV drones for a while now, which are more challenging to pilot and demand even greater focus while flying. Using them, though, really gives you a sense of freedom.

Obviously, you need to stay within local rules when flying a drone – is Warsaw a drone-friendly city? Yes, it is, and that’s despite having many restricted zones and two airports. Of course,

adhering to regulations is a must, but thanks to the Drone Radar app, it's easy to check where and at what altitude you can fly. This app also informs others using the airspace if another drone might be present, reducing the risk of accidents.

For more: Instagram.com/ mavic_daily_life

“ Through flying, I've come to understand the diverse urban fabric

Beyond the Plate: A Journey To The Heart of Little Italy

All operating in the Powiśle district, the Insider joins up with a group of Italian chefs and restaurateurs to discuss the subject closest to their heart… food.

WORDS & PHOTOS: KEVIN DEMARIA

Having celebrated the delicious gelato of Dal Dalla Gelato numerous times within these very pages, it didn’t take long for a genuine connection to develop between the owner, Luca, and this humble Insider. Our after-hours chats, often accompanied by a slice of pizza at Va Bene on Tamka, revealed more than just culinary insights. They opened a window into Luca’s world.

Often orchestrating conversations with the practiced agility of a libero, his banter with the pizzaiolos often set off a domino effect of laughter and camaraderie, creating an ambiance reminiscent of watching an Italian football match, even when wasn’t playing. That familiar feeling of being part of a wider Italian family fostered a sense of belonging that resonated deeply within me.

As more meetings passed, our conversation inevitably turned to that great universal topic, food, and it was during one of those informal chats that Luca proposed press-ganging a few other Italian restaurateurs for a famiglia style rendezvous. This would not only serve to satiate my curiosity about their experiences as Italians in Warsaw, but also help glean insights from their collective pool of wisdom. And so it was that on a sunny afternoon we assembled around a table on Va Bene’s patio, exchanging thoughts over coffee, pastries, and the season’s juiciest Polish strawberries.

I initiated our conversation by asking, "Why Warsaw?" The responses flowed, weaving a narrative of love, opportunity, and a desire to share their heritage with Polish people, but there was also a palpable sense of pride when the topic of promoting Italian culture arose. It led me to ask how other elements of Italian culture, besides food, are woven into the fabric of these establishments?

Emanuele Guidi of Va Bene has taken a creative approach by offering free Italian lessons to his staff. Within the restaurant’s intimate confines, the colours of Italian football teams bring together both Italian and Polish patrons, creating an emotive bond through a shared passion. Va Bene even have their own private Instagram group so they can keep their tight-knit crew of regulars in the loop as to all their goings on - how's that for family connection!

Luca from Dal Dalla Gelato points out that the essence of authenticity lies in even the names of the ice cream flavours at Dal Dalla. But the journey goes beyond names and tastes; it delves into sourcing ingredients. Luca stresses that genuine ingredients matter and that today’s diners

almost demand to understand their origin – from pistachios to milk.

Another fundamental motif concerns art and cuisine, with the two long intertwined when it comes to Italian culture. Matteo Liscaio, the visionary behind Bottegas, embraces this connection by hosting events that promote Italian art, while the restaurant's menu caters to Polish palates. He notes an intriguing phenomenon, that being the Polish preference for well-cooked pasta as opposed to the traditional Italian al dente style.

Of course, with the lockdown still haunting the nightmares of every restauranteur, the pandemic is another predictable feature of the conversation, with Madre’s Giacomo recounting how it was the challenges posed by Covid that inspired creativity. Responding to the situation, he turned to social media to share cooking techniques, from crafting ragu to perfecting arancini and fresh pasta. The idea was simple yet powerful –passing down family culinary secrets as grandmothers have done for generations. As our conversation progressed, I delved into what makes an Italian restaurant genuinely Italian. The unanimous response struck me with its elegant simplicity: knowledge and respect. There was no exclusivity or pretension; instead, all talked of a commitment to crafting dishes authentically, thereby honouring the essence of each ingredient.

While my initial expectation had been for a more complex explanation, the wisdom they shared was profound in its directness. Each chef, and each owner, had a unique perspective to share. As we unravelled the layers of their dedication to achieving authenticity, it became clear that these individuals were not just crafting dishes but experiences as well as they sought to build a tangible connection to the heart of their country.

Speaking to them, one began seeing them more as cultural ambassadors, tactically introducing Italian traditions into the very fabric of Warsaw’s dining scene: from mastering the

“ That familiar feeling of being part of a wider Italian family fostered a sense of belonging that resonated deeply within me

delicate balance of Italian and Polish ingredients to sharing family recipes, their efforts painted a rich tapestry aimed at bridging two distinct cultures, one dish at a time.

Salient to this has been the delicate dance-off between Polish and Italian ingredients. While elements of Italy’s diet – such as lemons or San Marzano tomatoes – defy replication, Poland’s bountiful produce offers its own distinct flair. Giacomo Carreca of Madre understands this balance, using Polish vegetables and mushrooms in his Italian recipes.

The concept of “kilometre zero” resonates deeply with Daniele from Grano Duro. Emphasising freshness and seasonality, he believes that the essence of Italian dishes can be conveyed with Polish products. For instance, the award-winning burrata from the city centre’s Bianca store. David from Grano Duro notes that true Italian cuisine is simple, built around a few key ingredients. The difference between an authentic Italian experience and mere imitations lies in understanding and respecting these ingredients.

Yet while authenticity may come at a cost, these restaurateurs are unwavering in their commitment. Matteo Liscaio emphasises that Poland’s evolving dining scene has become more receptive to quality, even if this shift has at times been gradual. Although sometimes a struggle to maintain accuracy given the price-sensitive market, Luca firmly believes that faith in the value of their products will ultimately pay off.The evolving tastes of Polish patrons and their increased exposure to international cuisines reflect Emanuele Guidi’s observation – that more and more people are treating food as a destination. That many people now happily travel for a meal has become a testament both to the Polish diner’s growing curiosity and appreciation for diverse cuisines and cultures.

That step-by-step growth owes itself to figures such as this very gaggle of Italian friends – acting almost as pioneers on the culinary and cultural landscape, it is their often-inventive strategies and approaches that have cultivated a bettering understanding of their homeland –one dish at a time.

Emanuele of Va Bene

Luca of Dal Dalla Gelato

Daniele and David of Grano Duro

Matteo Liscaio of Bottegas

Emanuele's father

Giacomo of Madre

PARTNERS:

ORGANIZER: MEDIA:

INSIDER'S GUIDE

For a catch-all solution offering a variety of food, drinks and social experiences under one address, check out the following Warsaw legends…

COMMUNITY HUBS & FOOD HALLS

NORBLIN FACTORY ul. Żelazna 51/53, fabrykanorblina.pl

In September

OVERVIEW

Opened on the site of a former metal factory, the scale of Norblin takes a while to sink in. A beautiful combination of new and old, it’s a photogenic example of everything that makes modern Warsaw so captivating. Representing 200-years of history, the two hectare site is riddled with over 50 leftovers from the Industrial Revolution and these are set against attractions such as the luxury Kinogram cinema (champagne vending machines!), the immersive Art Box Experience, the only Apple Museum in the country (as in the tech brand, not the fruit), a factory museum and the Smart Kids Planet – a 1,600 sq/m project with nine zones that aim to promote logical thinking, healthy eating, motor functions, perception and creative thinking.

F&B

Warsaw’s largest food hall (23 food points and five bars!) has been intelligently designed so as to retain intimacy while never ceasing to remind visitors as to its diverse range of choices – the so-called ‘Asian district’ scores particularly highly. In standalone terms, top marks go to the elegant Piano Bar, the eclectic Uwaga craft beer haven, the swanky MOXO bar-club crossover, the Tex Mex of Blue Cactus and the newly-launched Middle Eastern emporium that is Amar Beirut. Finally, check into the Bio Bazar, a farmers’ market with a reputation that extends nationwide.

JOIN THE CLUB

an immersive celebration of Monet and other impressionist legends such as Renoir, Cassatt, Cezanne, Manet and Boudin. Every Mon and Tues, find also their acclaimed Retro Warszawa show, a remarkable experience that transports visitors back to the golden inter-war years. Norblin do not rest when it comes to events, however, so check their social media for further plans and updates.

Debuting in February, frequent visitors can now register to join the Norblin Factory Club, an app that will give members access to exclusive offers, promotions and discounts. Free to download, it’s been designed with guests, tenants and suppliers in mind.

Swing into the Art Box Experience

In September

Visit Gatsby cocktail bar every Thursday at 7 p.m. for English-language stand-up nights as performed by The Comedy Hole collective. More events are expected, so keep updated by checking their socials closer to the time.

Get The App!

Designed to make your life a whole lot easier, download the Food Hall app from Elektrownia’s website to order your favourite dishes in advance from the 13 F&B concepts presented in the food hall.

ELEKTROWNIA POWIŚLE

ul. Dobra 42, elektrowniapowisle.com

OVERVIEW

Initially completed in 1904 to serve as Warsaw’s primary source of electricity, Elektrownia appears with frequency in local history books – contested during the 1944 Warsaw Uprising (shrapnel holes still dent the building

at intervals), it later powered the Palace of Culture – to this day, the switchboard survives. Relaunched in 2020, the blended approach includes an an exclusive top floor beauty hall filled with cutting edge cosmetic and beauty therapy solutions (Anna Lewandowska has been spotted here!), and a retail offer than tends to shirk the mainstream to instead slant in on contemporary Polish design, upscale vintage, niche brands and established local talent.

F&B

Lit by a sea of neon, the food hall is a street food mecca with star turns provided by Philly’s Finest Cheesesteak and Uki Uki Kikuya. Bracketed either side by two flagship bars, the smoothness of this operation can’t be questioned. But this is all complemented by standalone restaurant project such as the chic and design-minded Dock 19 and legendary, fun-fuelled Blue Cactus.

HALA KOSZYKI

ul. Koszykowa 63, koszyki.com

OVERVIEW

Revolutionizing Warsaw’s food and drink scene, the 2016 reopening of Koszyki can be considered one of the watershed moments in the city’s gastro timeline. Considered the grande dame of food halls, the brick and wrought iron interiors of this spot look beautiful with the F&B offer split between standalone restaurants such as the fancy Warszawski Sen to vendors like the fist-bumping, burrito boys at Gringo. For craft beer and grilled sausages then Kiełba w Gębie don’t put a foot wrong, though the biggest lines are usually reserved for Soul Food Burgers. The open-allhours ĆMA is a legend in its own lifetime, whilst The Upper Deck has won credit for its cocktails. Gluing it all together, Bar Koszyki in the middle of it all remains the top check-in.

BROWARY WARSZAWSKIE

Grzybowska 58, browarywarszawskie.com.pl

OVERVIEW

Billing itself as a premium food hall, the centrepiece of Browary contrasts well against Warsaw’s other offers. Occupying a beautifully lit vaulted chamber that was once used to store beer, this magnificently formed space presents an offer based around a “quality over quantity” with twelve concepts vying for attention. Pertinently, the wider offer has also cemented itself into Warsaw’s conscience thanks to addresses such as Robert Lewandowski’s Nine’s sports bar, a flagship brewery-restaurant, the ever-popular Balkan eatery Munja, and Baila – a stunning live entertainment emporium.

In September

Koszyki has long reveled in its cultured reputation – from classical evenings to history walks and book signings, there’s rarely a dull month. In September, that means a candle-lit piano concert on the 5th that kicks-off at 9 p.m. So far, all we know is that Małgorzata Kruczek-Michalska will be performing works by Bach and Chopin as well as more contemporary tunes.

BACK STORY

Established in 1846, the Haberbusch & Schiele brewery that once occupied this plot was the largest such plant in the entire Kingdom of Poland. Later also producing Coca Cola under American license, the complex later fell into complete dereliction. Opened last year after seven-years of work, the resulting Browary Warszawskie has utilized these surviving elements and set them against a swanky backdrop of freshly mapped streets and immaculate new build that feels contextually suited to the district.

In September

As we bid farewell to summer, visit Browary every Saturday in September for live concerts (8 p.m.), and every Sunday (6 p.m.) for musical improv and comedy.

CENTRUM PRASKIE KONESER

Pl. Konesera, koneser.eu

OVERVIEW

Built in 1897, from its early inception Koneser was designed with one duty in mind: to produce vodka. Nationalized after WWII, Koneser only finished producing vodka in 2007; by that time, the plant was in dire need of care and attention and its Neo Gothic architectural details looked destined to rot and die. But not so. Subjected to a seven-year restoration process, it reopened

in 2018 as a mixed-use project containing cultural sites, F&B outlets, swanky offices and loft-style apartments – no other investment has had a bigger impact on Praga’s overdue regeneration than Koneser. Culturally, it’s also done much thanks to the Polish Vodka Museum, the Museum of Fantastic Art and temporary exhibitions such as Banksy in 2021.

F&B

For foodies, the lynchpin that holds the food and drink offer together is Koneser Grill. Belonging to the portfolio of Ferment Group (owners and creators of Rozbrat

In Septemner

Of the planned events, announced so far is an open-air yoga meet at 11 a.m. on the 16th as well as a range of magic shows for kids and adults at the Magic Mind Museum – for further details, check their website.

20, Butchery & Wine and a string of other essential eateries), enjoy a sophisticated, meat-centric menu amid smooth lighting, blond woods, metal fixtures and outbreaks of rich teal colours. Then, you’ve got the small matter of Bombaj Masala and its Indian street bites served in eclectic surrounds, and newbies such as Setki Powodów, a vibrant, fun space with on-tap cocktails, crazy shots and a menu devised by Insider favourite Michał Bryś (formerly our Chef of the Year), and Spółdzielnia, a casual eatery that’s already earned mythical status in Łódź.

NOCNY MARKET

Towarowa 3 (Warszawa Główna)

OVERVIEW

Still feeling as fresh and exciting as when it first premiered in 2016, Nocny Market brings together dozens of food vendors to form a patchwork of uber cool traders and hip little stands. But more than just an ultra-fun collection of ethnic cook-up spots, the Nocny Market has become the place to get tattooed in front of hollering strangers, stock up on artisan donuts, swag some crazy-patterned Warsaw-themed socks, get the whiskers waxed or simply boogie on down to side-burned DJs rescued from the Lost Years of Hipster. Set on a disused train platform lit by funky strips of neon, this weekend market-party (open Thurs through to Sun) is a social phenomenon that’s enshrined in local legend.

In September

No news as of press time, but with Nocny Market set to wrap up for the season on the last weekend of September you can bet that they’ll have a few special events up their sleeves – but even without added attractions, this is not a place that needs a regular roll-call of events. A living organism, every hour seems to offer a different vibe – you haven’t experienced Warsaw until you’ve experienced Nocny Market.

ENTIRELY PLĄSIBLE

Uncover Serenity Amidst Artistic Splendor in Mokotów's Hidden Oasis

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

Set in deepest Mokotów, find Cafe Pląs in Królikarnia, a park and palace complex whose footprint includes beautiful gardens scattered with often surreal works by eminent sculptors such as Xawery Dunikowski, Maria Papa Rostkowska or Alina Ślesińska. Inside, the grand, sand-coloured palace is known for its cerebral temporary exhibitions.

WELL I NEVER!

Królikarnia has always been good fun: built in the 18th century for Augustus II, its primary function was to serve as a hunting base, though according to some was actually little more than ‘a high class brothel’. Although heavily damaged in both 1939 and 1944, you would never guess this walking its serene park or echoing halls.

OWNERSHIP

You might well have heard of the people behind it – in one corner you have Maciej Musiał, an actor with a reputation as one of the good guys of celebrity Poland. In the other, meet Katarzyna Błońska and Tomek Czudowski, a couple whose gastro projects include the award-winning Ale Wino and the design-minded Muzealna. This, though, is not the trio’s first joint venture. Opening Podrygi last year, a chilled-out cocktail bar in the gardens of the National Museum, the success of that has prompted this latest foray.

FACE VALUE

Set to the left of the palace's main entrance, Pląs introduces itself in a burst of parquet flooring and muted beige shades. There’s two rooms to speak of, and both impress with their tall windows and high ceilings. Decorated with vintage drawers and retro chairs, these 60s treasures

are offset against a statement chandelier and funky neon in the main chamber, and a striking contemporary canvas in the side room. An engaging mix of old and new, its easy on the eye and demands to be Instagrammed.

PEOPLE

Located somewhere else and

Pląs could have risked being too cool for school – you know, one of those places where anyone without 50,000 followers on social media would feel out of place. In actuality, however, one of its biggest successes relates to just how diverse it feels – chic but comfortable, everyone feels good here.

Partly, that’s thanks to the almost disarming friendliness of the staff. But the guests also play a prominent role – sure, you’ll find ‘influencer’ style people lurking around, but you’re just as likely to bump into digital nomads taking advantage of the area’s peace and quiet, yoga mums, stray tourists or just locals enjoying the vibe of the place. And what is the vibe? In a nutshell, it’s laidback and artsy-cool, something aided by the strategically placed plants, chillout beats and rare-find art books placed reverentially on the shelves.

SIPS & NIBBLES

Bites come in the form of a small selection of pastries such as the standout blueberry éclair. The coffee isn’t to be sniffed at, either. When temperatures peak, order the iced flat white. For alternatives, they also carry botanical-based soft drinks from Fentimans, some low-intervention wines and a smattering of craft beer from the Trzech Kumpli brewery.

GOOD TO KNOW

With windows that yawn onto the lawn in front, Pląs works in perfect rhythm with its surrounding environment – with Królikarnia often organising outdoor summer concerts and dances, the presence of this café ties in neatly with the underpinning spirit of the palace.

“

it’s laidback and artsy-cool, something aided by the strategically placed plants, chillout beats and rare-find art books placed reverentially on the shelves.

Café Pląs Puławska 113A (Królikarnia), fb.com/cafeplas PHOTOGRAPHS BY KEVIN DEMARIA

TERRACE TALK

BACKGROUND

Something of a modernist pearl, Nicoletta occupies the Łepkowskich Villa, a building completed in 1935 according to a swish design coined by Lucjan Korngold and Piotr Maria Lubiński. Commissioning it was Józef Łepkowski, a car dealer specializing in the import of American automobiles such as the Chevrolet.

Commandeered by Polish forces during the Siege of Warsaw, it was at the forefront of Saska Kępa’s defensive actions in 1939. In the post-war years, it became a bulwark of French diplomatic activity and served as the ambassador’s home from 1946 until 2005. More recently, it was reabsorbed into the district’s social life under the guise of Biała, a cocktail-coffee concept by Grupa Warszawa. Later, it fell under the ownership of Flaming & Co., a food and drink bastion channeling Long Island’s Hilfiger spirit.

TO THE PRESENT

The closure of Flaming Bistro came as a surprise to all, but no sooner had they vacated

Joining the battle for the title of Warsaw’s top outdoor space, a Saska jewel reopens under the banner of Nicoletta…

the property the new tenants were in. Given the swiftness of the handover, not much has changed either inside or out – and that’s definitely a good thing. After all, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

With its perfect white colors, the glass-fronted oblong form of the Łepkowskich Villa has an elegant sophistication to it that’s delicious on the eye. But it becomes even more so out the back.

It’s here you’ll find a garden that’s in-filled with well-spaced wooden decks hiding amid the vegetation and plant life. A garden in the truest sense of the word, the best view is from

the balcony on top. Set aside for smokers, and accessed via a glorious spiral staircase, it’s from here you gaze down on the people gathered below as you consider all the good things about life. But there’s more. Launching imminently (so we’re told), is a top deck bar on the rooftop – should that be delivered, then it promises to be quite a spot for sunset drinks.

DRINKS…

And yes, speaking of drinks, they’re fantastic. Cocktails here include a range of summer spritzers such as the Fragolino, a refreshing combo of Prosecco, soda, strawberry cordial and strawberry infused vodka. They do the classics well and we can happily vouch for the pineapple daquiri, but it’s the author’s cocktails that take it another level. Recommended is the Scarlatto, a fine concoction of vanilla rum, cherry, lemon and Campari. It’s light, fun and ideal for a starry night.

EAT IT

The food is by no means second fiddle to the drink. Touting a succinct Italian menu, options include pizza plus a choice of more sophisticated tastes – for example, a flavour-packed gazpacho providing a welcome Spanish interlude, and veal served in a slick of rich anchovy sauce. Actually, whoever is in charge of sauces needs a serious pay raise: also earning big marks is the gamberi a mascarpone – shrimps and mascarpone dumplings in a tomato sauce of very real merit.

“

The Łepkowskich Villa has an elegant sophistication to it that’s delicious on the eye...

Nicoletta Saska Kępa Francuska 2, fb.com/nicolettawarszawa

AMAZING GRACE

A look inside Warsaw’s summer star…

From the creators of Joel Sharing Concept comes another cult venue, this one a celebration of 80s era NYC – think Studio 54 or The Deuce season three. Named in honour of Grace Jones, the choice of hero says much about a place that devotes itself to celebrating the glam excess of the era.

Visually, it’s a joy. Designed by Kinga Mostowik, Grace divides itself into three – a main room bathed in rich bordello style colours and velvety finishes and a side room that’s high on plush purple, glass and mirrors. Finally, there’s an all-weather conservatory with Italian olive trees and striking drapes. As classy as it all looks, neither is it short on fun – just check out the photo booth.

Fuelling the party, sounds come delivered by DJs playing yesteryear hits from the likes of Tina Turner, Whitney Houston, INXS and Wham, and these all feel even more enjoyable after a skipping through their cocktail list. Featuring barroom classics such as an enjoyable Aviation, these are joined by six house creations such as the Grace VI – champers and flat coke. Even serving kamikaze shots, it’s a place that knows a good time when it sees it one. Already one of the hottest check-ins of the year, reservations come highly recommended. Yep, and so does the place.

Grace Drink Bar

Krucza 16/22, instagram.com/ gracedrinkbar

WHERE AM I?

Just north of Plac Hallera, Serso sits on the ground floor of one of the Socialist era blocks that dominate the area. Despite the area’s concrete reputation, find Serso on a quiet, tree-lined avenue that feels pleasantly sedate come the weekend – in warmer weather, it’s no surprise to find most people taking advantage of this by sitting on the terrace.

THE PLACE

Order at the counter before taking a seat inside an as-

THE QUEEN OF BAGELS

Serso scores a hole in one…

cetic space that some would describe as Nordic in its styling – think light woods and beige tones. Adorned with an artistic neon, orb-like lights and droopy plants, the minimalistic design keeps eyeballs focused on the racks of bagels that teeter behind the till.

THE ORDER

Never in the history of Warsaw has the city got the bagel so right. Dense and chewy but also reassuringly soft and fresh, choose from a variety of fillings

that range from classic to creative. The wild salmon and eco cream cheese is a natural born winner, but look also at alternatives such as grilled turkey with caramelised onion and pickles. Where drinks are concerned, find specialty coffee, lemonade and natural juices from the hip La Koguta brand.

Serso

Szanajcy 16, fb.com/serso.

praskiebajgle

Crossing the threshold is enough – akin to stepping inside a computer game, visitors find themselves treading up a mysterious-looking, green-lit stairwell that leads into the best-looking games bar that Warsaw’s yet to see. Covering an area of 270 sq/m, it’s a beautiful space that features bits and bobs such as winking traffic lights, toilets disguised as elevator shafts, exposed pipes,

industrial power units and big, glowing signs bearing slogans such as “game over” and “stay alive”.

It looks dazzling, though you’ve got to ask, with all the money poured into the place, who the hell forgot to order the air-con? Suffocatingly hot in August, it would come as no surprise to learn that every last penny was spent on the gaming gear – boasting 20 computers pimped with the most powerful equipment out there, these have

been complemented by a stack of retro consoles as well as more traditional tabletop games.

Given all that, it’s disappointing to learn that the drinks offer is so one dimensional. Lacking the crazy crafts and wacky cocktails found in the likes of Cyber Machina, guests instead find themselves ploughing through a mediocre range of beers and largely unambitious drinks. Regardless of these issues, hardcore gamers will be awed.

H.4.0.S

Marszałkowska 64, h40s.pl

The Buzz

Discover the best culinary experiences in town with The Buzz! We have scoured the city to bring you the hottest restaurants, bars, and cafes. From trendy hotspots to hidden gems, our reviews will guide you to gastronomic bliss.

CULINARY HAVEN

hub.praga

Jagiellońska 22

Heading the kitchen is Witek Iwański, a chef whose past accolades include our very own ‘Top Talent’ title at our Best of Warsaw awards. The tan, beige and white interior is embellished with moon-shaped mirrors and statement art, and is twinned with tiny a’la carte courses that appear like miniaturised works of art.

THE MICHELIN STAR

Nuta

Pl. Trzech Krzyży 10/14

Let Andrea Camastra take you into the realms of the spectacular at what we figure to be Poland’s finest dining experience. His dizzying takes on Polish classics simply are unbelievable in both taste and composition. Sophisticated but never ceremonial, this restaurant is a banger – and the only star holder in Warsaw.

FORMAL & EXTRAORDINARY

Epoka

Ossolińskich 3

Nineteenth century cornices and baroque drapes lend an enveloping sense of luxury to this A-Class space. Epoka’s menu is based on Polish cookbooks from different epochs (hence the name, dummy!), with the dishes reconstructed in a way that’s innovative, unexpected and a roller coaster of thrills. La Liste officially rank it among the world’s Top 100 Restaurants.

EXQUISITE

Nolita

Wilcza 46

Winning our award last year for ‘Outstanding Achievement’, chef Jacek Grochowina’s enclave of class looks dashing with its monochrome colors and muted gunmetal shades, but it’s the food that has made it the place Warsaw heads to live the life of the 1%. Treasuring detail and finesse, Nolita demonstrates fine dining hasn’t died.

FOR THE TASTING MENU

Rozbrat 20

Rozbrat 20

Fusing upmarket, casual styling with an exciting wine list, interactive service and the kind of atmosphere you can’t get enough of, Rozbrat 20 is a Warsaw gastro landmark. Under chef Bartosz Szymczak, the frequently changing

OPEN TO BOOKINGS

Book a table at any time of day or night, even when the restaurant is closed.

The app and platform for table reservations. Easy and convenient to use, with the ability to send invitations to friends, reminders, an overview of all reservations, and an active map with restaurants in the area where tables can be reserved.

The Buzz

menu has a real playful inventiveness to it.

DATE NIGHT

Ale Wino

Mokotowska 48

Regularly adjusted to utilize the best items the season has to offer, the menu is a triumph of expertly balanced tastes and is admired for some of the most interesting cooking in the city – think elegant with a localized twist. Rounding out the experience is an intimate, labyrinthine design that’s ideal for when it’s cold and grim, and a decked courtyard terrace for when it’s not.

THE BLOGGERS FAVE

Bez Gwiazdek

Wiślana 8

Focusing each month on a different region of the country, Robert Trzópek’s tasting menu takes diners to the very heart of the Polish soul and does so via tastes that betray his fine dining background: delicate and precise, it’s the opposite of the mundane Polski feast.

CASUAL SCENE

Bibenda

Nowogrodzka 10

With no reservations accepted, Bibenda’s enduring popularity ensures that queues often build at the entrance. The hassle is worth it to enjoy bio wines, craft cocktails and an interesting meat-free menu in a warm, busy interior that retains the building’s pre-war heritage. Delve deeper for a courtyard featuring a slanted canopy, crates of flowering herbs and a twisty tree.

ALL-ROUNDER

Browar Warszawski

Haberbuscha i Schielego 2

Breeze blocks, exposed metal girders, hovering steel lights and concrete surfaces inject a strong industrial aesthetic into the

visuals, but these are softened by a proliferation of warming touches such as tiny antique details. While most visit for the house-brewed beer, the upscale gastro-pub menu has many moments of excellence.

THE NEED TO KNOW

The Eatery

Koszykowa 49A

This attractive off-street space comes swathed in white-on-white colours – blissfully cocooned from the outside world, and decorated orb-like installations, this chic but casual space gives Polish food a modernised translation. Visiting for our May issue, we were bowled over by the pork cheeks served with a punchy demi-glace and whirls of liquified peas and red cabbage.

NEW POLISH

Źródło

Targowa 81

Hardwood floors, exposed pipes and a flurry of plants equip an open area decorated with blasts of contemporary art, recycled furnishings and extravagant light installations. Menu-wise, the food lights the soul. But more than just celebrating the power of local produce, there’s a refinement at play that speaks of a kitchen team that aims for magnificence.

WELCOME TO POLAND

Polana Smaków

E. Plater 14

Few chefs do a better job than Andrzej Polan when it comes to making herring sexy, but his skills go far beyond that alone. Offering a unique take on Polish classics, his food is seasonal and sophisticated yet reassuringly simple.

GLOBAL GOODNESS

Klonn

Jazdów 1B

Named after the illuminated maple tree outside, the parkland setting proves a brilliant backdrop

for this dark and arty restaurant. Chef Michał Gniadek has lived up to his early potential to build a small menu that is international in scope but (mainly) local in its components. The flavours are a fantasy of skill.

BREAD & BREAKFASTS

Baken

Żurawia 6/12

Baken feels like a merger between the chic streets of Paris and the cosy corners of Copenhagen, with its delectable breads and inviting atmosphere hinting at French and Danish charm. The energy is conducted through an open kitchen and expressed by handsome staff clad in white t-shirts. The scrambled eggs from the happy hens of Rozwienica are a must – so too are plum Crêpes Suzette.

STAR SUSHI

Noriko

Mińska 45

With just eight seats and one sitting per day, reservations are mandatory. Priced PLN 750 per head, the cost mirrors what many are calling the most exceptional sushi experience the country has ever seen.

AFRICAN FEAST

Queen Sheba

Jana Pawła II 45A

This cramped, little nook presents itself in a cheerful manner, decorated as it is with chunky woods and Ethiopian flags, fabrics and assorted trinkets – it is the food though that is the principal standout, with occasionally hot and peppery meats served on teff-based injera bread (think of a giant pancake) and then scooped up by hand.

NEIGHBOURHOOD GREEK

Mr. Greek Souvlaki

Londyńska 16

Festooned with potted shrubs, the outdoor wooden deck is one of

Saska’s finest outdoor check-ins. If that’s packed – and it often is –head inside where an atmosphere of gentle chaos reigns in the noisy open kitchen. Eschewing warmth and authenticity, the atmosphere fits well with the meaty skewers.

RED HOT INDIAN

Guru

Widok 8

From the openers, the chili chicken fry stands out as a dish that’s all snap and crackle, while of the mains the tikka masala is exceptional in taste. And when you want to take the nuclear option, sign the disclaimer before being flattened by the phaal – it’s Poland’s hottest curry!

VIETNAMESE TASTE

Viet Street Food Bistro

Królowej Aldony 5/2

What started as a mere food truck has evolved into a proper sit-down space – the grassy back garden is a true summer pleasure. The huge bowls of pho are a wise order to make, though our standard in this busy neighbourhood eatery is the fried beef with pineapple and oyster sauce.

PERFECT PIZZA

Pollypizza NEOpolitan

Puławska 24

Spliced with a glitzy leopard-shaped pizza cutter, the pies at Polly have attained quite a following ever since this place burst onto the scene. Featuring CBD oil, the Legalize Marinara is indicative of their slightly wacky approach – as too is a design that includes disco balls, cord banquettes, neons and other retro-cool touches.

SEAFOOD ADVENTURES

Tuna

Elektryczna 2

Resembling the scales of a fish, Tuna’s core decorative element are 18,000 tuna cans that sheathe the walls. Smartly appointed in

dark metallic colours, visit for an exhilarating menu that includes salmon jerky, tuna sausages, an elaborately reconstructed dorada tail and the best-selling chili con tuna. It’s an ecstasy of tastes.

SOUTH AMERICAN FLAIR

Ceviche Bar

Twarda 4

With Argentine chef Martin Gimenez Castro injecting his passion and personality into the venue, this is

an address that punches through the greyness of everyday Warsaw. Ceviche is naturally the default order, and here its served in around five different forms. The happening, cosmopolitan ambience is reflected by sublime cocktails.

HARDCORE CARNIVORE

Mięsny

Walecznych 64

To some, it’s the best butcher for miles. To others, the greatest

The Buzz

informal restaurant that Warsaw’s ever had. The truth is, Mięsny is actually both: where the latter is concerned, their steaks have no peer. For the budget-minded, the daily-changing lunch deal often hits perfect marks.

THE UNEXPECTED MOD

Oleandrów 8

Devised by Trisno Hamid, a Singaporean chef with a classic French background, glories include Angus beef rump steak served with tahini mashed potatoes and a big thump of chili and fig relish. Adding to the sense of being somewhere current, find an interior featuring a retro mirrored wall, upside down plants and busy tables filled with new media types.

A VEGAN THRILLER

Dziki Królik

Rzeczypospolitej 2A

The four-table intimacy of this timber-encased room charms immediately, and is accented by a neon pink flamingo, fragranced candles, and a discreet pile of books such as Emily Hanson’s Modern Rustic. Head chef Magdalena Kurowicka’s involves Warsaw’s best tacos and more fine-handed concoctions that are veganized with love – for example, soy meat bourguignon.

CITY CENTRE VEGAN

Peaches Gastro Girls

Mokotowska 58

There’s jillions of vegan competitors sharing the same postcode, but no-one pulls it off like Peaches. Touting a cool, scuffed courtyard and radical orange interiors, the Portobello tacos are a Mexican love letter while the wontons deserve their own gold medal.

VEGAN BRUNCH

Lychees

Bielańska 1

From the creators of Peaches

comes this brill brunch spot. Design-wise, the pair’s taste for cool is unmissable and surmised by a wall of glazed ceramic tiles from Holland’s GBD.studio. The experimental dishes include a great congee served with cashew butter glazed in muscovado, salsa macha, salty angel wings, roasted shallot, and a topping of roasted soybean sprinkles.

VEGAN NOODLES

Vegan Ramen Shop

Finlandzka 12 / Jana Pawła II 52/54 / Kazimierzowska 43 We’ve heard some describe Vegan Ramen Shop as serving “the best noodles in the world!” They’re definitely memorable, and the spicy miso ramen will for sure convert those suspicious of this claim. Enjoy them in a trio of casual eateries each touting their own urban style.

INSTA FAVE

Happa To Mame

Hoża 43/49

Don’t look for a sign, rather for the queue that wraps its way around the corner. Specialising in matcha teas, the menu also include dango rice balls and daifuku mochi filled with seasonal delicacies. Split in two rooms, the one that gets the most attention touts illuminated mesh-wired installations that hang like clouds.

SUNSET PINTS

Cuda Na Kiju

Nowy Świat 6/12

Slotted inside a glass prism hidden within the megastructure that once housed the Communist Party headquarters, this contemporary-minded space (15 taps, pinball machines and a super-cool spirally staircase) is capable of drawing hundreds when the warm weather hits. With the first hint of sun, out come the deckchairs to offer ringside seats of the setting sun.

BEER GEEKSJabeerwocky

Nowogrodzka 12

Good old Jabbers will never let you down. A Warsaw institution, the adventurous choice of beers gives nods to international pioneers, domestic talents as well as their own house beers. Pre-war floors and the welcome smell of spillage give it a great atmosphere that becomes a boisterous babble of international voices the later it gets. For something quieter, take your pint next door to their sister bar, Jabeerwocky Junior.

POLISH SUPER BREWS

Pinta

Chmielna 7/9

Bearing the hallmarks of the previous tenant (Mikkeller), the minimal but primrose-coloured Scandi-design keeps the attention on the beer which comes, mainly, from the namesake brewery. Considered the founding fathers of Poland’s craft adventure, the beers are brilliant and fairly priced.

THE HEART OF POLSKI

CRAFT

Kufle i Kapsle

Nowogrodzka 25

Respectful of the building’s prewar heritage, the brick interiors are thick with noise, clamour and the reassuring smells of last year’s party. On colder nights, make your way to the back to discover an intimate space sprinkled with vintage armchairs and wonky old lamps set at a natural tilt. The beers are among the most radical in Warsaw.

OLD TOWN PINTS

Same Krafty & Same Krafty

Vis-a-Vis

Nowomiejska 10

Jammed between the Barbican gateway and the Rynek, Same Krafty’s pair of Old Town drinkeries face opposite each other to offer their own mini-pub crawl. Appearing as raucous and rugged

tavern-like bars, the experimental craft beers are a league ahead of the mainstream fizz peddled by the other nearby bars.

NATURAL WINES

Rascal

Moliera 6

Reputedly Europe’s largest bar specialising in natural wines, this former canteen for ballet dancers is one of the hottest addresses in town – a point not lost on the Vogue staffers encamped here. Crowned with a veneered, marble-topped bar, the interior is a chic work that’s outdone only by the Insta-friendly garden.

LOCAL WINES

Brać

Sierakowskiego 4A

Focused on highlighting the wines of Poland, this alone says much for the boldness of their concept. As resistant as traditionalists may be to the very notion of Polish wine, Brać rip-up the rule book to present on-edge sips from niche producers you’ve probably never heard of. Bathed in a rich, red neon glow at night, it looks pretty divine as well – chic and stylish but with hints of retro flair.

CASUAL WINEY EVENINGS

Niewinność

Zgoda 5

Completely lacking in that frosty formality that defines many wine spots, the welcome here has more in line with entering your favourite local bar. Casual and comfy but never short of chic, it looks more like a trendy loft apartment with its communal table, poster art and zaps of neon.

FUN-FLIRTY NIGHTS

Reginabar

Koszykowa 1

A wacky amalgam of New York’s Little Italy and China Town next door. The menu rocks, but find it

FOODIE RADAR

What's hot, what's not and what's happening around town...

GOODBYE, FAREWELL

Known as one of Warsaw’s most iconic summer nightspots, Na Lato ceased operations at the end of July. “Every story has an end,” wrote the owners on social media. “After ten years of activity, hundreds of events, hectolitres of champagne and thousands of cocktails, we announce our final month. This year, the building which was our home will disappear from the face of the earth!” Already in the process of being dismantled, the demolition of Na Lato’s address has prompted fierce debate with many citing its pre-war heritage and its role in history – once housing the Higher School of Journalism and also a Nazi military warehouse, the building at Rozbrat 44A later became the seat of the SLD political party.

ON THE MOVE

Na Lato weren’t the only gastro project impacted by the decision to level the building at Rozbrat 44A. Also hit were Dyletanci, however, in their case new lodgings have been found in the trendy courtyard space at Koszykowa 47. Included in the Michelin guide since 2018, Dyletanci have long been regarded as one of the city’s most exciting experiences thanks to its copious wine selection and the outrageous talent of chef Rafał Hreczaniuk.

LATIN LEGEND

A familiar face ever since winning the first edition of Top Chef Polska, Martin Gimenez Castro has broadened portfolio with the launch of Buenos Restobar in the Sava Boutique Hotel on Wybrzeże Kościuszkowskie 43. Specialising in Argentinean flavours, Buenos is the chef’s third venture in Warsaw, joining Ceviche Bar in the Cosmopolitan Tower and the Tuna seafood restaurant in Powiśle. Full review next issue.

Insider Approved: Best of Warsaw WINNER 2020!

The Buzz

augmented by a dynamic cocktail list that reflects the crazy things happening in Warsaw’s world of drinks. Lap these up in an interior that joins the retro with the avant garde: just check out that glittery disco ball.

VENETIAN ALLURE

Va Bene Cicchetti

Waryńskiego 9C

Rich in golds and operatic reds, the stylish Venetian theme includes table legs painted in gondola stripes and a signature mural made from mirrored shards. Drinks are works of art. Tailored around Italian ingredients, these include six interpretations of the negroni and a concise rollcall of Prosecco and Martini-based drinks.

THE ATMOSPHERE

Beirut & Kraken

Poznańska 12

Somewhere, amid all the junk relating to the Lebanese conflict (sandbags, ammo boxes…), you’ll find the spirit of Poznańska contained within this long, skinny bar. As fashionable now as it was when it opened, finish the evening in their connecting venture, the Pirates of the Caribbean-style Kraken. Evenings dissolve into a wild, happy whirl of international voices.

INSIDER CLASSIC

Pardon To Tu

Al. Armii Ludowej 14

Despite the upgrade in surrounds, they’ve retained the leftfield spirit of their old haunt thanks to flexi hours, a commitment to obscure sounds, and a well-spaced interior that references their former venue through its decadent colour scheme and wall of favoured musicians. The air of friendly, unforced cool is unmatched!

FOR THE MUSIC

Młodsza Siostra

Dobra 14/16

Known for its alternative music policy, the crowd is sourced straight from the local Academy of Fine Arts. With temperatures rising, sit on the wooden decking outside. Now the trees and vegetation are in bloom, the scrappy backdrop of bike repair garages softens to take on the vibe found in the shadowy courtyards of Berlin and Budapest.

RETRO HIP

Paloma Inn

Poznańska 21

Inspired by The Jetsons, the moon landings and the atom, Paloma Inn is a groovy blast of lunar lines, pea green colour tones and furnishings and fittings that are retro-futuristic. The experience is compounded by easy listening muzak, 70s menu faves like fondue and mega fun cocktails.

STUDENT CARNAGE Nowy Świat ‘Pavilions’  Nowy Świat 26

For the highest condensation of bars in the capital head to ‘the pavilions’, a collection of ramshackle drinking cabins, shot bars and sheesha lairs inside a tight grid of shadowy back alleys. Adding to the gentle sense of confusion comes the realisation that so many bars look the same – accessed through clattery, barred doors, visitors walk into murk and chaos.

IRISH MAYHEM

The Shamrock

Zgoda 5

Little more than a shabby bare room lit by a greenish Carlsberg sign, the atmosphere compensates for the aesthetic shortcomings. Find a melting pot of nationalities slopping beers over each other while shouting their orders across the bar – high on noise and bellowed banter, the atmosphere cranks yet further whenever Curtis grabs his guitar to lead his audience in song.

LATE NIGHTER Republica San Escobar

Poznańska 7

Lacking airs and graces, it’s a place where fun rules the roost. Tiny in size, find an interior filled with corrugated iron sheets, zappy neons, chunky woods and bike pedals on the footrests. The fun-loving spirits is irresistible, and the tight dimensions mean the party often spills onto the terrace outside.

ALT. ENTERTAINMENT

Worek Kości

Bagatela 10

There is nothing ordinary about Worek Kości and that’s underlined by its collection of 400 replica skulls. Known for its burlesque nights, this passionate celebration of the beautiful and bizarre also has a busy roster of lectures dedicated to criminal profiling, forensics and serial killers. Oh, and the cocktails are good.

THE PRAGA VIBE

W Oparach W Absurdu

Ząbkowska 6

Craft beers lurk within the fridge, but for the seminal Absurdu experience order a tray of vodka before bulldozing through the crowds that gather to listen to Balkan rock and Afro-Latin bands. Somewhere, hidden deep beneath the creaking antiques and moth-eaten Persian rugs, you might be lucky to find a wood-carved bar.

NORTHERN NIGHTS

Havana

Słowackiego 16/18

Set on the first floor of a PRL era tower, the super cool interior offers up a coherent display of retro posters, luscious plants and light wood trimmings that are respectful of this space’s former life as a 1960s cafe. Perched among hip freelancers and theatre types learning their lines, sip away on trendy bio wines, adventurous lemonades, craft swigs or specialty

coffee sourced from local roasters.

SHOW TIME!

Chaton

Foksal 19

Chaton is where the celebs and top-earners gather to enjoy world class stage performers prance about whilst revelling in the bosom of refined luxury.

FOR DIGITAL NOMADS

Typika

Kolejowa 47

Espousing the Japandi style (an amalgam of Japanese and Scandinavian should your brain not be working), Typika’s floor-to-ceiling windows bathe this fashionably stark, split-level space in light no matter the season. Sparingly decorated, the blonde wood furnishings (check the blob-shaped table!) and neon deer further emphasize the natural, refreshing feel.

COFFEE & CAKE

Tonka

Karmelicka 16

Looking onto the glorious glass cube that is the POLIN museum, Tonka’s crystal white minimalism rules with the monotone palette given punch by subtle zaps of greenery. The coffee – sourced from the likes of HAYB – is excellent but tastes even better when tested alongside Tonka’s ever-changing line-up of mind-blowing cakes.

COFFEE OF LEGEND

Stor

Tamka 33 / Bracka 18

For many there is no better café anywhere in Poland than Stor’s original on Tamka. When the sunlight slopes in through the window, there are few finer feelings than idling away in this plant festooned refuge. Famed for their glorious coffee and detail-driven approach, recognition should also be handed to their devotion

to local causes and zero waste philosophy.

EXPERIMENTAL COFFEE

Cophi

Hoża 58/60

Owner Uri Wollner is one of the great coffee influencers of Poland, and his seasonally changing menu includes such winners as Aperol espresso in summer and spiced pumpkin latte in the autumn and winter.

FOR VINYL CHILLOUT

Hałas

Elsterska 10

Divide Hałas into two sections: first, a small chamber selling collectors classic vinyl and coffee sourced from some of Europe’s top roasters. Then, smuggled in the back, discover a Nordic-style living room arrangement that encourages afternoons spent sipping coffee whilst catching up on email.

CHAMPION BREWS

Forum

Elektoralna 11

Forum has it all: a fashionably frayed interior, a friendly dog nuzzling around (hi Apollo!), and a client base that expects nothing but the best – and at Forum, that’s exactly what they get. Marketing themselves as “the home of the Polish Aeropress and Polish Brewers’ Cup Champions”, these accolades say everything there is to know.

UNFORGETTABLE GELATO

Dal Dalla Gelato

Leszczyńska 4

Luca Dalla Costa mixes Venetian techniques with the freshest ingredients to create a magic world where weaknesses don’t exist – at least, we haven’t found any. Even making their own savoiardi biscuits for their tiramisu ice cream, the passion is only beaten by the quality of the end product.

WELCOME TO GREECE!

For authentic Greek food & hospitality, look no further than Mr. Greek Souvlaki!

ul. Londyńska 16 (Saska Kępa)

PREPARE YOUR BODY, AND MIND, FOR THE SUMMER!

We specialize in wellness treatments. Our salons in Bemowo and the Polonia Palace Hotel offer a full range of treatments and massages that will put you in a tranquil mood, helping to energize and rebalance your mind, spirit and body. Meeting the expectations of even the most demanding of clients, our staff will help you regenerate through their variety of soothing treatments. Using only exclusive and ecological cosmetic brands, we invite you to enjoy Body & Mind Massage by Hanka Kraszczyńska at the Polonia Palace Hotel.

OVER THE HILL

Opened in time for the anniversary commemorations of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising, the revamped Kopiec Powstania Warszawskiego promises a contemplative and scenic walk amid Warsaw’s wartime rubble...

Found in the city’s Siekierki district, the Uprising Mound (Kopiec Powstania Warszawskiego) was created in the post-war years from tons of rubble removed from the centre. Measuring approximately 35-meters in height, many viewed it as being a symbolic ‘tomb’. Crowned with a giant Kotwica – the anchor-style emblem adopted by Poland’s wartime underground – recent years had seen this spot look increasingly scraggy and unkempt. Now, though, that’s changed following a striking renovation that’s lent this landmark a new lease of life.

FIRST UP

Arriving via Bartycka street, the dusty carpark set in front opens out onto an outdoor exhibition that occupies a small, mazy installation made from towering columns of rubble. Here, peruse informational boards that shed light on the complex operation to rid the city of its rubble as well as, more pertinently, the back story behind the creation of mound.

Credited as the idea of Stanisław Gruszczyński, it was he that lobbied the Ministry of Reconstruction for a commemorative hill constructed from the smashed remnants of the city.

“If we tried to look at this rubble in a different way, not as ordinary rubble but as the remains of a dead city, then we would recognise that these remains bear the traces of our ancestors work,” he wrote. “Millions of hands have touched this rubble over the centuries, and thousands of Polish lives once existed between those bricks…

These remains, this rubble, should be treated as relics.”

Dying in 1958, Gruszczyński would not live to see his idea become a reality, and instead it was left to a team of Krakówbased artists and architects to push through the project. Taking shape in the 1960s, it would take

decades until it was truly appreciated – up until the mid-90s it was marked on city maps as a rubbish dump. This changed in 1994 with the addition of the Kotwica monument, the first step to the mound’s eventual rehabilitation. Today, the new outdoor exhibition that greets

you on arrival demonstrates just how far it’s come.

THE MOUND

With the exhibition crossed off, it’s time to conquer the mound. Sitting 121-metres above sea level reaching the top can be done either by taking the gentle

pathway that ribbons around the hill, or by climbing the 350 steps that run straight ahead. Although reputedly the city’s longest stairwell, the ascent itself is easy enough and features plenty of shaded seats and benches along the way. Lying in wait at the top, find the Kotwica and a

circular viewing platform that gazes onto the dense woodland down below.

AND AFTER

Forego the stairs and instead take one of the curling pathways down. Hemmed in by walls that evoke banks of sandbags, these lead to a network of steel walkways that slash through the trees. Along the way, discover several wooded groves, spidering trails, fragments of rubble and boards informing of the area’s plants and wildlife. Going under the title of ‘Sanctuary Park’, the name accurately conveys the sense of serenity that reigns supreme.

“

Although reputedly the city’s longest stairwell, the ascent itself is easy enough and features plenty of shaded seats and benches along the way...

TISH JEWISH FOOD FESTIVAL

First held in 2019, TISH has become one of the most popular annual events organised by the POLIN Museum. Seeking to build bridges through the celebration of Jewish culinary heritage, this year’s festival has chosen ‘Land’ as its theme. Focusing on the relationship between food and sustainability, climate responsibility and seasonality, topics that will be broached include the place of urban agriculture.

JAZZ PO POLSKU

“We will also look at Jewish food history,” say the organisers. “In cooperation with the culinary department of the ANU Museum in Tel Aviv, we have invited Nomands Kitchen, who will tell us the story of Israeli food as you don’t know it.” English-language workshops, culinary demon-

strations and meetings will all be held as part of TISH, as will a Shabbat dinner.

TISH

When: Sept 27th to Oct 1st

Where: POLIN Museum

(Anielewicza 6)

Web: polin.pl/en/tishfestival

SEPTEMBER

/ OCTOBER 2023

SEPTEMBER 10 / MICHAŁ MARTYNIUK QUARTET

SEPTEMBER 24 / KUBA BANASZEK QUARTET

OCTOBER 8 / DOMINIK WANIA QUARTET

OCTOBER 22 / FOLLOW DICES

JAZZPOPOLSKU.PL

JASSMINE CLUB / WILCZA 73

JASSMINE.COM

Warsaw Live Sessions

MACIEK JAZWIECKI

LIVING REIMAGINED

Revising the very concept of the short-, mid- and long-term stay, Noli Studios are preparing to roll-out their revolutionary Warsaw project…

Born in response to these dynamically changing times, Noli Studios are set to debut in Warsaw with a prestige property set inside the Mokotów district – not just in easy reach of the airport, but Warsaw’s office heartland and key attractions.

First premiering to great acclaim in Helsinki, the brand now have their sights on the Polish capital, with their base philosophy promising an entirely fresh prism through which to view both travel and living – in fact, it is this point that is most salient.

By fusing travel and lifestyle together, Noli Studios stand to transform all that has come before. “We noticed people demand more than just a rental transaction and the pick-up of keys,” explains Marta Karteczka, head of Noli Studios Poland. “They want to feel something that is more complete.”

To do this, the beating heart of Noli Studios will be represented via a 580 sq/m living space featuring a shared kitchen with state-of-the-art cooking equipment, a dining room and chillout spaces touting a glazed wall staring onto a picturesque terrace.

It is through here that all life will pass – arranged in a way that seeks to connect guests to both each other and the city that they are in, the concept is part of a wider goal that seeks to foster interpersonal connections by allowing people the opportunity to experience the world together. It is, to all intents and purposes, a strategy that aims to break down barriers and lift the mask from the world’s faceless anonymity.

With amenities further including two film rooms, a library, gym, and coworking space, everything has been angled towards building unique and special memories and experiences – in light of this, even the free-to-use laundry facilities will come with a fussball table over which guests can bond and relax. More than anything, this will be a place in which life is lived, loved and savoured – and yes, that means with your pets as well, should you choose to bring them.

Of course, all this has been balanced in an organic manner that also, simultaneously, respects the need for privacy. Offering a range of rooms and studios, these quiet refuges – like

the rest of the property – stand to be paragons of modernity that come seamlessly accented by timeless Polish design pieces –even the wallpaper and carpets subtly riff on this idea of ‘place’.

Yet it is not just these ideas that place Noli Studios in a class of their own. Everything has been forged to create the most painless and convenient stay possible with no other Polish operator providing more flexible options when it comes to duration of stay, or ease of booking or alteration. More than just the new face of travel, Noli Studios present the new face of living.

AT A GLANCE

• Mokotów location close to airport, offices and attractions

• An inspiring co-working space and meeting rooms

• State-of-the-art kitchen, movie rooms, gym and living space

• Laundry, cleaning and service stations

• Onsite storage space

• Flexi stay and pricing model: the longer you stay, the less you pay

• Convenient booking

“We were guided by the idea of changing the world for the better and the assumption that, given the reality of the modern world, we needed to try a different approach

ALL THAT JAZZ

Jakub Krzeszowski, the founder of Jazz Po Polsku, talks about his project and the development of Poland’s jazz scene…

Insider: How would you introduce the world of Polish jazz?

Jakub Krzeszowski: Polish jazz is unique – it fits somewhere between American and Scandinavian styles yet feels very different. It’s quite melancholic and has a folky tinge but also has Slavic energy and a Polish spontaneity. As a musical style, that works well! Our history has also impacted the sound.

Where does Warsaw’s jazz scene stand on the international stage?

Our scene is very interesting because it brings together musicians from many corners of Poland. Most Polish artists treat this city as a kind of springboard. One cannot omit Warsaw’s own musicians, but there just aren’t that many of

them, just like there aren’t many true native Varsovians. Here you can play in different line-ups, meet musicians from different genres – there’s lots of musicians here who make a living just playing jazz in various varieties and configurations.

What makes Jazz Po Polsku so special?

At the Jazz Po Polsku Foundation we believe Polish jazz presents a style that is unique on the international arena – it has a long tradition and its own atmosphere and energy. Polish artists are absolutely creative and very committed to what they do. We are one of the few independent NGOs trying to harness this huge potential and we do it by organizing the most important thing for artists - concerts. I have the impression much of

this potential is still dormant but could be released quickly under the right circumstances.

We organize regular concert tours, mostly in Asia. They promote Polish independent music, without compromises and commercialism, but at a high level. It’s a deep niche, but one that appeals to many music fans. Our longest tour lasted 59 days and involved five bands playing nearly 70 concerts in China. A year later we organized 100 concerts in seven Asian countries. Whether its bookings, logistics, management, audio and video recording, etc., we operate in a manner that offers a 360 service.

In Warsaw you’re using Jassmine as the venue for your concerts – what makes it so special?

When it comes to jazz it’s the best venue in the country. I don’t just mean when it comes to atmosphere, but also acoustically. Importantly, people go there to have fun. It reminds me of the top music clubs you’d find in places like Beijing or Tokyo. I can honestly say that it is on a par with clubs like Blue Note in Beijing and I think it stands as an equal with anywhere in the world of jazz clubs. It’s a bit of a treasure, and often the only place in the country where you’ll find top performers from the States or the UK.

How would you define the different acts that are set to perform – do they have a common link or are they all completely different?

The proposed program as part of Warsaw Live Sessions is uni-

versal and addressed to a wide range of listeners. Within three years, as many as 50 bands will play and they’ll perform various types of jazz, contemporary and improvised music. For the most part, we want to give a chance to young musicians, including those from abroad.

How do you hope to support the domestic scene?

The goal is to integrate creative communities and promote their work in Poland and around the world. Most of our projects involve young musicians, you could say rising stars. We had the opportunity to cooperate many times with young musicians who were unknown at the time, and now are the strength of the current scene. For example, Stanisław Słowiński, Aga Derlak, Tomek Chyła or EABS. We want to give young artists a chance play abroad before returning to Poland in glory! I’m joking, of course, but that said I think there’s a tendency for Poles to look more favourably on people if they have that foreign experience. They don’t realize that they were talented even before they played in a different country.

But coming back to the question, we support the local scene by organizing international concert tours, mostly to Asia, but also to other destinations through the aforementioned ‘Around the World’ project. We also organize concerts in Poland, in Jassmine where the Warsaw Live Sessions series is held. Moreover, we are developing our recording activities under the slogan Jazz Po Polsku Records. This is another big project as we have a lot of gems we’ve recorded abroad previously. By releasing these I’m certain we’ll contribute to the growth of the local scene.

For more information: jazzpopolsku.pl

Warsaw Montessori Schools

Accepting applications for our programs and locations:

Infant & Toddler

Tatrzańska 5a

Badowska 19

Casa dei Bambini

Badowska 19

Szkolna 16, Hornówek

Elementary

Szwoleżerów 4

learning

preschools

AMERICAN SCHOOL OF WARSAW

Students aged 3-5 are encouraged to try new things, ask questions, and take risks in a nurturing environment in which they learn life skills alongside academics. Following the Primary Years Programme (PYP), our young students become caring, active participants in a lifelong journey of learning. Contact admissions@ aswarsaw.org

BRITISH PRIMARY SCHOOL OF WILANOW

A values-driven school offering a world-class education based on the best of British Education. BSW is the first school in Poland to be accredited as Compliant by the Council of British International Schools (COBIS). Based in a purpose built premises in Wilanow BSW is accepting applications from Nursery to Year 9. Please email admissions@ bswilanow.org to organise a visit.

THE CANADIAN SCHOOL OF WARSAW PRESCHOOL

Welcoming students from the ages of 2.5 to 6 years old, currently 45% of their admissions are international students. The dedicated, IB-trained teachers deliver an innovative program (PYP) in English designed for modern world needs. The program offers a combination of Literacy, Maths, Social Studies, Science, Physical Education, Art, Music & Rhythmics, French and Polish classes. ul. Ignacego Krasickiego 53, tel. 697 979 100, canadian-school.pl

CASA DEI BAMBINI & TODDLER SCHOOL (multiple

locations)

Casa dei Bambini and Toddler School have three green and harmonious locations in Mokotów and Izabelin. The school in Izabelin is set in the quiet of the Kampinos Forest just outside the city. Teachers are fully trained in early-childhood education in English according to the Montessori philosophy. Registration open to children 12 months to 6 years of age. ul. Badowska 19, ul. Tatrzańska 5a (Mokotów), ul. Szkolna 16, (Izabelin), tel. 692 099 134, wmf.edu.pl

Tatrzańska 5a

Montessori High School

Pytlasińskiego 13a

Contact Office: 692 099 134 office@warsawmontessori.edu.pl

www.wmf.edu.pl

THE BRITISH SCHOOL WARSAW – EARLY YEARS CENTRE

Our Early Years Foundation Stage provides a play-based learning curriculum full of curiosity, wonder and discovery – the perfect springboard into Primary education. ul. Dąbrowskiego 84, tel. 22 646 77 77, thebritishschool.pl

THE INTERNATIONAL TRILINGUAL SCHOOL OF WARSAW

Established in 1994, The Trilingual School of Warsaw offers nursery, primary, and pre-school education with an international curriculum for children aged from one to 15. The full immersion trilingual setting allows for the choice between English,

warsaw montessori family

„Erdkinder” Middle School

Polish, Spanish or Chinese, French or Japanese. Teachers are highly-qualified native speakers from the US, France, Spain, China and Japan. ul. Nobla 16 (tel. 501 036 637), ul. Karowa 14/16 (tel. 503 072 119), ul. Krolowej Aldony (tel. 533 321 084), office@3languages.pl, itsw.edu.pl

THE ENGLISH PLAYHOUSE

The English Playhouse functions in two green and quiet residential districts of Mokotów and Wilanów. The pre-school follows the English National Curriculum and accepts children from 12 months up till six-years-old. For more info or to arrange a tour call Justyna Nowak on tel. 784 037 808 or email:

jnowak@theenglishplayhouse.com ul. Pływiańska 14a, tel. 22 843 9370, tep.edu.pl

MAPLE TREE MONTESSORI

Maple Tree

Montessori is a family-run, international preschool that offers an authentic Montessori curriculum supported by a Music & Art program, with a natural playground and a strong focus on an ecological & healthy lifestyle. They have two classes: a toddler group (15 to 30 months) and a casa class (2.5 to 6 years). ul. Piechoty Łanowej 46A (entrance from Rotmistrzowska/ Petyhorska), tel. 531 599 444, mapletreemontessori.pl

MONTESSORI STEPPING STONES

An intimate, international, English-speaking preschool located in Powsin that follows the Montessori philosophy which emphasizes the individuality of each child. Children from the ages of 1.5-years-old to 6-years-old are welcome, with the school’s goals aimed at facilitating the individual development of the child, both physical and mental, through a system that is focused on the spontaneous use of the human intellect. ul. Przyczółkowa 140, tel. 728 939 582, montessoristeppingstones.pl

AKADEMEIA HIGH SCHOOL

Akademeia High School is an academically selective international school in Warsaw, offering iGCSEs and A Levels whilst preparing students for the best universities in the world. The staff body consists of alumni of the world’s best universities, whilst facilities at what has become Poland’s most prestigious school include an art studio, auditorium, sports hall and roof garden. ul. Ledóchowskiej 2, akademeia.edu.pl

AMERICAN SCHOOL OF WARSAW

With over 50 nationalities, ASW has been welcoming students from around the world since 1953. As an IB Continuum school, our students follow the PYP, MYP and DP throughout their learner journey. These programmes develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who are motivated to succeed. They are inspired by our highly qualified and international teaching staff. Students graduate with either the IB diploma or an American high school diploma. All programs are conducted in English, with integrated EAL support for non-native speakers. Contact: admissions@ aswarsaw.org or 22 702 85 00, ul. Warszawska 202 (Konstancin-Jeziorna), aswarsaw.org

BRITISH PRIMARY SCHOOL OF WILANOW

A values-driven school offering a world-class education based on the best of British Education. BSW is the first school in Poland to be accredited as Compliant by the Council of British International Schools (COBIS). Based in a purpose built premises in Wilanow BSW is accepting applications from Nursery to Year 9. Please email admissions@bswilanow.org to organise a visit

THE BRITISH SCHOOL WARSAW

Delivering an inclusive, rigorous and high-quality British education in a diverse and caring environment, mission of TBS is to balance academic success with character building and well-being. Students at The British School Warsaw learn an internationally respected curriculum, based on the best of British academics. They take pride in their excellent results at both International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) and IGCSE level, which are well above the global average. ul. Limanowskiego 15, tel. 22 842 3281, thebritishschool.pl

THE ENGLISH PRIMARY

The English Primary is designed specifically for children in the primary education ages, just as

children experience in England but in an international community. Pupils are taken through the key learning stages so that they can achieve to the best of their ability through a fun learning experience. The Core Curriculum subjects include English, Phonics, Science, Mathematics, French, PE and Swimming, Music, Personal, Social and Health Education. ul. Rzodkiewki 18, tel. 784 037 808, tep. edu.pl

THE CANADIAN SCHOOL OF WARSAW INTERNATIONAL ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL

Located on two campuses in the Mokotów this is the only authorized IB School with PYP programs taught in English and Polish. French is taught as a third language. Offers a wide range of extra activities, a summer school, and employs a full time psychologist. Provision is made for additional Polish and English support. International staff, cultural events and challenging student initiatives create the perfect learning environment. ul. Bełska 7, tel. 692 411 573 / 885 420 044, secretary@canadian-school.pl or secretary.olimpijska@ canadian-school.pl

THE INTERNATIONAL TRILINGUAL SCHOOL OF WARSAW

Established in 1994, The Trilingual School of Warsaw offers nursery, primary, and pre-school education with an international curriculum for children aged from one to 15. The full immersion trilingual setting allows for the choice between

English, Polish, Spanish or Chinese, French or Japanese. Teachers are highly-qualified native speakers from the US, France, Spain, China and Japan. ul. Nobla 16 (tel. 501 036 637), ul. Karowa 14/16 (tel. 503 072 119), ul. Krolowej Aldony (tel. 533 321 084), office@3languages.pl, itsw.edu.pl

MONNET INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

Located in Mokotów, the Monnett is the only school in Poland that implements the International Baccalaureate Program from kindergarten level all the way through to secondary school. The fully-qualified staff are committed to delivering only the

highest standards of education. ul. Stępińska 13, tel. 22 852 06 08, maturamiedzynarodowa.pl

JOY PRIMARY SCHOOL

Treating pupils with mutual respect but not at the expense of being demanding, the methods used are hard on the problem but soft on the person. Taking into account what students think, feel, learn and want for themselves and their world, Joy Primary teaches important life skills as well as respect, care for others, problem solving and co-operation. Here, children are challenged to discover their

abilities and competences, while encouraged to explore personal strength and autonomy. ul. Syta 131A, tel. 722 305 333, sekretariat@ joyprimaryschool.pl

WARSAW MONTESSORI SCHOOL

A leader in the field of Montessori education, well-trained teachers guide students to independent and successful learning with both English and bilingual classroom provided. Located just steps from Łazienki Park the school resides in vibrant

surroundings near to museums, embassies and natural settings which provide students with learning outside the classroom. ul. Szwoleżerów 4 (grades 0-4), tel. 608 488 420, wmf.edu.pl

WARSAW MONTESSORI MIDDLE SCHOOL

Guided by trained specialists, students are responsible for managing their household, operating small businesses, caring for local flora and fauna as well as domesticated animals, taking charge of the younger children and much more. “Adolescence Program” activities, integrated with academic studies, help students discover their inner strength to meet real life

challenges. ul. Tatrzańska 5A (grades 5-8), tel. 604 137 826, wmf.edu.pl

WARSAW MONTESSORI HIGH SCHOOL

Warsaw Montessori High School aims to teach students the values which Maria Montessori outlined in her educational philosophy such as: responsibility for one’s own development, care for others, honesty, empathy, and service. The school continues to meet the principles of Maria Montessori through implementing the IB Diploma Program principles and practices. Warsaw Montessori High School is an authorized IB World School for the Diploma Programme – code 061201. ul. Pytlasińskiego 13A, tel. 787 095 835, wmf.edu.pl

shopping experiences

GALERIA PÓŁNOCNA

Białołęka’s first major shopping center includes stores such as Forever 21, Lagerfeld and Guess. Part of the ‘fourth generation of shopping centers’, add-ons include a 5,000 sq/m rooftop garden and some of the best kid’s facilities on Poland’s retail map. ul. Światowida 17, galeriapolnocna.pl

KLIF HOUSE OF FASHION

Warsaw’s original luxury shopping center has a line-up of top boutiques

that include Max Mara, Paul & Shark and Pinko. ul. Okopowa 58/72, klif.pl

PLAC UNII

One of Warsaw’s latest mall counts Armani Jeans, Liu-Jo and Pandora amongst its upmarket tenants. ul. Puławska 2, placunii.pl

MYSIA 3

in her educational philosophy such as: responsibility for one’s own development, care for others, honesty, empathy, and service. The school continues to meet the principles of Maria Montessori through implementing the IB Diploma Program principles and practices. Warsaw Montessori High School is an authorized IB World School for the Diploma Programme – code 061201. ul. Pytlasińskiego 13A, tel. 787 095 835, wmf.edu.pl

shopping experiences

The line-up in this trendy department store includes Scandinavian fashion in Cos, a Leica camera shop, Asfalt vinyl store, Japanese fashion and accessories from Muji and sunglasses from Gloomy Sunday. After, check into Reginbar for cooling cocktails in a hip atmosphere. ul. Mysia 3, mysia3.pl

WARS SAWA JUNIOR

GALERIA PÓŁNOCNA

Centrally located, perks of Wars Sawa Junior include Poland’s only Uniqlo and the largest adidas store in the country.

WESTFIELD ARKADIA

Not many Polish malls do it better. Stores in this giant include Mango, Lacoste, Guess, Hilfiger

Białołęka’s first major shopping center includes stores such as Forever 21, Lagerfeld and Guess. Part of the ‘fourth generation of shopping centers’, add-ons include a 5,000 sq/m rooftop garden and some of the best kid’s facilities on Poland’s retail map. ul. Światowida 17, galeriapolnocna.pl

and Peek & Cloppenburg. Al. Jana Pawła II 82, westfield.com

KLIF HOUSE OF FASHION

antiques

Warsaw’s original luxury shopping center has a line-up of top boutiques that include Max Mara, Paul & Shark and Pinko. ul. Okopowa 58/72, klif.pl

WESTFIELD MOKOTÓW

Stores inc. Calvin Klein, Hollister, Hugo Boss, New Balance, Royal Collection and Timberland. ul. Wołoska 12, westfield.com

PLAC UNII

One of Warsaw’s latest mall counts Armani Jeans, Liu-Jo and Pandora amongst its upmarket tenants. ul. Puławska 2, placunii.pl

VITKAC

Poland’s first luxury department store gathers the world’s top designers under one roof, with brands including Alexander McQueen, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Stella McCartney, Stone Island and Rick Owens. Further features include a rooftop restaurant. ul. Bracka 9, vitkac.com

MYSIA 3

The line-up in this trendy department store includes Scandinavian fashion in Cos, a Leica camera shop, Asfalt vinyl store, Japanese fashion and accessories from Muji and sunglasses from Gloomy Sunday. After, check into Reginbar for cooling cocktails in a hip atmosphere. ul. Mysia 3, mysia3.pl

ZŁOTE TARASY

WARS SAWA JUNIOR

Centrally located, perks of Wars Sawa Junior include Poland’s only Uniqlo and the largest adidas store in the country.

WESTFIELD ARKADIA

Not many Polish malls do it better.

Seen from the outside as a giant glass bubble, selling points here include a Multikino cinema, a Calypso fitness club, and a branch of the Hard Rock Café. Stores include high-end brands at Van Graaf, Hugo Boss, Guess and Victoria’s Secret. Global foods can be found at Kuchnie Swiata. ul. Złota 59, zlotetarasy.pl

ANTYKWARIAT NA TAMCE

Stores in this giant include Mango, Lacoste, Guess, Hilfiger and Peek & Cloppenburg. Al. Jana Pawła II 82, westfield.com

WESTFIELD MOKOTÓW

Stores inc. Calvin Klein, Hollister, Hugo Boss, New Balance, Royal Collection and Timberland. ul. Wołoska 12, westfield.com

Presided over by a super-friendly hippy-looking dude, consider this a mine of rare vinyl (Beatles, Hendrix, Sabbath, weird Polish PRL stuff), as well as 15,000 comics and books. ul. Tamka 45B, antykwariat-tamka.pl

VITKAC

Poland’s first luxury department store gathers the world’s top designers under one roof, with brands including Alexander McQueen, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Stella McCartney, Stone Island and Rick Owens. Further features include a rooftop restaurant. ul. Bracka 9, vitkac.com

KOLO

What looks like a soggy tent city transforms each Sunday morning into a hopelessly addictive flea market offering wartime militaria, religious icons, chinaware, furniture from unverified periods of history, and even the occasional suit of armour. ul. Obozowa 99, gieldastaroci.waw.pl

ZŁOTE TARASY

KWADRYGA

Antique books, faded photographs, yellowing maps and dog-eared magazines – the atmosphere is timeless. The PRL-era lifestyle magazines are an amazing insight into the past. ul. Wilcza 29, kwadryga.com

Seen from the outside as a giant glass bubble, selling points here include a Multikino cinema, a Calypso fitness club, and a branch of the Hard Rock Café. Stores include high-end brands at Van Graaf, Hugo Boss, Guess and Victoria’s Secret. Global foods can be found at Kuchnie Swiata. ul. Złota 59, zlotetarasy.pl

THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN!

Warsaw’s rich history and cultural significance has left it with no shortage of museums to visit. Offering a well-rounded view of the city’s past and present, these are the seven you just shouldn’t miss…

FRYDERYK CHOPIN MUSEUM

The 18th century Ostrogski Palace is the perfect foil for the ultra-modern content of this multi-sensory space. The personal items are captivating (his death mask, gifts from his muse, etc.), but the big victory here is the museum’s ability to suck visitors right back into the times of Chopin through the use of interactive sights and sounds. ul. Okólnik 1, chopin. museum

MUSEUM OF LIFE UNDER COMMUNISM

A deeply personal insight into the former system by allowing visitors to view what Communism meant to the everyday person. Here, rifle and

rummage through a room mockedup to resemble a typical household apartment, watch propaganda films, peer inside a phone box, paw at vintage keep-fit gear or covet the ladies fashions of the time. Detailed in its captions, witty in its presentation and comprehensive in its content, it is a place where normal items such as aftershave bottles, postcards, clothing and crude household appliances are allowed to shine on a totem and tell their own story. A haven of trinkets and collectibles, its small size belies its utter magic. ul.

Piękna 28/34, mzprl.pl

MUSEUM OF WARSAW

Reprised as a maze-like treasure filled trove glimmering with

curiosities, thousands of objects have been gathered here to detail the story of Warsaw in a non-linear style that can at times feel overwhelming. Peculiar souvenirs, scale models, old postcards and recovered works of art all combine with a mass of trivia to leave visitors boggled with knowledge. The vertiginous views of the Rynek below are worth the admission alone. Rynek Starego Miasta 28-42, muzeumwarszawy.pl

NATIONAL MUSEUM

Famed for its collection of Dutch and Flemish masters, it’s also the final word in Polish art, with all the greats represented – inc. Matejko, Witkiewicz and other such stars.

That’s reason enough for many, but for others the museum’s ace card was revealed at the end of 2017 with the opening of the Gallery of Polish Design. Offering a full 360 view of Polish 20th century applied arts, it’s an aesthetic joy featuring everything from iconic PRL era wall units and tulip chairs to kitschy toys and gizmos. Frankly, it’s a stunning museum that just keeps getting better – though delayed by covid, the start of the year saw the world class Gallery of Ancient Art added to the mix. Featuring 1,800 ancient relics, papyrus scrolls, Iranian golden masks and even an Egyptian mummy! Al. Jerozolimskie 3, mnw.art.pl

NEON MUSEUM

Playing a key role in the government’s attempts to fuse socialist ideology with consumerism, the campaign to ‘neon-ize’ Poland saw gloomy cities still bearing the scars of war boldly gleam once more under lights designed and produced by many of the leading

artisans of the time. Salvaged from the scrapheap (in many instances, literally), this museum was created by Ilona Karwinska and David Hill who inadvertently kickstarted a nationwide trend and reignited the country’s appetite for neon. Housing several dozen neons that once lit up Poland, these renovated signs make for Warsaw’s coolest attraction: Instagram them now! ul. Mińska 25 (Soho Factory), neonmuzeum.org

POLIN

Composed of eight galleries, this architectural marvel covers different stages of local Jewish history, from the middle ages to the present day. Highlights of this museum include a staggeringly beautiful replica of the ceiling of Gwoździec synagogue, and a ‘remake’ of a typical inter-war Jewish Warsaw street. That it was named the European Museum of the Year in 2016 such much for its ambitions to focus on more than the Holocaust alone. ul.

Anielewicza 6, polin.pl

THE WARSAW RISING MUSEUM

If the throngs and sheer informational overload can often be daunting, it remains the most important museum in the capital, and quite arguably the country. Points of interest are rife and include a life-size replica of a B-24 Liberator plane as well as a claustrophobic ‘sewage tunnel’ through which visitors squeeze to get an idea of the kind of conditions combatants once faced. But it’s not the A-list sights that make the biggest impact, rather the smaller, highly personal curios: a pair of wedding bands forged from bullets; an Omega watch, it’s hands frozen at the same moment a bomb killed its owner; and a lucky cuddly mascot made from a German overcoat. Of course, the aftermath is also covered in heartrending detail and concludes with a 3D film that takes viewers swooping over the smoldering ruins of the capital. ul. Grzybowska 79, 1944.pl

shopping exeriences

1 Designer Outlet Warszawa ul. Puławska 42E, designeroutletwarszawa.pl

2

Elektrownia Powiśle ul. Dobra 42, elektrowniapowisle.com

3 Galeria Mokotów ul. Wołoska 12, galeriamokotow.com.pl

4

Galeria Północna ul. Światowida 17, galeriapolnocna.pl

5 Klif House of Fashion ul. Okopowa 58/72, klif.pl

6 Koneser Pl. Konesera, koneser.eu

7 Plac Unii ul. Puławska 2, placunii.pl

8

Mysia 3 ul. Mysia 3, mysia3.pl

9 Vitkac ul. Bracka 9, likusconceptstore.pl

10

Westfield Arkadia

Al. Jana Pawła II 82, pl.westfield.com/arkadia

11

Złote Tarasy ul. Złota 59, zlotetarasy.pl

museums

1

National Museum

Al. Jerozolimskie 3, mnw.art.pl.pl

2

The Warsaw Rising Museum

ul. Grzybowska 79, 1944.pl

3

Museum of Life Under Communism

ul. Piękna 28/34, mzprl.pl

4

Fryderyk Chopin Museum

ul. Okólnik 1, chopin. museum

5

Neon Museum ul. Mińska 25 (Soho Factory), neonmuzeum.org

6

Museum of Warsaw Rynek Starego Miasta 28/42, muzeumwarszawy.pl

7 POLIN

ul. Anielewicza 6, polin.pl

sport

1 Legia Stadium Łazienkowska 3, legia.com

live music

1

Chaton Warsaw Foksal 19, chatonwarsaw.com/en

INSTA WARSAW Picture POLIN

As museums go, none in Warsaw offer the same visual impact as POLIN…

When POLIN opened nine-years ago it joined Poland’s small, elite club of world class museums. For the most part, this was due to its content and to this day it remains one of the most important cultural attractions not just in Warsaw, but the entire country. Stunning from both inside and out, it’s architectural merits though have also made it a must-visit, not least among Instagrammers.

Designed by Finnish architect Rainer Mahlamaki, the stark, glass-panelled façade slots organically into the area and looks all the more impactful when silhouetted against the single tree that stands right up against the back, glazed wall – a symbol, apparently, of light, life and the continuation of history. Within, the main hall contrasts sharply against the angular exterior, with wave-like, sand-coloured walls lapping against the glass to create a visual feast.

GREY WOLF

WARSAW 2023

NOWY ŚWIAT 55 | ALEJE JEROZOLIMSKIE 49