The Stanislaw Markiewicz Viaduct, a neo-Renaissance pearl in Warsaw’s landscape, has for more than a century linked Karowa Street with Powiśle, and is both a symbol of the city’s exceptional architecture and history. Built in 1902-1905, the viaduct was the result of the cooperation of three outstanding artists: the engineer Karol Sommer, the architect Stefan Szyller and the sculptor Jan Woydyga. We wrote about Szyller’s work HERE.
The history of the viaduct is partly lost in the darkness of history. The documentation related to its construction was destroyed during the Warsaw Uprising, when the city archives were burnt down. Despite this, we know that the viaduct connected two previously separate parts of Karowa Street – the upper one, running along Krakowskie Przedmieście, and the lower one, leading to Powisle. Before the viaduct was built, Karowa was a narrow, steep street, better known for its nearby city cleaning plant than for its representative qualities. However, the plan was to transform the area into a prestigious district with boulevards, wide streets and luxurious townhouses – a vision that began to be realised just after the viaduct was built.
The viaduct in the early 20th century. Photo: Polon Digital National Library
The first plans for the modernisation of Karowa Street and the construction of a viaduct date back to the end of the 19th century. The final structural design, made by engineer Karol Sommer on commission from Arnold Bronikowski’s company, was drawn up in 1902. Construction work began in the spring of 1903 and was completed a year later. Although proposals were considered to finish the viaduct with stone cladding to give the structure a monumental character, the final choice was plaster. In 1905, the viaduct was put into use and its patron was Dr Stanisław Markiewicz, a doctor and initiator of the first children’s colonies in Poland.
The Stanislaw Markiewicz Viaduct in 1934 and today. Source: Polon and Szczebrzeszynski Digital National Library, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The structure luckily escaped serious damage during the Second World War. In 1965, the viaduct was placed on the Register of Historic Buildings, which protected it from damage and enabled the necessary renovations to be carried out. In 2006-2007 it underwent a major renovation, during which the stone paving was restored and the original lampposts, originally gas, now electric, were reconstructed according to archive photographs. Thanks to these works, the viaduct has regained its former glory. Under the viaduct today is a gallery, and above it rises the early modern building of the Polish Hygienic Society, designed by Jan Heurich. The viaduct is also the traditional venue for special sections of rallies such as the Barbórka Rally.
The architecture of the viaduct is the work of many outstanding engineers and artists. The structural concept was created by engineers Kajetan Mościcki and Kazimierz Dankowski, while the final design was developed by Karol Sommer. The eclectic architectural setting was the responsibility of Stefan Szyller, who drew inspiration from the Renaissance and Baroque in his work. The sculptures by Jan Woydyga, which adorn the viaduct, provide an additional artistic element. Prominent among them are the Siren and allegorical figures symbolising Warsaw as a city of art, science, commerce and industry and the Vistula River, which adds symbolic and aesthetic depth to the structure.
Source: varsavianista.pl, srodmiescie.um.warszawa.pl
Read also: City | Architecture in Poland | Metamorphosis | Monument | Warsaw
