On the trail of the most beautiful Warsaw tenement houses

Unconventional, full of style and chic – it’s just some of the adjectives that define large tenement houses in Warsaw.

LET’S START FROM THE BEGINNING – WHAT IS A TENEMENT HOUSE REALLY?
According to the definition, a tenement house is an urban residential building, made of brick or stone, at least one-story, usually standing in a row of other buildings. One of the characteristic features of tenement houses is the lack of windows on one of the walls of the building. Today in Warsaw we can find them mainly in Śródmieście, Mokotów, Powiśle, Ochota or Żoliborz, and therefore in the most sought-after parts of the city, in the best locations. According to the first rule when you are buying a property – location, location and location.

“According to the definition, a tenement house is an urban residential building, made of brick or stone, at least one-story, usually standing in a row of other buildings.”

So let’s go on a journey along the route of these tenement houses, which is impossible to pass by indifferently, and their charm, style and dignity attract many people interested in buying real estate in them, which means that their prices often reach record rates, and the apartments are considered the most prestigious and luxurious.

In today’s article, we will focus on tenement houses located in the very heart of Warsaw, in the vicinity of the teeming-with-life, and beloved by Varsovians and not only, Trzech Krzyży Square. I think that many people were once intrigued with where the name of the square itself came from, there are two legends trying to explain it. They both take us to ancient times, it is the same for them. The first legend was developed by Jadwiga Chrząszczewka and Jadwiga Warnkówka, it tells almost fairy tales about an unknown girl and her three admirers. The second legend quoted by Zdzisław Nowak refers to the historical figures of the dukes living in Jazdów – Konrad I and Siemowit I, i.e. to the times when dense forests were covered between Jazdów and old Warsaw, where three holy hermits lived. We finish the legends and begin our adventure!

TRZECH KRZYŻY SQUARE AREA
Let’s start our walk at 18 Bracka Street, because this is where Maria Kiersnowska’s first tenement house worthy of attention is located. This building was built at the beginning of the 20th century by the famous Warsaw businessman Edward Lilpop. Particularly noteworthy is the eclectic facade of the tenement house, one of the curiosities is that the old bells for apartments have been preserved in the gate to this day.

It is impossible not to notice that, after revitalization, today’s tenement houses meet the standards of modern apartment construction. The SPA and Wellness zone, underground garage, silent elevators or vast terraces on the roofs of buildings are becoming almost a standard also for historical buildings.

Going further down Bracka Street, we come to the already mentioned Trzech Krzyży Square, near which there is another tenement house, which we will take a closer look at. Kamienica pod Gigantami, also known as the house under Atlantis or the Strzałecki tenement house, is located at 24 Ujazdowskie Avenue, formerly 22, and 36 in the interwar period. Currently, on the ground floor of the tenement house, there is the Pod Gigantami Restaurant maintained in the old atmosphere, where there is still a dance floor, as well as elements of rocaill interior, which are over 250 years old.

MOKOTOWSKA AND ITS SURROUNDINGS
However, let’s go back towards Mokotowska Street to stop for a moment at number 41 of a tenement house designed by the Warsaw duo Heppen-Czerwiński, known for their love of panache and fantasy. The building was erected in 1912, its shape is early modernist, but on the facade we can find many elements of Art Nouveau. It is worth adding that before the war the building had a different mansard top. An interesting fact is that this house has its own guardian angel, his figure is under one of the balconies of the top floor.

Let’s go a few steps further, while still at Mokotowska Street, we will stop at the tenement house number 57, the so-called “Cracovians and Highlanders”. The aforementioned name of the tenement house comes from the characteristic huge sculptures of giants dressed in Polish folk costumes, supporting the loggia. The architect of this unconventional tenement house is Zygmunt Binduchowski, who at the beginning of the 20th century built it for the aristocrat Rodryg Mroczkowski.

Mokotowska Street is a special street because the whole street, not only the buildings located next to it, is on the register of monuments. This fact additionally makes it even more prestigious. This additionally raises its rank and proves the uniqueness of this place.

SUMMARY
Ending our walk around Warsaw’s downtown for today, let’s finally move on from the artistic sphere, delighted with the beautiful views to the economic zone. Inspired by the unusual architecture of the described tenement houses, we ask ourselves how much would you have to pay to live here? First of all, we need to know that apartments in this area are very popular, so if they are already available, whether for sale or rent, they disappear very quickly, often even before they officially hit the market, there are queues for them. And when we want to become the happy owners of an apartment in this location, it is enough to spend an average of PLN 30,000 per 1m2 and become a resident of one of the charming downtown tenement houses, but it is probably a good investment for many years. Statistically, the most expensive apartments in Warsaw, as well as in Poland, are located in tenement houses. The last record was an apartment with an area of 470 sq m in the Foksal 13/15 investment, which was sold for a record amount of over PLN 17 million.