Warsaw Insider May 2021 #297

The Capital’s Original City Magazine Since 1996

#297

MAY 2021 FEATURES: In The Open: Warsaw’s living museum – p. 18 PLUS: Exploring MDM – p. 14 Cold War secrets – p. 12

Cinco de Mayo – p. 44 SAR dogs – p. 60 Photography: Daniel Remian – p. 36

INDEKS 334901 ISSN:1643-1723

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Contents May 2021

Reviews: EAT!

First bite: Quattro Si – p. 41

Interview: Cinco de Mayo – p. 42

WELL I NEVER… Light at the end of the tunnel. A mere fourteen months or so after every little joy was sucked out of our lives, it finally appears that ‘things are getting better’. News that the gastronomic sector stood to be tentatively defrosted in May broke just as our fingers had hit the ‘print’ button on this magazine, and while that means we’re too late to cover that in full (or at all, in fact), it does – we hope – harbor much promise for the future. Sure, we’ve been sucker-punched by this wiley little virus before, but at last it appears that the monster isn’t winning. Three cheers, etc.

But although we’re noticeably low on food and drink content this issue, that does not mean we’ve spent the month loafing around in our pants. On the contrary. With May usually coinciding with the Night of the Museums, we’ve used our time wisely to reimagine Warsaw as an open-air museum. Find the fruits of our labors inside. Elsewhere, we’ve placed the city’s PRL history under closer scrutiny; happened upon a giant strawberry; teamed up with the four-legged recruits of a Search & Rescue unit; and found a moment or two to look forward to Cinco de Mayo. And God yes, if things really are getting better, then the margaritas are on us! See ya’ next time, amigos.

DRINK!

First sip: Rausz na Wilczej – p. 51 Happenings: Hala Gwardii – p. 52

Discover Aga Prus – p. 57

CGP Tropiciele – p. 58 Jabłonna – p. 61

Alex Webber insider@warsawinsider.pl

Subscription Editor-in-chief Alex Webber insider@warsawinsider.pl

Publisher Morten Lindholm mlindholm@valkea.com

Creative Director Kevin Demaria kdemaria@valkea.com

Distribution Manager Krzysztof Wiliński kwilinski@valkea.com

Advertising Manager Jowita Malich jmalich@valkea.com

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Strawberry Fields Forever A stone’s throw from Modlin, a humungous strawberry is all that remains of what once looked set to become the world’s biggest strawberry farm…

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ou’ve got to be pretty thick to lose yourself on the way from Warsaw to Modlin, but should ever you do so then you’ve a fighting chance of finding yourself confronted with one of the wackiest sites in the Mazowiecki region. Yep, I bet you didn’t expect to see a giant strawberry lying on its side by the edge of the road.

Seen as a cult attraction by urbex photographers and selfie-seeking Instagrammers, the ten-meter strawberry is all that remains of an operation that once harbored ambitions to become the largest strawberry producer on the planet. Set on the fringes of a village called Wierzbica, Sadpol was founded

by Janusz Glinicki in those early, wild years of the post-Communist transformation. Specializing in

PHOTOGRAPH THIS PAGE BY ALEX WEBBER, OPPOSITE FROM TOP: BUW FACEBOOK, SHUTTERSTOCK, MWKZ.PL

In the News...

In brief strawberries, Glinicki’s farm grew to cover between 400 and 750 hectares (depending on which source you choose to believe) and employed, at its peak, over 1,000 people. Without a doubt, it became one of the most significant strawberry farms in the world, with exports reaching the furthest corners of Europe.

But behind the scenes, all was not well. Hit by cheap competition from Spain and, even, waves of cut-price frozen produce from China, Glinicki’s strawberry business found itself floundering – so bad was the situation, he made news in 2007 after taking his protest all the way to the EU’s nerve center in Brussels. Yet worse was to follow. Despite paying wages of PLN 100 per day, as the years marched on Glinicki found himself facing chronic labor shortages. Bussing in workers from 60-kilometers away, the strawberry magnate bitterly complained that the locals no longer wanted to graft for a living despite a regional unemployment rate of over 16%. Faced with a rapidly shrinking workforce, he found his strawberry kingdom falling apart. Forced instead to branch into more profitable areas of farming, Glinicki’s strawberry operation fell into ruin.

Today, all that survives is a giant foam and metal strawberry that once marked the entrance to his farm. Falling off its pedestal many years back, the fruity monument is a bizarre throwback to brighter times, not to mention a striking reminder of those optimistic days that followed the collapse of the Iron Curtain.

BOOKS

Read All About It

Workers at Warsaw’s BUW library have been left delighted after chancing upon a rare find hiding inside one of the books in their possession – a hair thought to be over 500-years old.

Discovered inside a copy of Thomasinus de Ferraria’s Sermones Quadragesimales, the stray hair most likely fell out during the binding process say researchers.

HEALTH

Up In Smoke

Proposals that could see smoking banned from private balconies are set to be discussed at a higher level following increased pressure from the non-smoking lobby. Though campaigners have been thwarted previously, the last year has seen a groundswell of support due to the increase in the number of people staying home during lockdown. Activists have pointed out the success of similar legislature adopted in neighboring Lithuania at the start of the year.

ART

Fang You Very Much!

A plafond painted by Wojciech Fangor in 1943 has been entered into the register of monuments, thereby securing its future. Decorating the ceiling of his childhood home just outside Warsaw, the work was unveiled when the artist was twenty-one and depicts several Goddess-like nudes floating amid celestial clouds. Recognized as the artist’s first large format creation, Fangor would go on to establish himself as one of the country’s greatest ever painters. To date, he remains the only Pole granted a solo exhibition at New York’s Guggenheim.

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In brief LOCKDOWN ART

The Land That Time Forgot History Remembered

Unveiled in April on the anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, a new installation dedicated to the discovery of the Ringelblum Archives has finally been made public. The archives were created during WWII by Emanuel Ringelblum to chronicle conditions in the Ghetto before being hidden just before the area’s liquidation. Divided into three caches – one of which remains undiscovered – the installation marks the spot where the first was unearthed in 1946. Taking the form of an illuminated, transparent box with a symbolic document contained within, the memorial can be found at Nowolipki 68.

WILDLIFE

Creature Features

A strange beast that had left residents of a Kraków housing block too afraid to open their windows was later identified by animal welfare services to be a discarded croissant. The drama, news of which went viral across the world, began after a concerned citizen alerted authorities of a reptile, possibly an iguana, stranded up a tree. Rushing to the scene, members of the animal welfare unit noticed that the mystery creature had no legs or head. On closer inspection, the team realized they were dealing with a rogue pastry that had most probably been thrown from a window.

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Hypnotically surreal, Mirella von Chrupek’s latest project sees Warsaw t hrough an entirely fresh prism…

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itled “Eutopia. Miasto Niezwykłe”, and created in response to the global pandemic, artist Mirella von Chrupek’s latest project merges classical scenes of pastoral bliss with carefully sourced archival imagery to present a unique and striking vision of a fantastical Warsaw.

“I started the project last year during the first wave when we were all stuck in our homes,” she tells the Insider. “Since I have a vast collection of archival postcards, magazines, engravings and other materials related to the city, I decided to make use of them and create digital collages – moreover, helping me in that decision was my acquisition of a vast number of editions of Stolica magazine from the 60s and 70s that once belonged to the renowned Varsavianist Juliusz Wiktor Gomulicki.”

Describing herself as a huge Warsaw enthusiast, von Chrupek’s labors have born fruit via the creation of a series of magical, other-worldly collages of the Polish capital.

PHOTOGRAPHS CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: SHUTTERSTOCK, KEVIN DEMARIA, COURTESY OF MIRELLA VON CHRUPEK

JEWISH

“The central motive was the concept of Eutopos (from the Greek word meaning ‘a good, desired place’), a kingdom without time, however, located in a parallel reality.” Shaped by memories and fantasies, and seeking to reconfigure her iconographic materials to conjure intriguing, unlikely images, the result is a body of work that feels simultaneously familiar yet distant and dreamlike.

“The recent months have

triggered a number of economic-social changes which have affected our perception of time and our emotional state and brought about reflections on a global and individual scale,” she says. “As a result of my quest, I wanted to create an oneiric vision of a unique place – to take the role of an architect and design a land where people and wild nature coexist. Additionally, I wanted to create a slightly nostalgic, better view of tomorrow

filled with hope: a kingdom of joyful harmony.”

Depicting prehistoric creatures and bucolic rural meadows alongside retro images of well-known capital city landmarks, Eutopia is nothing if not a beautifully gentle journey into an ethereal visual bliss.

For more on the artist, see: vonchrupek.com

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In brief

ARCHITECTURE

Heaven Sent

THIS PAGE PRESS MATERIAL, OPPOSITE PAGE BY KEVIN DEMARIA

Warsaw’s blooming skyline is set for another addition, this time on land owned by the church. Positioned on a plot adjacent to the Marriott building, the proposed Nycz Tower will measure in at 170-metres.

As yet, no completion date has been announced either by the church nor the developer.

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JEWISH

Memory Wall

Unveiled on the occasion of the Ghetto Uprising anniversary, a temporary mural honors the women that fought in the legendary rebellion…

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ommissioned by POLIN, the Museum of the History of Polish Jews, and realized

by Goodlooking Studio, a magnificent mural has debuted in the submerged pedestrian area at the mouth of Metro Centrum.

Depicting nine of the many women that fought in the 1943 insurgency, the mural was created to spotlight the often forgotten role that female fighters played.

Inspired by the wave of feminist protests that swept the country last year, the project has been part of the museum’s re-examination of traditional gender roles, and has sought to bring attention to these forgotten heroes of the Holocaust. Of those portrayed in such striking color, the mural pays

homage to, among others, courier Tosia Altman and liaison officer Mira Fuchrer, the girlfriend of the uprising’s leader, Mordechai Anielewicz. Aged just 23, Fuchrer committed suicide as the Nazis gathered for their final assault on the Jewish command bunker in the Muranów district. Also commemorated are Rachel Lea Zylberberg, a combatant that left her newly-born daughter in a Vilnius orphanage so as to join the resistance in Warsaw, as well as Niuta Tejtelbaum, a prolific assassin that used her innocent good looks to entrap Nazi officers before killing them.

Adorned with a daffodil motif – a flower that has become symbolic of the spring rebellion – the mural will be on show until May 2nd.

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PRL WARSAW > BOOKS

A stunning book has lifted the lid on the extraordinary surveillance methods used by the Communist secret services…

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PHOTOGRAPHS BY KEVIN DEMARIA

Big Brother Is Watching

roviding a sinister glimpse into Poland’s totalitarian past, a new book compiled

by Beata Bartecka and Łukasz Rusznica sheds light on the extreme methods used by the country’s secret services to spy on its people.

Ironically titled How to Look Natural in Photographs, the idea for the book first came into being after Bartecka and Rusznica discovered thousands of surveillance images taken by Communist agents sitting in the archives of the Institute of National Remembrance. Inspired by their findings, the duo displayed a selection of these at a 2014 exhibition held in Rusznica’s Wrocław gallery. Buoyed by the show’s success, as well as a hankering to create

a more permanent record of these times, the pair later took the step of compiling the photographs that spoke loudest to them and presenting them in the format of an artistic, coffee table tome.

“Violence begins in the nervous system, from an impulse that runs through the body and makes someone press the shutter,” say the authors. “It ends in an archive, the place where information and images are stored. This basis reveals who interprets the collected data, and consequently – who controls the facts. The book also tells a story of spies, agents, guards, AI algorithm programmers, surveillance subjects, suspects, archivists, convicts and accidentally photographed passers-by. They interact on various levels, all compris-

ing one huge machine, inordinate and dispersed.”

Lacking descriptions, and presented in a purposefully non-chronological manner, the images play upon the viewer to evoke intense – almost overwhelming – feelings that accurately capture the paranoia of the times. “We put the photos together based on how they talk to each other as images,” Bartecka told The Calvert Journal, “not as stories and facts.” Diverse and often seemingly quite random, the pictures include standard mugshots, photos of corpses and plane crashes, rural scenes, finger prints and oblivious pedestrians. Deeply haunting, surreal and occasionally absurd, it is a book that encourages thought and reflection.

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PRL WARSAW > COLD WAR SITES

WARSAW’S COLD WAR SECRETS

Peer behind the Iron Curtain to unravel Warsaw’s hidden history…

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TOTALLY BUNKERS Having been declassified in 2014, Obiekt Alfa served as one of the city’s most startling tourist attractions; located on the grounds of the Military Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, and built at some stage in the 70s, it was here that Poland’s medical operation would have been directed in the event of WWIII. Opened briefly as a private museum, it was closed in 2019 after the museum’s lease was terminated – according to some, regrets had been voiced that too much had been revealed.

Again fenced from prying eyes, instead make do with marvelling at Wspólna 62; topped with a dome best viewed from the higher reaches of the nearby Marriott, what is now the Ufficio Primo office served as Bolesław Bierut’s personal bunker. Later turned into the legendary Ground Zero nightclub / meat market in the 90s, U2 once played inside here!

DO NOT ENTER At Sobieskiego 100 find two seemingly abandoned blocks rising like a pyramid and connected at their apex by an inter-linking bridge. What’s it all about?

The property of the Russian government since forever, rumors say this apartment complex was built at the height of the Cold War to house diplomats and spies. Long derelict but VERY keenly guarded, videos secretly shot by urban explorers have recorded nefarious looking handovers taking place on the property and revealed discarded Russian printed matter dating from this century.

KEVIN DEMARIA

DEEP UNDERCOVER In 1981 Ryszard Kukliński, a Colonel in the Polish General Staff, attended a banquet honoring the November Revolution at the Soviet Embassy in Warsaw. Having dismissed the chauffeur of his Volga limousine, later in the evening he slipped into an identical car driven by an undercover CIA agent and spent the night in a Żoliborz safehouse before being spirited to London on a forged passport.

Bringing with him the knowledge of every top secret Soviet nuclear shelter, his defection was a major coup that gave the West the upper hand during the 1986 Reykjavik summit. Described as ‘the first Polish officer to serve in NATO’, the extraordinary

life of Kukliński is remembered in a small museum at Kanonia 20/22. His last Warsaw residence was a stone’s throw away, at Rajców 11.

THE BIGGIE Ever since it was built the Palace of Culture & Science has been a rich source of intrigue, and although tales of tunnels linking it to what was formerly the Communist Party HQ on Nowy Świat 6/12 are unfounded, its subterranean passages aren’t short on legends and secrets. Once protected from rodents by over 60 giant cats (a number that has since shrunk to 12 regular sized moggies), it’s said that one rogue kitty strolled nonchalantly onto the stage while Marlena Dietrich performed in 1964. Infuriated that the intruder claimed more headlines than her own appearance, the songstress reputedly promised to never return to Warsaw. Three years later the Palace was again in the news after the Rolling Stones played two riotous concerts. With no Western cash to pay the band, the rockers were instead allegedly offered vats of vodka. Leaving much of it in the basement, for years after Palace staff flooded the black market with the band’s leftover booze.

SITES OF MARTYRDOM While much is known about the city’s WWII execution sites, lesser publicized are ones dating to the PRL era; with the Soviets beginning their repression the moment they rolled into Praga, many of these are naturally sited on the right bank, most notoriously at Sierakowskiego 7 where the NKVD and SMERSH counter-intelligence units were based.

Imprisoned and interrogated in the basements, scores of Poles died here as well as other nearby tenements seconded by the Soviets. Later, other HQs were opened, including an NKVD facility on Wilcza 29. Nowhere, however, was more feared than Mokotów Prison on Rakowiecka. Carried out under the command of Piotr Śmietański, ‘the butcher of Mokotów Prison’, numerous Poles were executed in the boiler room, including Witold Pilecki, an officer now internationally recognized for infiltrating Auschwitz during WWII. Still a functioning prison, a memorial stands outside the gates to those killed during the Stalinist years.

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SOCIALIST PARADISE

Even in a city gushing with examples of Socialist Realism, the MDM district is on another level…

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KEVIN DEMARIA

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ometimes referred to as the ‘propaganda district’ it was here that the commie town planners let idealism run free. “A stone wedding cake covered with balconies built of boulders,” wrote one critic. Although much of the area survived the war, this was not enough to save it. Earmarked to be at the forefront of Warsaw’s redevelopment, the bulk of tenements that had made it through the war were pulled down, seen as little more than unwanted reminders of the city’s bourgeois past.

Covering a vast area with Konstytucji at its center, this flagship district was intended to usher in a new era and house 45,000 high-ranking dignitaries.

Utilizing materials seized from the Third Reich, construction was conducted at breakneck pace with particularly diligent workers singled out for praise by the national media. The Utopian vision of the architects was finally realized on July 22nd, 1952. On this day, MDM was opened with delegations from China and the Soviet Union marching alongside enthusiastic Polish children in front of Poland’s leader, Bolesław Bierut.

That’s not to say MDM had been truly completed.

Several pre-war buildings had survived, while other plans fell by the wayside: e.g., a project to turn the MDM Hotel into a skyscraper. When Stalin died and Socialist Realism was abandoned, these plans were shelved for good.

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LIVING MUSEUM > SOCIAL REALISM

Cast your eyes to the top of Koszykowa 34/50 and you’ll see a trio of stone musicians created by Józef Gosławski after the sculptor won a competition – a tight deadline meant his brother and wife were recruited to help realize the project. Later, the artist would find greater fame designing the Chopin monument in Żelazowa Wola and a series of coins issued later in the decade.

Reliefs

Whacked onto the side of Wilcza 33 find ‘the Grape Harvest’, a relief depicting a pair of jovial peasant women picking fruit. Authored by Maksymilian Potrawiak, the 1952 work is understood to have been created to promote the Bacchus wine store and deli that operated below.

Most famous of all though are the reliefs lining Pl. Konstytucji itself. These include a string of working class heroes sculpted by Karol Tchorek: a miner, a bricklayer, a female teacher, etc.

Equally striking, look for a relief by Franciszek Habdas at Konstytucji 3 portraying a group after the word group add 'of flag-carrying women and children celebrating MDM’s completion

Neons

Installed in 1961 to advertise a ground floor

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sports store, Pl. Konstytucji’s best-known neon depicts a female volleyball star tossing a ball in the air – over and over again. Designed

by Jan Mucharski, one of the godfathers of Polish neon, it was restored in 2006 with the help of artist Paulina Ołowska. Recently, it hit news after a neon lightning bolt was added in support of the women’s rights protests that broke out last year. At the forefront of the country’s campaign to ‘neonize’ the city, the area glistened under numerous magical signs advertising the domestic airline, record shops, Soviet watches and luxury restaurants like Cristal Budapeszt. Some have been restored, others now find themselves retired to the Neon Museum.

Adornments

Reputed to be one of the first elements of MDM to be completed, the corner building at Wilcza 35/41 featured a chiming clock set on a mosaic designed by Hanna Główczewska – eight months in the making, it was created in Sopot and transported to Warsaw in several pieces. The address would achieve greater fame as the home of Pod Kurantami. Immortalized in Leopold Tyrmand’s book Zły, it was a super trendy spot attracting “men in tight trousers” and “women with huge collars resem-

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Cornices

bling upturned bibs” – moreover, it became the first place in Warsaw to sell mulled beer!

Columns & Colonnades

Though not fully ringing Pl. Zbawiciela, the area’s colonnades have come to typify the architectural style of the area. Though typifying the pompous nature of Socialist Realism, they helped lend the Plac a far more intimate style than Konstytucji, and decades later they’ve been harnessed to the max to serve as trendy café terraces. When talking of columns, though, it is Konstytucji’s trio of soaring street lamps that steal the show.

Originally, there was to be a statue of Stalin in their place; later, plans were mooted for three monuments representing the sea, Silesia and the capital. After much debate, these were dropped in favor of the gigantic candelabra you see today.

SUCH IS THE BOMBASTIC NATURE OF MDM, ITS DETAILS TEND TO BE OVERT AND CRASS

Plafonds

Such is the bombastic nature of MDM, its details tend to be overt and crass. But there are discreet gems aplenty, and these number Hanna Żuławska’s mosaic plafonds that decorate the passages of Konstytucji. Alive with color, they depict allegorical animals, country folk, flowers, families and upstanding workers. warsawinsider.pl

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THE LIVING MUSEUM With May’s traditional Night of Museums again suspended in its traditional form, join us on an openair tour of Warsaw set against the context of the city’s favorite cultural institutions…

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THE LIVING MUSEUM

Then There Was… LIGHT! Offering a light alternative to Warsaw’s more somber sights, immerse yourself in the magical glow of the city’s historic neon signs…

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lthough the presence of neon in Warsaw predates the war, it was the Communist era that saw this luminous form of advertising come to the fore. Connecting the government’s attempts to fuse socialist ideology with consumerism, the project to ‘neon-ize’ Poland saw the country’s shattered post-war cities transformed by gleaming lights manufactured by the top artisans of the period; soon, these technicolor glories became an underlying feature of the nation’s DNA. The fall of the Iron Curtain cut short the country’s love affair with neon. Seen as an outdated reminder of the bad days, the signs that were once such an intrinsic element of the nightscape found themselves phased out and replaced by blunter forms of advertising – that is until a British-Polish couple, Ilona Karwinska and David Hill, decided to launch the Neon Museum.

Reenergizing the nation’s love affair through their cult institution, today dozens of historic neons have been restored around Warsaw, the more high profile being PRL classics such as IZIS, Ruch and CDT, as well as a 1926 neon designed by Leonetto Capiello (a.k.a. ‘the father of modern advertising’), to promote the Wedel chocolate brand. These have been joined by stunning new wave neons like the pink bubbles that decorate Kępa Potocka and the iconic ‘Nice to See You’ sign hanging from Most Gdański.

These technicolor glories became a feature of the nation’s DNA

Neon Museum

ul. Mińska 25 (Soho Factory), neonmuzeum.org Salvaged from the scrapheap (in many instances, literally), this museum houses several dozen PRL era neons that once lit up the capital and beyond. Beautiful in every respect, these renovated signs make for Warsaw’s coolest attraction: Instagram them now – or, at least, when the museum reopens!

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THE LIVING MUSEUM

A Taste Of The Classics

Classic does not mean boring – let Warsaw prove that point…

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here’s no argument to be had, the National Museum is the final word for those that appreciate culture in its purest and most classical form. But assuming the museum will remain bolted in May, there’s plenty outside its doors to also admire – and where better to start than Łazienki, the summer home of Poland’s last King, Stanisław August Poniatowski. It was under his auspices that architect Dominik Merlini added a slew of classic embellishments, not least an open-air Greco-Roman amphitheater inspired by Herculaneum. In fact, Warsaw’s parks offer quite a collection of classical landmarks, for instance, Ewa, a stunning nude sculpted by Edward Wittig (a former student of Rodin) and added to Park Ujazdowski in 1930.

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Celebrating the big guns of Polish culture, see also statues such as those dedicated to romantic heroes like Mickiewicz, Matejko, Słowacki, etc., and squeeze in sepulchral glories such as the neo-Gothic Potocki tomb in Wilanów or the spectacular burial spots containing Poland’s greatest figures in Powązki Cemetery.

Less traditional, check Warsaw Fight Club (Środkowa 17), a mural created by Conor Harrington in 2015. Blurring the boundaries between classic and contemporary art, the work presents a pair of colonial-looking chaps engaged in a fist fight. “I paint brawling men,” says Harrington, “because I want to demystify the classical art which portrays these kind of figures as being elegant and statuesque. By presenting them in direct physical combat I wanted to show the harm they are capable of.”

Squeeze in sepulchral glories such as the neoGothic Potocki tomb in Wilanów National Museum in Warsaw

Al. Jerozolimskie 3, mnw.art.pl Famed for its collection of Dutch and Flemish masters, it’s also the ultimate in Polish art, with all the greats represented – inc.

Matejko, Witkiewicz and other such stars. Other highlights include the Gallery of Polish Design, a full 360 view of Polish 20th century applied arts, not to mention the recently unveiled Gallery of Ancient Art. Featuring 1,800 ancient relics, find papyrus scrolls, Iranian golden masks and even an Egyptian mummy! warsawinsider.pl

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THE LIVING MUSEUM

Paint The Town...Red

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Landing thick and fast, reminders of Warsaw’s Communist past are never far away...

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he location of the Museum of Life Under Communism is not coincidental. Gazing out onto Pl. Konstytucji, few areas better demonstrate the architecture of the times – for more, see p. 14. Nevertheless, your tour of commie Warsaw should not end there. For a rich dose of Socialist Realism walk the windswept tundra that surrounds the Stalinist Palace of Culture, and tick off all the Marxist reliefs emblazoned on its walls. Equally dehumanizing are the dimensions of the Ministry of Agriculture on Wspólna, not to mention the stern form of the former party HQ at Rondo De Gaulle’a. And how’s this for a factoid: the stunning Ufficio Primo (Wspólna 62) once held a nuclear bomb shelter.

Decorated in faded pastel shades, Maryensztadt was the first housing project completed after the war and feels surprisingly enticing thanks to its small town atmosphere: check its various murals and statues before zipping up to the Old Town via a 1950s escalator decorated with brotherly reliefs.

Lesser-known to the point of being forgotten, hunt the hammer and sickle mosaic decorating Teatr Capitol, and nearby check the ‘Two Rivers’ monument – constructed outside what was then the Polish-Soviet Society, it depicts two reclining figures symbolizing the Volga and the Wisla. Equally gloomy, the Red Army Cemetery out towards the airport is awash with heroic monuments and towering obelisks and the mass graves of 20,000 troops. End on a lighter note by finding the gnome graffiti on Madalińskiego; painted in the 80s, it was added by the Orange Alternative, a surrealist protest group known for their wacky stunts.

Museum of Life Under Communism

ul. Piękna 28/34, mzprl.pl A deeply personal insight into the former system that allows visitors to view what Communism meant to the everyday person. Here, rifle and rummage through a room mocked-up to resemble a typical household apartment, watch propaganda films, peer inside a phone box, paw at vintage keep-fit gear, covet the ladies fashions of the time or sit inside a café inspired by the PRL era. Small but perfectly formed, it’s an absolute must-visit. warsawinsider.pl

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THE LIVING MUSEUM

With so much of the city physically impacted by the war – and the 1944 Uprising in particular – the capital’s wartime trails arguably offer the most for empty itineraries…

ou need not look far to find traces of wartime trauma – scarring the city’s buildings like acne, the number of shrapnel wounds and bullet holes that pit Warsaw’s tenements tell their own story; these are especially prevalent around the streets of Stara Praga as well as the surviving sections of south-central Warsaw. Likewise, the proliferation of plaques marking execution sites do much to remind of the occupation’s harsh reality. Designed

by Karol Tchorek, over 200 of these can be found around town.

With the Uprising airbrushed from history by the Communist leadership, it wasn’t until 1983 that the city received it’s first true monument to the battle: the Monument to the Little Insurgent.

Many have followed since, not least the definitive memorial on Pl. Krasińskich – essential as these

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are, look for lesser-known landmarks such as the ghostly memorial marking the massacre at Wolski Hospital or the birch tree cross signaling the site of Ignacy Grabowski’s murder. Killed alongside eleven family members, they became another statistic of the Wola Massacre that cost the lives of 80,000 Varsovians. It’s the little nuggets that are most touching of all: preserved anti-Nazi graffiti (Niepodległości 130); painted signs announcing field hospitals (Tamka 45) and cleared landmines (Narbutta 3A and Grójecka 41); and inscriptions declaring fallen family members (Bracka 20).

For photographers, then a rich array of murals commemorate Warsaw’s wartime actions, not least on Płocka 41 – for something truly active though, climb to the top of the Uprising Mound; built on war rubble, the 121-meter hill offers staggering views of this city that refused to die.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY KEVIN DEMARIA

The shadows Of WWII Y

ul. Grzybowska 79, 1944.pl Points of interest in the city’s most important museum include a life-size replica of a B-24 Liberator plane as well as a claustrophobic ‘sewage tunnel’ through which visitors gain an idea of the kind of conditions combatants faced. But it’s the little details that make the most impact: 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. At the end, view a stunning 3D CGI flight simulation that takes you over the smoldering ruins of Warsaw.

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF THE WARSAW RISING MUSEUM

The Warsaw Rising Museum

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THE LIVING MUSEUM

A Noteworthy Walk Explore the Warsaw of Frederic Chopin…

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ou won’t get far in Warsaw without running into homages to the city’s favorite son, composer Frederic Chopin. Tune into his world by following the trail of 15 interactive, musical benches laid outside key sites related to his life, among them the Radziwiłł Palace (where he made his public debut as an 8-year-old prodigy), the Czapski Palace (his last Warsaw residence), the Wessel Palace (where he bade farewell to friends and family before beginning his exile), and the Visitation Church where, allegedly, the young Chopin played with such enthusiasm that the rector would often be forced to intervene and plead for silence. But that’s the tip of the iceberg; though he might be buried in Paris, you’ll find his heart resting in Warsaw – preserved in a crystal jar filled with cognac and encased inside a column found in the Church of the Holy Cross.

For something more Insta-friendly, then visit the mural at Górnośląska 8 or get yourself down to the rose garden of Łazienki Park to view his epic statue. Revealed in 1926, it became the first Warsaw monument to be destroyed by the Nazis when it was removed in 1940 under the orders of General Government chief Hans Frank. The following day, it’s said that a placard appeared on the plinth as if penned by the composer: “I do not know who did this,” it read, “but I know why: so that I won’t play the funeral march for your leader.” Rebuilt in 1958, nowadays its best known as the site of open-air Sunday concerts that take place each summer – whether they resume in the next few months remains to be seen.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY KEVIN DEMARIA

Fryderyk Chopin Museum

ul. Okólnik 1, 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. Equally worthwhile is the museum’s sister branch in Żelazowa Wola. Here’s, the manor house in which Chopin was born has been converted into a traditional museum telling the story of his early days. Closed it might well be in May, but the surrounding park and gardens remain open: exploring the scenic nooks and shaded alcoves is a joy.

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THE LIVING MUSEUM

The Ghosts Of The Past It takes imagination to connect with Warsaw’s vanished Jewish heritage, but doing so is not impossible…

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PHOTOGRAPHS BY KEVIN DEMARIA

he Germans demonstrated great zeal when methodically erasing Warsaw’s Jewish past, something that has left the city with a paucity of physical offerings.

Monuments and memorials, of course, exist by the dozen, and these include ones marking the site of the Umschlagplatz (where Jews were loaded onto cattle trucks bound for Treblinka) and the Miła 18 command bunker from which the Ghetto Uprising was conducted. The 1943 insurgency itself is best remembered via a monument opposite POLIN, one that was somewhat ironically fashioned from materials originally selected by the Nazis for a victory arch. There are many other symbolic nods to the past, as well, and perhaps none are more striking than the light installation on Chłodna that shows where the small and large Ghettoes were once connected by an overhead bridge.

For more tangible traces, make time to visit what little remains of the Ghetto Wall (Sienna 55) or marvel at the abandoned, ruined tenement that stands at Waliców 14. POLIN’s biggest success, however, lies in its refusal to allow its narrative to be dominated by the Holocaust. Choosing to instead reflect the richness of Poland’s 1,000-year Jewish history, you get an idea of how old the city’s Jewish traditions are when visiting the city’s principal Jewish cemetery, an ethereal, sprawling plot festooned with twisted, sunken tombs dating from the early 18th century. Into the present day, and the Nożyk Synagogue – the only synagogue to survive the Holocaust – again teems with life, and the same can be said of trendy Próżna nearby. Hailed as Warsaw’s most authentic pre-war street, what was formerly a crumbling relic has since been restored in a way that hints to its past as a busy center of Jewish trade.

POLIN

ul. Anielewicza 6, polin.pl It’s staggering architectural beauty aside, POLIN’s copious highlights include a beautiful replica of the ceiling of the Gwoździec synagogue, a giant scale model of ancient Kraków and a rebuild of a pre-war Warsaw street. Deservedly named the European Museum of the Year in 2016, the plaudits it’s received have been entirely deserving.

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THE LIVING MUSEUM

Stranger Things

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y amassing so many odds and ends the patchwork diversity of the Museum of Warsaw is almost mind blowing. A haven of the weird, it makes sense to stick to the surrounding Old Town and sift through its layers in all their unexpected glory. In this respect, the Rynek is a good place to start, namely the mermaid monument. Relocated numerous times (hence her nickname: ‘the moving statue’), the one you see is a 2008 replica – the 1858 original stands in the museum itself. Close by, follow in the footsteps of Napoleon by descending the Kamienna Schodki stairwell, before maybe emulating him by staring eastwards and contemplating future conquests.

After, make your way to Kanonia, a square whose features include one of the nation’s narrowest houses at No. 50-52 (a cunning 17th

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century ploy to avoid property tax), an overhead passage connecting the castle to the cathedral (built after a botched assassination attempt on the King), and the original bell from St. John’s Cathedral. Glued-up after crashing down during the war, it’s common practice to circle it three times before making a wish. On the topic of traditions, the original column on which King Zygmunt’s statue once perched – until felled by the Germans – can be found lying to the side of the Castle and is also considered lucky to touch.

But for our favorite Old Town story, check the stone pigeons above the entrance of Piwna 6 – they’re a tribute to Kazimiera Majchrzak, a kindhearted woman that continued to feed the birds during the occupation and long after the Old Town was ruined. Apparently, it’s said she recognized the souls of her lost sons – killed in the war – in two particular pigeons.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY KEVIN DEMARIA

Pay your own tribute to the Museum of Warsaw by discovering the odder side of Old Town…

Museum of Warsaw

The patchwork diversity of the Museum of Warsaw is mindblowing in its scope

Rynek Starego Miasta 28-42, muzeumwarszawy.pl 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 are worth the admission alone.

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THE LIVING MUSEUM

Explore Warsaw’s Rebel Art

Should the Zachęta be closed, and even if it isn’t, use May to get to grips with Warsaw’s maverick public art…

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PHOTOGRAPH OF ZACHĘTA COURTESY OF THE MUSEUM, ALL OTHER BY KEVIN DEMARIA

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ome of Warsaw’s biggest artistic statements are to be found decorating the city’s streets, squares, parks and gardens, and they don’t come any better than Bródno Sculpture Park; find it peppered with installations that include an upside down tea house, a bronze nude with jets of water shooting from her nipples and a pair of headless figures by Magdalena Abakanowicz. In a similar vein, Królikarnia serves up a medley of outdoor attractions found lurking in the palace’s scenic gardens: our faves include a zombie-eyed dog by Maria Papa Rostowska. In accordance with the park’s rules, be reassured that it’s fine to fly kites and hug the statues…

No rundown of Warsaw’s modern art can ignore its murals, and on this front find our all-time hero on Bliska 23. Painted by Chinese artist DALeast to encourage respect towards wildlife, the intense, intricate work depicts a cobra and a bird. Closer to the center, we love Eran Shakine’s You & Me. Standing by the Cosmopolitan Tower, the eight-meter-tall installation depicts a man and woman standing on opposite ends of a see-sawing beam. Weirder yet, feast your eyes on the colorful herd of 3.5-meter tall winged horses by Pl. Krasińskich – a tribute, say artists Beata and Paweł Konarski, to the mythology referenced in the poetry of Zbigniew Herbert. Onto Old Town, and Igor Mitoraj’s ‘Angel Doors’ on Świętojańska never cease to amaze, though for something less permanent, head thee to Pod Blachą Palace to see his 1996 work Ikaria. On display till June 20th, it’s one of his finest pieces and open to all kinds of exotic interpretations.

But when it comes to public art, the buck stops with Joanna Rajkowska’s artificial palm on Rondo De Gaulle’a. Debuting in 2002, it divided residents at the time yet has come to be seen as iconic of modern Warsaw. Should you be wondering, it’s a nod to Warsaw’s lost Jewish community.

Zachęta National Gallery of Art

Pl. Małachowskiego 3, zacheta.art.pl Consistently challenging our perception of “what art is”, the Zachęta’s reputation precedes itself: a bastion of contemporary art, its ever-changing lineup of exhibitions have presented a range of Polish and international artists. Often provocative and always on-edge, this is arguably the most famous gallery in the country.

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COVER STAR > DANIEL REMIAN

DREAM

WORLDS Capturing the essence of nocturnal Warsaw, we take a deeper look at photographer Daniel Remian’s Infinite Dreams project…

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COVER STAR > DANIEL REMIAN

WI: What do you love so much about photographing Warsaw at night?

DR: The city’s quieter but yet more alive; it’s a completely different vibe at night. I think, also, that once the sun sets the architecture feels less chaotic and the futuristic aspects of the city become much more apparent.

How would you describe the aesthetic and atmospheric style of Infinite Dreams?

I like think of it as neo-noir with a hint of nostalgia and escapism.

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From the perspective of a photographer, how does a city change at night?

To me, it becomes way more interesting and cinematic. The streets start to empty whilst the colors become more vibrant and diverse; you can see the buildings start to shine. It all gets much more moody and dark.

Moreover, it’s easier to shoot whatever you want, as there’s less people to bother you!

Your Infinite Dreams collection focuses mainly on the buildings and towers of

“I want people to feel detached from reality like we do in our dreams” - Daniel Remian

PHOTOGRAPHS BY DANIEL REMIAN

Warsaw. What draws you to them?

I live here so it’s easy for me to just go out and capture my surroundings. Warsaw is the fastest-changing city in Poland and that gives it many layers of contrast between the old and the new. I love visiting the numerous current construction sites and observing how the skyline is changing from within.

You were a food and drink photographer before covid struck – how’s the virus impacted your work?

That’s right, I used to get way more event and food-related assignments but the times have changed – I had to branch out. I now mainly do a mix of commercial, fashion and interior photography.

How do you want people to interpret your work.

I want my viewers to feel transported to a different time and place; to feel detached from reality like we do in our dreams.

I love telling stories through my photography, but ultimately it’s up to them to interpret my work

in whatever way they want. So long as my work evokes some kind of emotion then I’m happy.

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned as a photographer?

To be calm and patient, both when shooting and waiting for opportunities, and to appreciate when things are going well.

For more on Daniel’s work, see: danielremian.com

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PHOTOGRAPHS BY DANIEL REMIAN

COVER STAR > DANIEL REMIAN

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STILL OPEN! Visit us at Hala Gwardii for positive vibes and the best market food and international street tastes!

Open Friday through Sunday Plac Żelaznej Bramy halagwardii.pl

Eat!

First Bite

PHOTOGRAPH BY KEVIN DEMARIA

WORLD STAR! Celebrating its fifth birthday this May, a Pruszków-based gelateria raised eyebrows last month after it was ranked 42nd in the latest edition of the Gelato Festival World Rankings. Owned by Peter Bertoti, the parlor is no stranger to accolades, having previously scooped domestic awards for its plum and blueberry flavors. A bona fide legend, star picks at this otherwise anonymous looking

Quattro Si ul. Jasna 4B (Pruszków), lodyquattrosi.pl

gelateria include slushy granitas, homemade lemonade as well as gelatos based on secret milk-based recipes (e.g. peanut; marzipan; or oreo), fruit-based winners (e.g. raspberry with mint; sour cherry; pomegranate), alcoholic flavors (beer; whisky; Campari, and so forth) and sugar-free gelato. As startling as the queues may be, rest assured that the results are a reward that’s worth the wait.

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Mexican Wave!

As Cinco de Mayo approaches, we talk food with some of our favorite Mexican options in town…

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THIS PAGE SHUTTERSTOCK, OPPOSITE PAGE COURTESY OF DOS TACOS

Eat! Interview

Eat! Interview Mexcellent!

Fronting Dos Tacos since its inception, few chefs have done more to popularize Mexican cuisine than Isabel Balderas

WI: How has Poland’s Mexican scene changed in your thirteen years here?

IB: Ooh, a lot. Back then, people were rarely interested in authentic. In fact, they were rarely interested in Mexican food – they just assumed it was super hot so tended to avoid it. Things have really opened up though, and I think the internet and global travel have helped Poles appreciate the cuisine more. I think nowadays they prefer their food hotter than I do!

How hard is it to find authentic ingredients?

Each year you find more and more products.

When I arrived here, you couldn’t even find 100% corn tortillas.

Any dishes you simply can’t make due to missing ingredients?

Yeah – there’s some really exotic fruits we have back in Mexico that I doubt have ever even been seen in Poland: I’d love to use mamey for ice cream or the kind of capulin cherries that my parents have growing on their Hacienda tree. Then there’s tejocote – a type of hawthorn – that’s essential for Christmas ponche.

Dos Tacos

ul. Jasna 22, dostacos.pl The bright, bold tastes of Mexico manifest themselves best in the al pastor tacos of chef Isabel Balderas – they’re nothing less than perfect.

Insider Tip: reckless thrill seekers take

note – the salsa clandestinas will send volts of electricity coursing through your body.

You must have seen some nightmarish impersonations of Mexican food?

I remember seeing ‘Mexican pierogi’ once, not to mention Pozole soup without corn. For the last eight-years I’ve been involved in leading cookery workshops, and I’m really proud that I’ve helped share my knowledge and guide people towards more authentic flavors and cooking techniques.

What’s the secret to great Mexican food?

For centuries, it’s all been about the corn, beans and chili. Those are the foundations of an authentic meal – a simple bean taco with the right salsa is enough to live the Mexican experience.

What is the magic of Mexican food!

It’s all about the flavors and colors, but… to really feel the magic then you need to visit Mexico itself. Eating your favorite dish under a palm on a beach with the Caribbean in front – now that’s magic!

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Eat! Interview Taco Hero

Previously recognized as the creator of “London’s Best Taco”, we catch up with Brit chef Gareth Rowntree of Koko & Roy Deli…

WI: A Brit cooking Mexican in Poland – how do you begin to explain that?

GR: Previously I was the Head Chef and co-owner of Cartel, a taco and tequila bar in London. That’s when I met my Polish girlfriend. As time went on, she became pregnant so I suggested that we move to Warsaw to be closer to her family. We were only meant to be out here for a year, but that’s already become two.

Koko & Roy Deli

kokoandroydeli.com One of the good things to come from Covid? The creation of this online service. Find high-quality, elevated comfort food including ready prepared meals

by Gareth. It’s mostly stuff you’ll already know how to cook, the difference is that this reaches a level that’s of scintillating standard.

Insider Tip: there’s so much more than Mexican, but for a taco night to remember order G.’s signature tortillas and banging chicken tinga!

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What is the perfect taco…

For me, a great taco begins with the tortilla. A freshly prepared tortilla – when done properly – has the most beautiful flavor which can naturally make for the most amazing taco. Fresh and well-balanced ingredients top the whole thing off with vibrant colors and a touch of acidity.

Any favorites on the taco front?

I’m a huge fan of the baja taco because I love fish – the texture, colors and flavors are just incredible in this taco. Personally, I also make sure I’ve got plenty of freshly chopped coriander on hand, chipotle mayo and maybe a little salsa arbol for a bit of extra kick.

Any tips for us amateur chefs at home…

Get your tortillas from me! Aside from that, if you’re really keen, the best advice I can give to home chefs is to buy a tortilla press and start making your own – the difference is unbelievable and it’ll blow your friends away. Other than that, just cook with love and attention!

THIS PAGE NATALIA PONIATOWSKA / NPA PHOTOGRAPHY, OPPOSITE PAGE BY KEVIN DEMARIA

In 2017 you won the title of “London’s Best Taco”. How did you get it so right?

When we opened Cartel we wanted the kitchen to focus solely on tacos. There were already a couple of brilliant places in London, but none made those beautiful hand-pressed tortillas. I started reading about the various processes and putting them into practice. That was it! One night a Michelin-starred Mexican chef came in for dinner and told me the food was 95% perfect – that was when I knew I was doing something right!

Eat! Interview Si Señor!

From modest beginnings as an out-of-town food truck, Señor Lucas have got Warsaw buzzing with their magnificent take on street food staples…

WI: Why do you love Mexican food!

SL: The thing about Mexican is that it’s perfectly balanced: there’s something so special about the Mexican mix of flavors and textures – the sweetness and softness of the tortilla, the salty, juicy meat, the crunchy onion, the acidity of the lime and then that unique herbal tone from the cilantro. Add some spicy salsa and you have a real party in your mouth!

Your beef barabacoa is really quite something – is there a secret?

Certified meat! We searched high and low to find the right meat provider, and finally we’re really happy. Premium meat is essential!

You began as a food truck in the village of Zalesie Górne. That’s not really a Mexican hotbed, is it?

We’d worked the traveling food truck circuit for a year, and if I’m honest we didn’t really enjoy it. Then the pandemic happened and all events were cancelled.

We decided to just park up in a quiet area and see if people noticed us – they did.

Weekends, especially, proved overwhelming. We chose Zalesie Górne for no other reason than that is where we live. We’re currently working on a very cool garden which promises to be brilliant in the summer.

Señor Lucas

ul. Hoża 41 (enter from Poznańska 16), ul. Pionierów 11/13 (Zalesie Górne) Submerged down one of those cramped, little walk-down units on ul.

Poznańska, the tiny proportions of Senor Lucas (one table and a counter to lean on) and basic aesthetics (a blackboard and some crates) belie a standard that sits there with the best.

Insider Tip: the rolled beef barabacoa quesadilla is essential!

Back to food – your tortillas taste absolutely unique…

We make the wheat tortillas ourselves – it’s a hell of a hassle. We did consider just finding packaged ones, but we couldn’t disappoint people like that – so, they stayed! And look out: we’ve got corn tortillas on their way as well.

Do you have a hero ingredient?

Yes, the salsas. Most taco fillings in Mexico (with the exception of al pastor and some other regional meats) are plain, unseasoned meats, so they don’t really vary that much from stand-to-stand. What makes a taco stand great is their salsa. Your tacos are only as good as your salsa.

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Eat! listings Covid-19 Update

Be aware that these listings reference the good old days of gastronomy when we could actually sit down to eat. They do not take into account the restaurant shutdown that has been in operation; note, this has not stopped a growing number of restaurants either operating covertly or overtly. The majority of those not taking part in the rebellion are still offering pick-up and delivery services. As it stands, strong rumors at press time suggest that early May will see the easing of regulations to the point that outdoor dining could be permitted. For updates, check our website.

bakeries AROMAT

“Good bread needs good flour,” says Mathieu, one half of the mother / son duo that founded Aromat back in 2014.

Sourcing theirs from a small French mill, the attention to detail has not been lost even as Aromat have blossomed to cover numerous addresses around Warsaw. And aside from bread, also anticipate a choice of coffee and pastries – the lemon eclairs deserve their own fan club. Various locations

CAŁA W MĄCE

“My bread is a reflection of my experiences,” says Monika Walecka, “every loaf tells its own story and includes elements from others that have either inspired or taught me – each one is like having baby with your baker friends!”

Milling the flour herself then baking the bread with whole grain flour so that the most nutritious parts don’t get sifted, the results are white, fluffy breads as well as loaves that use ancient grains such as spelt, emmer or einkorn. ul.

Krasińskiego 18

POCHLEBNIE

Affirming Powiśle’s status as a baking powerhouse is Pochlebnie, a smallscale bakery that requires advance orders. The fuss is well warranted, especially when it comes to more non-standard offers such as sourdough

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croissants, rhubarb buns and various other bits and pieces that go beyond the ordinary in both name and taste. ul.

Solec 81B

RANO

Set on upcoming Stalowa street, the number of top restaurants that are using this place to source their bread is indicative of their unquestioned quality.

Looking – and smelling – exactly as you’d imagine an artisanal bakery to do so, find their offer given an extra boost by indulgences such as brioches and scones. ul. Stalowa 47

desserts FRANK WARSZAWA

Mixing, so they say, French philosophy with New York creativity and Polish heart, a visit to Frank is like happening upon a little, local secret. The pastries are a standout, but you know what, so too is the ice cream. Pastry or ice cream? Spoil yourself: have both. ul.

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KUKUŁKA

Best of Warsaw 2020 “Hot List” Recruiting the acclaimed Beza Projekt studio to handle the design, the result is a funky space with monochrome floors, spirally stairs and little blasts of color set against the stark, minimalistic concrete finishes. But what really gets you are desserts that lift this piece of

Warsaw in the direction of heaven – the cream puffs are something else. ul. Mokotowska 52

MISS MELLOW

Mixing sophisticated desserts with those that fall more on the filthy food porn side of thigs, Miss Mellow have hit the bull’s eye by offering something for everyone that enjoys the sweeter things in life. Lauded even by Vogue, find a wicked rundown of toasts, brioches, financiers, brownies, cookies and cakes. Eschewing chemical nasties, it’s a place in which the owners’ commitment towards quality resonates throughout. ul. Wilcza 62

MOD DONUTS

Best of Warsaw 2020 “Hot List” Shoebox in its size, it’s here you’ll find a steady queue lining up for their award-winning NYC-style donuts – featuring toppings like hibiscus; mango; salted caramel; matcha; and lemon and poppy, they’re a fab deviation from the standard Polish pączek. ul.

Paryska 27

SŁODKI BEZ

Cake: good. Sugar: bad. We all know that. But what you might not know of is the existence of Słodki Bez, a small little store specializing in sugar-free desserts. And it’s not just sugar they’ve dispensed of altogether, but also white flour, gluten, lactose and all the other synthetic nasties that we’re meant to dislike.

Eat! listings Using natural substitutes, find a rich array of cakes and sweets such as vegan banoffee pie, chocolate nut cake, chickpea brownies, macarons, tarts and pralines. ul. Hoża 54, slodkibez.pl

food halls ELEKTROWNIA POWIŚLE

Best of Warsaw 2020 “Hot List” Flashing with neon amid the industrial ephemera, the food hall is a multi-ethnic extravaganza and complimented by the presence of more bona fide sit-down restaurants such as Niewinni Czarodzieje 2.0 (the creation of Poland’s biggest media celebrity, Kuba Wojewódzki). Though hamstrung by Covid, the summer did much to show the eventual potential of this game-changing social hub – already excellent, expect it to get even better once life becomes more… normal. ul. Dobra 42

HALA GWARDII

Set within a charmingly distressed piece of Tsarist-era brickwork, it’s not just the depth of the food offer that has kept crowd figures high, but the quality as well – of course, the fact that they’ve continued to serve booze during the lockdown has also helped matters. Pl. Mirowska 2

burritos, Greek kebabs and so much more. ul. Koszykowa 63

indian BOLLYWOOD LOUNGE

Known for their raucous dusk-till-dawn parties, there is another less hedonistic roll filled by Bollywood: that of a restaurant. The menu is an uncomplicated, classic affair that’s an ideal primer for the party ahead. ul. Nowy Świat 58

pizza

interiors, strings of garlic), Ciao a Tutti eschew aesthetic niceties to simply produce glorious pizzas that have you reminiscing about your weekend in Naples. Al. Niepodległości 217

DZIURKA OD KLUCZA

Upping sticks from their spiritual home in Powiśle, the DoK team have magically teleported themselves to Fort 8 where they’ve carried on much as before: knocking out beautiful homemade pasta and other Italian staples that go far beyond mere good.

You won’t get to see their spectacular interior during the lockdown, but you can still at least enjoy knock-out pizza delivered to your door. Fort Służew 1B

AVE PIZZA

FOCACCIA

CIAO A TUTTI

LEONARDO VERDE

Arguments about Warsaw’s best pizza aren’t complete without someone suggesting Ave. Using a 72-hour process to make their dough, the authenticity of this Neopolitan-inspired pizzeria isn’t to be questioned. ul. Topiel 12

Looking like an old school pizzeria should (gingham tablecloths, tiled

Such is the quality of Focaccia that most express their surprise at the lack of Italian roaming the kitchen.

Sophisticated mains are available, but the pizzas are well worth a look as well. ul. Senatorska 13/15

Geometric patterns, plant arrangements and the large format illustrative

HALA KOSZYKI

Nirvana for the aspirational classes, careful surgery has preserved the heritage of this early 20th century marketplace and juxtaposed it against the urban tapestry of modern Warsaw.

Appealing to everyone from foodies and families to Instagram scenesters, its success has sparked a nationwide wave of doubles and duplicates. But despite their best efforts, none come close to feeling quite so global. Walking around Koszyki, find all from Korean noodles, Spanish tapas, Mexican

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Eat! listings artwork of Dominique A. Faryno decorate Leonardo Verde, an upmarket – but inexpensive – Italian joint whose key selling point is an entirely vegan menu. Pizza is the forte, and you’ll see why after ordering the ‘hot romantic’. ul.

Poznańska 13

MĄKA I WODA

Purists applaud an approach that uses a custom-made oven from Naples and imported ingredients such as 00 Caputo flour and DOP certified San Marzano tomatoes. Scrupulously authentic, for many this is the best pizza in Poland, no questions asked.

DIY pasta also available. ul. Chmielna 13A

NONNA PIZZERIA

Best of Warsaw 2020 “Hot List” Even before we switched en-masse to home-delivered, box-friendly foods, 2020 was shaping up to be the Year of the Pizza. And you saw just why with the entry of places like Nonna to the market. Raising the bar in an already competitive field, their wood-fired, Neapolitan pizzas captivated the public way before we locked ourselves down, and have continued to make waves for their simply stunning authenticity. ul.

Oboźna 11

OTTO POMPIERI

If you judge pizzerias on choice then Otto Pompieri’s modest count of eleven pizzas doesn’t promise much – but then it arrives. At zł. 24 for 42 centimeters, the margherita offers the best value per sq/cm than anything else out here, while the artichoke pizza reveals itself in an orgy of melty virtue.

Pl. Bankowy 1

PRZYJEMNOŚĆ WEGE

Present on Uber Eats and Wolt, Przyjemność break all conventions to bring you wacky ‘Californian’ pizzas with names like Ninja Turtle and Gringo Chicken. Despite the millennial

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commitment to breaking form and tradition, it’s by far our fave pizza of 2020! ul. Marszałkowska 68/70

REGINA BAR

Taking their inspiration from New York’s Little Italy and Chinatown, on the Italian front, leopard-spotted pizzas are the order of the day – compliment them by ordering up some of their pre-mixed cocktails. ul. Koszykowa 1

TRATTORIA RUCOLA

It might be a chain, but that point is easy to forget once the pizza arrives.

Offering a vast selection, the standards rarely drop below top notch. Various locations

TUTTI SANTI

With a kitchen team trained by champion pizzaiola Valerio Valle you’d be right to expect something a few steps beyond your standard high street pizza. Cooked in a woodfired Valoriani oven, the attention to detail is something else: sauce from Pelati tomatoes, Milano salami and Farina Le 5 Stagioni flour. ul. Królewska 18

VA BENE

Founded by Ula and Emanuele, this snug corner eatery has shot up Warsaw’s pizza rankings since opening last year. The informal, neighborly atmosphere is bettered only by the generous slices of pizza served from behind the counter. ul. Tamka 9

stores & markets BARON THE FAMILY

Long-term readers will be accustomed to seeing us utilize these pages to extol the greatness of chef Aleksander Baron. Well, he’s only done it again.

Click to this maverick chef’s online

store for a comprehensive range of top notch produce ranging from his creative kimchis, meats (recommended: gingerbread sausage), Polish-bred caviars, regional ciders and assorted jarred goodies and pickled bits and pieces. baronthefamily.pl

BIOBAZAR

First founded in 2010, BioBazar pre-dated Warsaw’s love of food-fromthe-source and triggered a city-wide trend that’s shown no sign of slowing.

Though imitations have come thick and fast, none have matched this original in either size or scope: fresh fish, cheese, eggs, bread, cured sausages, honey... you name it, they’ve got it. ul. Wołoska 3

DOBRE Z LASU

Seeking to promote organic, natural and healthy foods sourced from the forests of Poland, Dobre Z Lasu’s extensive offer covers eccentric syrups, dried and marinated mushrooms, juices made from such ingredients as wild garlic, quince or rosehip, acorn cookies and hardto-find herbs. Above all, come for game: for example, wild boar burgers, haunches of deer and venison stews.

It’s ideal for winter. ul. Grójecka 127

FORTECA KREGLICCY

Spot the stars of Warsaw’s restaurant and blogging scene perusing the stalls at this weekly farmers’ market.

Held each Wednesday, look for Pan Ziółko, Poland’s first celebrity farmer (!), Portobellos from the country’s only organic mushroom farm and the magical yogurts from Mleczna Droga Manufaktura Serów. Even the bottom-feeding carp here tastes bang on. ul. Zakroczymska 12

HALA MIROWSKA

As popular with undercover chefs as it is with queue-jumping pensioners wielding walking sticks like sabers, the

Eat! listings accessibility of its price tags is bettered only by the rich bounty of produce that awaits. In the post-war units attached to the core building, Darek at No. 17 has amassed a legendary reputation for his edible flowers; at 115, cheeses and handmade sausages are the order of the day; whilst Pani Anna at 114 has been called the Queen of Mirowska for her peerless skills handling a butcher’s cleaver. Your best bet is to pencil in a full afternoon here. Pl. Mirowski 1

delicatessen (though still keeping their bistro / takeaway service alive), head here to fill your basket with carefully sourced ingredients that each have a back story: Ubriaco cheese bathed in Prosecco; salami from Milan and Naples; five-year-old Veneto cheese washed in beer; Sicilian tomatoes that exude sunny climes; or fruity mustards and pickled veg. ul. Solec 85, fb.com/

ProsciutteriaPowisle

RUMUŃSKIE SMAK

Specializing in Romanian products, this delicatessen come with a choice of over 600 items. Among these find jams, preserves, cheese, cured meats, confectionary and alcohol – artisan cider included! Bestsellers include spicy Mici sausages. ul. Puławska 98

INDIAN HOUSE CENTRUM

Think you can do better than Warsaw’s curry houses? Stacked to bursting with vegetables, herbs and spices, this is where to stock up on everything from fresh green chilies to banana leaves, pickles, chutneys, lentils, beans, ghee and oils. ul. Ogrodowa 1A

KOKO & ROY DELI

High quality, elevated comfort food including ready prepared meals

by British chef Gareth Rowntree: best-sellers include oven bakes such as lasagna and English-style cottage pie; handmade corn tortillas; meatballs in marinara; and a whole heap of condiments such as their legendary bacon bourbon jam. kokoandroydeli.com

MIĘSNY

Best of Warsaw 2020 “Hot List” Mięsny’s dual role as a butcher-deli has made them an invaluable stop for those that demand nothing but the best. Beyond a spectacular choice of Polish-raised meats, look out also for pantry must-haves such as Kashubian butter, Baltic herring, homemade ketchup and traditional mountain sheep cheese. Oh, and you might want to know that the pastrami is out of this world. ul. Walecznych 64

PROSCIUTTERIA

Reinventing themselves as a

Miodowa 1, tel.888 575 457 | Hours: Wed-Sun: 12:00-21:00 fb.com/TrattoriaRucola | Insta.com/TrattoriaRucolaWarszawa www.trattoriarucola.pl

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Drink!

First Sip

Rausz na Wilczej ul. Wilcza 27, fb.com/rausz.me

PHOTOGRAPH BY KEVIN DEMARIA

WINE OF THE TIMES This time last month, you’d have found this venue operating under the title of Raut.

One of the Insider’s favorite little secrets, their modernized spin on pre-war cuisine was a beautiful tribute to Warsaw’s former glories – but with covid, it was never going to last. Pivoting their business for the times, they’ve repositioned themselves as a wine store, building on their previous reputation for sourcing quirky labels you wouldn’t have necessarily heard of before. Expanding this range yet further, discover small batch wines

as well as Old World classics. “In general,” says co-owner Izabela, “we want to present wines we drink ourselves from regions that are interesting and well worth knowing.” In addition to their Spanish, Italian and French collections, find excellent wines from less familiar destinations: Slovenia, Czech, Austria and Georgia. “The dry Tokaj,” promises Izabela, “is excellent.” Set to also operate as a wine bar once restrictions are eased, you head here to broaden your horizons and learn something new.

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Happenings

Coming Up

has become a beacon of light during pandemic times…

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o other food & beverage point on Warsaw’s map has adapted so well to the ongoing pandemic as Hala Gwardii. Seen from the outside as a weathered chunk of Tsarist era brickwork, this historic marketplace has continued to operate within established guidelines and protocols to offer hygienic and socially distanced options that run from its farmers’ market and street food vendors to take-away drink points. With regards to the latter, arrive to scope out fresh-from-the-brewery craft beers sold in plastic growlers at Piwna Gwardia, as well as trending wines from niche vineyards at Niewinność, Portuguese tipples from Portugalia Gourmet and the big hitters of the wine world from Wine Corner. Reminding you how life once was, whilst simultaneously sticking to established health procedures, a trip to this weekend-only stalwart has become a Covid era staple among generations of Varsovians.

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May 21

Zero Waste

Lectures, workshops and discussions will supplement a range of stalls dealing in everything you need to pursue a zero waste lifestyle!

May 28-30

Chocolate & Ice Cream Fair

No further details at press time, though it’s safe to assume you’ll find an onus on artisanal producers specializing in the tastier things in life!

Hala Gwardii Pl. Żelaznej Bramy 1, halagwardii.pl

PHOTOGRAPH BY KEVIN DEMARIA

WEEKEND WARRIOR Continuing to operate at the weekends, Hala Gwardii

Before the pandemic struck Hala Gwardii was known for the sheer breadth of its events. On that front, two are lined up for May should restrictions allow.

Drink! listings Covid-19 Update

These listings do not take into account the seismic changes currently affecting the drinks sector.

Instead, we’ve taken an optimistic (ha!) longer-term view in the hope that those we feature will survive the challenges of the present. Do note that several bars have chosen to flout restrictions to operate either openly or in secret. As things stand, the government has hinted that the sector will reopen in some capacity in May.

cocktails AURA

Best of Warsaw 2020 “Hot List” Nestled inside a small nook on Hoża, the mousehole dimensions of Aura are tempered by the tall ceilings and Moroccan-style design that’s so cool it found itself featured in Dezeen magazine. Promoting the heavy use of swivelly chrome stools and Persian rugs, the heavy hint of retro glam is balanced out by a crowd that, at times, strays into the head turning category.

Find them lapping up a cocktail list firmly zoned around Aura’s collection of bourbons. ul. Hoża 27

CUBA LIBRE RUM & CIGAR HOUSE

Envelope yourself in luxury at Cuba Libre, a no expense spared venture aimed at those who deal with nothing but the best. Gathering the bright and the beautiful inside sophisticated tobacco-colored interiors, the warming ambiance is primed for an evening of cigars and conversation over pedigree-style cocktails and limited edition rums. ul. Poznańska 37

EL KOKTEL

The pert and pretty are here, so too the well-groomed modern man, but there’s a balance to the crowd that prevents

any whiff of snob. As a bar it feels open-minded, engaging and intelligent, and those are traits that rub off on those present. Drinks – such as the smoking Out Of The Box – are insanely good, and served in a small, high-ceilinged interior busy with framed vintage posters, cyan-colored wallpaper, baffling photos of Lynch-esque scenes and gleaming strainers and shakers. ul.

Wojciecha Górskiego 9l

KONESER BAR 3/4

Perched on the top of the Polish Vodka Museum this bar offers more than just stonking views of the Praga district from their sunny terrace: of note are beautiful vodka-based cocktails prepared in an atmospheric interior molded from carefully restored raw materials. Pl. Konesera 1

LA SIRENA

Though primarily known as the best Mexican restaurant in the country, the cocktails are of such a standard that it’s become impossible to ignore La Sirena’s credentials as an exceptional bar as well. Fixed using a range of premium tequilas, the innovative tastes feel all the better for the intriguing surrounds: walls of corrugated iron and peeling plaster are coordinated with crossed machetes, shrill neon and decorative tiles. The final effect brings to mind a deadly cool recreation of a drug baron’s jailhouse cell. ul. Piękna 54

LONG BAR

Posh doesn’t begin to cover it. Clad in smooth marble, natural oak, eye-catching art and soft tan leather, Long Bar imparts a sense of luxury that feels elegantly timeless yet never excessive nor ostentatious. This being part of the venerable Raffles chain, you’d be missing the mark if you ordered anything but their signature Slings – make a night of it by roaring through their ten different versions of this trademark drink. ul. Krakowskie Przedmieście 13 (Raffles Europejski Hotel)

LORETA

Best of Warsaw 2020 “Hot List” Well who doesn’t love a rooftop bar?

That’s the setting of Loreta, a bar that channels the spirit of this design-led hotel brand through its funky décor and eclectic art. The terrace, though, is the clincher. As night falls, retreat to a deck signposted by a neon the color of bubblegum pink; here, amid bristling greenery and low-slung seating, join other cocktail hounds enjoying house sips such as the Loreta Cup. ul. Widok 9 (Puro Hotel)

MR. OH

A semi-secret world for those In The Know, find Mr. Oh in one of the Harry Potter towers that prop up Poniatowski Bridge. Dark, decadent and redolent of an after-hours members club, this

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Drink! listings latest concept from Enio Chłapowski-Myjak (formerly of 6 Cocktails) is firmly on its way to becoming the coolest address in town. Late nights, Asian-themed cocktails and an A-list crowd await. Al. 3 Maja / ul.

Kruczkowskiego

PODWALE BAR & BOOKS

Occupying the kind T ofR charismatic gatehouse you’d read C P T M about in Dickens, position yourself C W in front ≈of the upstairs fireplace for a W C ≈ celebratory cigar and a glass of someC C ≈ and lovely: the cocktails are thing Ttall ≈ in aPclass E of their own and specifically ≈ customized for the season. Spooling, L S silent Bond P B Bfilms, regular burlesque shows and random decorative monkey figures add an unexpected ‘element of weird’. ul. Wąski Dunaj 20 HE MOST

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Wąski Dunaj 20, 00-256 Warsaw Tel.: +48 225.599.199

WARSZAWA POWIŚLE

Best of Warsaw 2020 “Hot List” Found in a saucer-shaped building that began life in the 60s as a ticket booth, the retro-inspired Warszawa V O L a P i n Y Powiśle is even better than the cult www.barandbooks.pl bar once found here. Polished up, and still touting original features such as power boxes and concrete floors, giant windows and a PRL era neon perched atop of the building, the scene is set for classic cocktails imbibed and enjoyed in a rotunda decorated with vintage tables, velvety poufs, leafy plants and an underlit, marble-topped bar. It’s nothing less than super cool. ul.

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craft beer CRAFT BEER MURANÓW

Humble and unpretentious, CBM’s rising stock has been reflected by their growing reputation as one of

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the finest tap bars with a suburban postcode. Split over two levels, as basic as the aesthetic is (screechy chairs and some murals that reference the brewing process), it’s an atmosphere that feels warm and clattery and like a local pub should. Deserving credit for their consistency (a dodgy pint is totally unheard of), look to CBM’s sixteen taps for renegade beers that push frontiers. ul. Andersa 23

CUDA NA KIJU

Set in the former Communist Party HQ, find Warsaw’s first legitimate multitap bar slotted inside a glass prism hidden amid the solid, socialist era arcades. Drenched in sunlight that comes slanting through the glass walls, queue inside to order from the 15 taps firing out beers from various European craft breweries, before heading out to enjoy a humungous terrace dotted with deckchairs and tables. Watching the sunset while looking out towards the city’s iconic palm tree installations is a pure Warsaw moment. For those averse to the sun, find outdoor seating extending well beyond and into the echoing, shaded courtyard of this immense, impressive building. ul.

Nowy Świat 6/12

CZEŚĆ

It started as a café, but now Cześć is better known as being at the forefront of the new generation of ‘quali-tap’ bars – small little places with six or so beers on the go. The two owners, Piotrek and Kuba, take their beer seriously, so do expect plenty of new finds as well as traditional favorites from stalwarts like Artezan and Pinta. ul. Grzybowska 2 (through the side passage

JABEERWOCKY

Drowned in boisterous babble and general pub racket, the affable Jabbers is home to what most rate as the most adventurous choice of craft beer in the city: pioneering international

breweries are well represented, but don’t overlook the sensational drinks produced by Jabeerwocky’s very own master brewer. ul. Nowogrodzka 12

KUFLE I KAPSLE

Found somewhere round the top of Warsaw’s hierarchy of craft beer bars, Kufle welcomes all, from entry level novices taking their first steps in the beery world to note-taking nerds conducting research for their blogs. Interiors are respectful of the building’s pre-war heritage and are thick with noise, clamor and the reassuring smell of spillage. The edgy beer selection becomes is even more radical when you look down in the fridge. ul. Nowogrodzka 25

SAME KRAFTY

Squashed into two narrow, rugged rooms decorated with benches and rough plaster walls, Same Krafty have rescued Old Town from big beer brands peddling piss. Offering artisan alternatives, this intimate bar lures daring tourists looking to explore the more subversive side of Polish brewing. Too busy? Head five meters opposite to Same Krafty Vis-à-vis. You will find tourists, but locals are often the majority, a telling indicator that says much for their approval rating. ul.

Nowomiejska 10

dive bars 2KOŁA

Sat in the abandoned backspaces and brickyards behind Zachodnia station, 2Koła feels like Warsaw’s dirtiest little secret. Still stained and smelling of grease and oil, this former garage is piled high with dented sofas, warehouse palettes and motorcycling detritus. Yet the supremely friendly owners have turned this shadowy lair into a cult bar that’s specifically

Drink! listings celebrated for rowdy jam sessions that cover everything from ragtime to rockabilly. ul. Tunelowa 2B

PRASKA

For Praga at its craziest and most creative, Praska doesn’t disappoint.

Beers from Brooklyn Brewery keep the open-minded crowd lubricated with other amusements arriving in the form of regular DJs and a quite extraordinary interior: Christmas lights, giant, toy tigers, heaps of plants and other scrapyard finds dominate what rates as our weirdest discovery of 2019. ul. Brzeska 23

ŚWIETLICA

Long and narrow, dark and murky, it’s as raw as they come: toilets of

grubby menace, a smoking room clad in spray can art, broken fittings and general gloom. Basically, it’s everything you demand from the last bar of the night – a place where you can slide into the shadows and watch the world spin around. ul. Marszałkowska 17

late night legends BAR PACYFIK

Seemingly based upon the kind of Tijuana dive bar you’d have happened upon during the Miami Vice era, Pacyfik is all candy floss pink and shades of teal: a raw-looking den that looks

purposefully imperfect. Keeping the hip international crowd on the wrong side of drunk are kick-ass drinks such as their Clamado Michelada or Kimchi Bloody Mary – three sips and you think you’re Superman. ul. Hoża 61

BAR STUDIO

The dehumanizing scale of the Palace of Culture is diluted in warmer weather when Pl. Defilad turns into something of an outdoor party thanks to Bar Studio’s presence – and no worries if it rains, the epic colonnades were built as if to provide shelter from the storm.

And with no nearby neighbors to ruin the party, it’s just about one of the only places in Warsaw where noise is never an issue – scream and no-one cares. Pl. Defilad 1

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Drink! listings BEIRUT & KRAKEN

Somewhere, amid all the junk relating to the Lebanese conflict (grenades, sandbags, ammo boxes, a rocket…), you’ll find the spirit of Poznańska contained within this long, skinny bar.

As fashionable now as it was when it opened, forget not to finish the evening in their connecting venture, the Pirates of the Caribbean-style Kraken Rum Bar. Everybody else does at some stage or other, with evenings often dissolving into a wild, happy whirl of international voices. ul. Poznańska 12

FOTON

Best of Warsaw 2020 “Hot List” Before Covid strong-armed itself into our lives you’d have found Foton firmly implanted as one of our favorite late nights. Looking good with a design that’s startlingly simple yet beautifully composed, think raw materials, steel frames and a vast, green fleet of tumbling plants. The F&B ain’t bad either with Latin American street bites and a dynamic cocktail list involving exotica such as chili mango margaritas.

Most of all though, it’s the atmosphere you return for. ul. Wilcza 9A

specialty coffee ASFALT

The combination of vinyl and coffee ain’t nothing new, but at Asfalt you feel that the very heart of the concept has been completely remastered.

Take stock of your purchases over alt. coffees served inside mugs crafted by the nearby Fenek ceramic studio. ul.

Tamka 37

COFFEEDESK

Looking flawless in her pearl white colors, Coffeedesk is a place that does it right. Brewed by expert coffeeolo-

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gists, the humble cup of Joe becomes an object of adoration. Populated round-the-clock by head-phoned freelancers and digital nomads tapping into their Macs, it’s a light, bright spot with a dynamic style and a keen sense of sexy. ul. Próźna 7

COPHI

The phrase three’s a crowd could have been coined with Cophi in mind. Its super-snug dimensions are ideal for an afternoon spent curled up on an armchair watching the leaves tumble down on Hoża outside. A passion project whose small footprint is counterbalanced by the depth of its offer, the living room vibe mounts when the temperatures start dropping and the interiors act as a beacon to the public.

Note: currently open for window-side take-outs only. ul. Hoża 58/60

FAT WHITE

Attached to one of the hippest, most Instagram-able barber shops in town, highlights of this adjoining cafe include a rocking cold brew, wickedly friendly staff and a half-mad collection of toy action figures (from Simpson models to a bad ass Al Pacino in full Scarface mode!). Tiny in its footprint, what it lacks in size it makes up for in heart: find a beauty of an interior that’s all swan white colors with walls graced by bookshelves and contemporary art that references Muranów’s past. ul.

Andersa 6

FORUM

Born with Instagram in mind, Forum has it all: super cool Afro-haired staff, a fashionably frayed interior, and a devoted client base that’s all about out-sized headphones and razor-thin laptops.

Changing weekly, the big pull is a menu of specialty coffees from acclaimed roasters such as Five Elephant and The Coffee Collective fixed up by Poland’s AeroPress and Brewers Cup champion. ul. Elektoralna 11

HAŁAS VINYL + COFFEE

Hałas is that brilliant little secret that every neighborhood deserves: a cool little café snuck down a leafy residential street – amid the vinyl albums for sale, find a crew of staunch regulars arriving for weird non-alc. beers and specialty coffee brewed by a super friendly team inside an attractive basement comprised of crisp white walls and retro fittings. ul. Jagiellońska 30 & Elsterska 10

STOR

Heaven for freelancers and people watchers, visitors bask in natural light amid outbreaks of greenery and quirky design touches: over some of the best specialty coffee in the city, time runs away here and before you know it hours have passed. ul. Tamka 33

wine bars CZARNE CZERWONE ZŁOTE

For those wineing out, Czarne Czerwone Złote features over 80 Deutsche weines from 13 producers – carefully selected after the owners’ travels through Germany, the carefully curated choice has been matched to a cool, modern design and a menu offering cheeseboards, olives and an extraordinary tarte flambee. ul.

Koszykowa 49A

NOWINA

The striking interior that catches the eye from across the street – restored pre-war tiling, glinting surfaces, a world map rendered from corks and an engaging reddish glow all do their bit to lend Nowina the kind of atmosphere that’s missing in most local wine bars. Add to that an exciting international menu and a selection of over 400 wines and you have an absolute winner. ul. Nowogrodzka 4

PHOTOGRAPH COURTEST OF AGA PRUS

MASTERS CLASS Open by appointment only, you visit the Aga Prus workshop for handmade bespoke shoes that merge traditional craftsmanship with modern design. The former is a point on which to dwell. Harnessing the talents of Aga’s father, Janusz Prus learned his skills under the tutelage of his father-in-law, Brunon, one of post-war Warsaw’s most renowned shoemakers – more than just a hollow platitude, his clients numbered a slew of celebrities of the era and, even, Pope John Paul II. Made from scratch, meet the team to pick an individual, customized design featuring the colors, leather and finishing of your choosing. Striking in their sense of timeless elegance, find the male and female models additionally complimented by a line of upmarket leather accessories: handbags, wallets, belts and more.

Aga Prus Warsaw Shoemakers ul. Glogera 3/24, agaprusmen.pl

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Working in wind, rain, snow and sun to locate those that have gone AWOL, we meet the fourlegged (and two-legged) heroes of CGP Tropiciele, one of Warsaw’s active Search & Rescue units

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WI: What makes dogs perfect for Search & Rescue?

CGPT: They have 300 million olfactory receptors in their noses compared to the six million that humans have.

The part of their brains that analyzes smell is vastly greater than ours in proportion to their brains, so essentially they ‘see’ with their noses. Moreover, they love using this skill as it’s one of their core instincts. Most dogs also enjoy playing, interacting with humans and being rewarded which makes training very enjoyable for them. In a nutshell, that makes them perfect for SAR tasks as it’s not just something they’re exceptionally good at, but also something they genuinely love doing.

So dogs are better than humans, right?

One dog has the potential to be more effective than 20 people in an area search. A well-trained dog will take around 15-minutes to cover a space that would take 2-hours for people to to search – and that’s just one dog. When you’re talking about a group of dogs, you can get an idea of the amount of time that can be saved. This is crucial, as when someone goes missing every minute counts.

How did the CGP Tropiciele group come about?

Our founding members met by chance in 2015 at an amateur tracking class – some were there because they had hyperactivity issues with their

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF CGP TROPICIELE

LOST & FOUND

dogs and were looking for way to keep them ‘busy’, others because they were simply looking for new and exciting things to do with their dogs. We found ourselves hooked and things snowballed from there – working under the guidance of highly-respected trainers, we created our own group. In 2017, our organization was registered as an NGO.

constantly training. It’s not just the dogs that need to keep their skills up-to-date, either. As handlers, we constantly work on improving our navigation, medical knowledge, planning and tactical skills. Success depends as much on a handler as it does a dog, so the seamless cooperation of the entire group is essential – teamwork is everything.

How are dogs trained?

At first it doesn’t involve much more than playing. The aim is to introduce the dog to as many people and new situations as possible whilst making the experience as fun for the fourlegged recruit as possible – one of the key requirements is for the dogs to enjoy company and to feel comfortable in different surroundings.

Does my dog have what it takes?

It depends – your dog needs to be on board with the idea.

Ideally, it’ll be healthy, playful quite young and enjoy contact with strangers. A good SAR dog will be comfortable in new situations and be incredibly motivated by food and toys – training is reward-based, so it helps if the

Sounds easy!

It gets harder at the second stage, that’s when dogs are trained to specialize in the discipline that best suits them: whether it be wilderness searches, rubble, or tracking. We’re simplifying, but in essence this is done via field exercises that involve the dog seeking out hidden people and then being rewarded once they’ve done so. The exercises become more complex with time. Finally, they’re trained to issue a signal (usually a series of barks) to alert their handler once a person is found. Only once these steps are mastered will a dog be ready to take state certification exams.

dog is greedy! Of course, any sign of aggression and your dog is out.

How do I join a SAR group?

Fish around online to find a group that’s recruiting. But before you do so, ask yourself if you really want this. Expect to be training at all times and in all kinds of weather conditions.

In real life, call-outs for missing people quite often happen late in the evening as that’s when people tend to realize that a loved one is missing.

What qualities do I need to be a good handler?

Patience, diligence and perseverance. Further, you need to be driven and ambitious enough to stick it out. Humility is vital: ultimately, you’re working in a team

One dog has the potential to be more effective than 20 people in an area search

And that’s that?

Certification needs to be renewed every year so we’re warsawinsider.pl

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to save lives. This is not about your own personal glory.

gency services such as the fire brigade or police force.

In general, who are you searching for?

Most of our dogs are trained in ‘area search’, which means they’re looking for people that have gone missing outside of urban areas (e.g., in fields, forests, etc.). Often, these are the elderly, children or people with various mental disorders or suicidal thoughts. You’d be amazed, also, how many people go missing while out picking mushrooms! Some of our dogs are also training to search rubble, which means they will look for people in collapsed buildings. When a callout sounds, we’ll drop everything to attend it, no matter what the time is, or where the emergency is. Often, we’ll be working alongside or under the direction of emer-

Hang on! To be clear, your dogs are released to roam freely while searching?

They’re not walking on a leash?

That’s definitely a common misconception. Tracking dogs search for people on a leash based on a scent sample, but whilst such dogs can be very useful on SAR missions only police dogs qualify for such certification. As such, the majority of Polish SAR dogs rely on ‘air scents’ rather than tracks, which means they search for people without a lead. This is why it’s so vital that they know how to alert their handlers.

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What kind of people and dogs are in the group?

Both come in all shapes and

sizes! Our four-legged members include border collies, German and Australian shepherds, schnauzers, cairn terriers and various mixed breeds – some, even, were adopted from shelters. They work differently but all are equally enthusiastic – to them, work is the ultimate play time. As for the people, we’re all unpaid volunteers.

In our day-to-day lives we’re accountants, scientists, translators, graphic designers, corporate droids and several other things besides. What unites us is our passion for working with dogs and saving lives.

For more on CGP Tropiciele, see: CGPtropiciele.com

Żerań Channel

SHUTTERTOCK

BIKE TOUR: JABŁONNA

BY MICHAŁ PAKULNIEWICZ

Michał Pakulniewicz is an analyst/researcher by profession, but a tour guide at heart. A fan of Warsaw’s interwar modernist architecture, and proud of the city’s World War II history, he enjoys long walks across the city in search of its glories and novelties. An ardent cyclist, join him to get the best out of Warsaw.

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Jabłonna Palace

św. Jakuba

In the first of a new series, join our cycling enthusiast on a journey to Jabłonna Park & Palace…

O

u r bikes have mostly likely only recently been removed from storage, and if they’re not rusty it’s highly likely that their owners are. For this reason, I’ll keep this opening two-wheel adventure straight and simple: a clean 30-35 km roundtrip going north and back. Chance of getting lost? None.

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On Your Marks

Let our trip commence on the right side of the river, namely on the bike trail under the Grota-Roweckiego Bridge. From here to our target – the northern suburb of Jabłonna – you’ll cover around 12.5 kilometers, which shouldn’t take any more than 35 mins to an hour. Reaching the muster point is also uncomplicated, though if you don’t fancy following the bike trails that lead here, then consider jumping onto the M1 metro line before getting out at Młociny; from there, head east towards the Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej Bridge to join us a little north of the starting point.

PHOTOGRAPH ON LEFT SHUTTERSTOCK, RIGHT WIKICOMMONS

WARSAW ON WHEELS

Final Destination

Jabłonna Palace

św. Jakuba

12.5

kilometers

Żerań Channel

(total distance one way)

And Go!

Though the starting point next to the power plant might not be the most scenic the trail running alongside the complex’s fence is as close as one gets to heavy industry. And those chimneys are indeed pretty high from close: high enough for some kids to find fascinating. Grown-up kids too. Just after, find another industrial landmark, the Żerań Channel, which we’ll cross using the pedestrian / bike bridge. Worth a pause in itself, the bridge has platforms at each end from which one can observe the downtown skyline.

A few hundred meters after the Channel we reach the only notable turn on our itinerary as we turn left onto an asphalt-paved bike trail leading towards the river. From there continue as straight as the trail leads us. For history and architecture buffs, I’d recommend a stop at the Higher Theological Seminary of the Praga Diocese (ul. Mehoffera), which borders our trail. Right behind the seminary campus lies the oldest preserved gothic church in Warsaw (św. Jakuba), which only survived WWII because the district fell outside the city limits.

Further on with each kilometer the estates on our right become less dense and increasingly suburban. The quality of the trail changes likewise from asphalt to cobblestones to dirt trail; even so, it remains fairly even and smooth. Warning: the last two kilometers or so before the park can be a bit of a pain on a damper day as the dirt surface can get mucky – enough to give it a bit of an off-road feel.

From the rough track we emerge into a whole different world. Where the grass might not exactly be greener, it’s definitely more groomed. Straight from the embarkment through the back gate we enter the palace park in Jabłonn – a typical example of a late 18th century aristocratic residential complex, and one that combines neoclassical architecture with references and inspirations from antiquity with an English-style park.

The palace and park in Jabłonna basked in the royal light of the capital – and not only figuratively.

Since the Middle Ages the town of Jabłonna had traditionally been the property of the Bishops of Płock.

In the 1770s the Bishop of Płock happened to be Michał Poniatowski, and if that surname rings a bell then rightly so. He was the brother of King Stanisław August Poniatowski – Poland’s last monarch. Having bought real estate in Jabłonna with the intention of building an elegant palace and park, that’s exactly what transpired. Being a bishop and the brother of the king meant that this was far from the average aristocratic residence.

In 1774 Bishop Poniatowski commissioned the royal architect, Dominik Merlini, to design the new residence. Merlini, who’d designed King Poniatowski’s summer residence in Łazienki, built a three-building complex that included a one-story palace (the residence of the owner) flanked on both sides by separate three-storey pavilions. The scenic English-style park was developed in the 1770s and 1780s, and was designed by another all-star of the period, Szymon Bogumił Zug. The same architect also constructed a series of pavilions, of which three are still visible: the Grotto, the Orangery and the Chinese Pavilion, which is a post-World War II replica of the original. Though proportions vary, several similarities between Łazienki exist. Even so, Jabłonna has a strong sense of self, and while it might lack features such as a lake, an Egyptian and Greek temple or the ruins of an ancient theatre, it does boast a genuine triumphant arch, which is arguably its biggest attraction.

Dedicated to Prince Józef Poniatowski, the nephew of the Bishop and the King, the prince inherited the palace. Having cast his lot with Napoleon, Poniatowski reached the rank of Marshal of France, but died during the Battle of Nations at Leipzig in 1813. Through his sister, who inherited the palace, the premises ended up in the hands of the Tyszkiewicz family and it was Anna Tyszkiewicz who decided to turn the park into a shrine for the fallen hero in the 1830s.

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learning

kiego 84 (Early Years Centre), tel. 22 646 7777, thebritishschool.pl

preschools AMERICAN SCHOOL OF WARSAW

warsaw montessori family

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

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.

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.

„Erdkinder” Middle School Tatrzańska 5a

THE BRITISH SCHOOL WARSAW EARLY YEARS CENTRE

Montessori High School

Pytlasińskiego 13a Contact Office: 692 099 134 office@warsawmontessori.edu.pl

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Warsaw Insider | MAY 2021

reklama montessori 1/3_46x206.indd 1

The British School Warsaw provides EYFS classes from nursery to Year 1 (6 years old). Children develop quickly and their Early Years practitioners aim to do all they can to help your child have the best possible start in life and become a lifelong learner. ul. Dąbrows-

18.12.2018 12:32

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

INTERNATIONAL TRILINGUAL SCHOOL OF WARSAW Established in 1994, the Trilingual

School of Warsaw offers nursery, primary and pre-school education with a French and international curriculum for children aged from one to twelve.

The fill-immersion trilingual setting allows for the choice between English, Polish, Spanish / Chinese, or English, Polish, French. Teachers are highly qualified native speakers from the US, France, Spain and China. ul. Nobla 16, tel. 501 036 637, ul. Karowa 14/16, tel. 503 072 119, ul. Królowej Aldony 23/25, tel. 533 321 084, 3languages. pl/saint-exupery.pl

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

THE ENGLISH PLAYHOUSE

The English Playhouse functions in two

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

Admissions open for Early Years, Primary, Secondary and IB

Contact our Admissions Team for a tour or a personalised Virtual Discovery Meeting

admissions@thebritishschool.pl (0048) 22 842 32 81 ext. 125 www.thebritishschool.pl

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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

TRILINGUAL PRE-SCHOOL AND NURSERY “THREE LANGUAGES” CENTER

The only trilingual pre-school and nursery teaching English, Spanish and Polish through total language immersion. All educators are native speaker pre-school teachers. The comprehensive curriculum follows American, Spanish and Polish curriculum standards. The pre-school was awarded European Language Label in 2012. ul. Karowa 14/16 lok 6 (3-6 year olds); ul. Cicha 5 lok 1 (1-2 year olds), tel. 517 872 682, 3languages.pl

schools

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

Premium international school established in 1992 by Nord Anglia Education. The curriculum is designed to provide the highest academic quality of education. They follow the English National Curriculum, adapted to the needs of their international

monnet international school

PADDINGTON BEAR KINDERGARTEN

IB World School no 001483

66

's ton B g n i d LU Pad EN'S C EN LDR CHI OW OP N

Education for a better world

Belwederska 6a, Warsaw

www.maturamiedzynarodowa.pl/przedszkole

Warsaw Insider | MAY 2021

student community: from Primary through to the Secondary Key Stages to the IGCSE examinations and a well-established International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program. 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

INTERNATIONAL TRILINGUAL SCHOOL OF WARSAW

Established in 1994, the Trilingual School of Warsaw offers nursery, primary and pre-school education with a French and international curriculum for children aged from one to twelve.

The fill-immersion trilingual setting allows for the choice between English, Polish, Spanish / Chinese, or English, Polish, French. Teachers are highly qualified native speakers from the US,

France, Spain and China. ul. Nobla 16, tel. 501 036 637, ul. Karowa 14/16, tel. 503 072 119, ul. Królowej Aldony 23/25, tel. 533 321 084, 3languages.pl/saint-exupery.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

MONNET INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL Located in Mokotów, the Monnett is the only school in Poland that

Accepting applications for Nursery to Year 9 bsw.com.pl +48 221 110 062 ul. Hlonda 12, Warsaw admissions@bswilanow.org

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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

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

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Warsaw Insider | MAY 2021

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 accessories

EYEBAR

At Eyebar the expert team meets needs through their perfect eyebrow care and makeup products. If you dream about having the perfect brows, their sets are available from Eyebar salons or online at our website. eyebar.pl

LEKKO

Lekko offer four specialized oils that are strong but gentle and sharpen the senses. Using CBD extracts, they strongly focus on concepts of self-care and wellbeing. made from the highest quality crops and sourced from farms run in accordance with the principles of sustainable agriculture, all products are approved by verified labs. lekko.com

MANDEL

Valuing traditional craftsmanship and the finest materials, Mandel’s mission is to add ‘a classy touch to every story’. This they do with clothing suited to all occasions and every personality. ul. Nowogrodzka 18A, mandel-store.com

fashion

MOLIERA 2 BOUTIQUE

Brands: Alexnadre Birman, Alexandre Vauthier, Aquazzura, Balmain, Beach Bunny, Burberry, Buscemi, Casadei, Christian Louboutin, Cult Gaia, Francesco Russo, Gianvito Rossi, Golden Goose, Herve Leger, Isabel Marant, Kenzo, Maison Michel, Marc Jacobs, Manolo Blahnik, Moncler, OneTeaspoon, Self-Portrait, Tod’s, Tory Burch, Victoria Beckham, Yves Salomon, Zimmermann. ul. Moliera 2, moliera2.com

PL. TRZECH KRZYŻY 3/4

Brands: Beach Bunny, Buscemi, Canada Goose, Casadei, Christian Louboutin Men, Dsquared2, Fay, Gianvito Rossi, Hogan, Kenzo, Moncler, Mr & Mrs Italy, OTS, Ralph Lauren, Tod’s, Tom Ford, Tory Burch, Valentino, Yves Salomon. Pl. Trzech Krzyży 3/4, plactrzechkrzyzy.com

THE ODDER SIDE

From small beginnings The Odder Side have grown from a cult brand to one of the most influential labels on the domestic fashion market. Few do a better job when it comes to making simple sexy. ul. Koszykowa 5, theodderside.pl

PAN TU NIE STAL

Polish design at its peak: fashion is prominent, but there’s also interesting bitsy things such as aprons, jam jars, notebooks and mugs – all with a defiantly Polish twist. Eccentric, unusual and emphatically on-trend, it’s a must-visit. Koszykowa 35/40, pantuniestal.com

WHAT’S IN STORE Defining the modern safe shopping experience, visit Designer Outlet Warsaw to fill your wardrobe – and bag – with the world’s finest fashions. Conveniently located 30-minutes from downtown Warsaw, swing

by Poland’s largest premium outlet to fill up on your favorite brands. Recently expanded, the center is pleased to welcome such stores as Lacoste, Made in M (with MaxMara, Marella, Max&Co. and Pennyblack), Marc O’Polo, Swarovski, Tous and Twinset. Offering year-round discounts ranging from 30-70%, discover over 130 designer brands within a stunning complex designed to effect the look of Warsaw’s Baroque historic center. Unmatched in size and scope, nowhere else in Poland offers more fashion, more promotions and more fun than a trip to Designer Outlet Warsaw.

Designer Outlet Warszawa!

Piaseczno | Puławska 42E designeroutletwarszawa.pl

Yellow Pinko bag zł. 1,410 zł now zł. 699

Guess Accessories wallet zł. 319 now zł. 199

Green Furla wallet zł. 540 now zł. 324

Creamy Liu Jo bag zł. 519 now zl. 326

Creamy Lacoste wallet zł. 649 now zł. 389

Powdery pink Liu Jo wallet zł . 339 now zł. 210

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Praga Zoo

10 ki aw

Powązki Cemetery

Andersa

St

7 Jewish Cemetery

6 Old Town

5 1

2 ska kow

szał Mar

4 9 km

ska bow

Grzy

2

4 a zysk tokr Swie

ta

Pros

skie

olim eroz

Palace of Culture & Science

Al. J

9

11

1

8 2

3

Łazienki Park

1 19 km

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3 4 km

7

MAP 5

6

shopping exeriences 1

Designer Outlet Warszawa ul. Puławska 42E, designeroutletwarszawa.pl 2

Elektrownia Powiśle ul. Dobra 42, elektrowniapowisle.com National Stadium

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

6

Museum of Warsaw Rynek Starego Miasta 2842, muzeumwarszawy.pl 7

POLIN ul. Anielewicza 6, polin.pl

stores 1

Moliera 2 Boutique ul. Moliera 2, moliera2.com 2

Pl. Trzech Krzyży 3/4 Krzyży 3/4, plactrzechkrzyzy.com

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

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CALLING MAY DAY

Reflections on Poland's EU accession...

M

ay 1st: a nice time for a holiday, don’t you think? Whilst the origins of the May Day holiday have their roots in Ancient Roman times, it was in the late 19th century that it was ambushed by the global proletariat to become International Workers’ Day. Once the Iron Curtain was drawn across Europe the following century, it became even bigger news, adopted by Communist countries across the continent as their big red letter day: a time for parades, military rallies and other stirring events.

In recent years, though, another generation will remember it better as marking the anniversary of Poland’s 2004 entry into the European Union – though relations have, at times, been strained with Brussels, few can argue the positive impact that EU accession has had on the country. And for those who lived to actually see the event come to pass, memorable it certainly was.

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Yeah, the news relayed images of fireworks drizzling over the Palace of Culture, but it wasn’t quite the joyous celebration that television made out. A high-profile international political conference held that same week ensured that Warsaw went into a full seven-day lockdown, with streets barricaded, store fronts shuttered and bars fortified; on empty roads, water cannon wagons stood alongside battalions of riot police anticipating the worst. It was as if an apocalypse was expected. Those who could leave the city, did.

As it happened, the predicted anarchist riots never transpired, leaving those who remained in Warsaw to awe at the dreamlike vision of a deserted city. Surreal as it was, we walked the streets in stunned disbelief – never, we thought, would we ever see it so silent again. How little did we know.

SHUTTERSTOCK

LOOKING BACK