The timetable was probably painted at the turn of the 1940s and 1950s. It occupied the surface of a wall and was located in the subway of the Warszawa Włochy railway station. The timetable was discovered by accident during the reconstruction of the station. Now the railwaymen have announced that the monument will be made available to everyone.
The timetable was painted on one of the walls in the subway. It is approximately 350 cm wide and 250 cm high. The discovery was made back in November 2014 during work to rebuild the underpass. The board with the ‘departure time’ informed about the departure times of trains to suburban towns and cities in Warsaw, but also those further away. At the time, Italy was still a city.
The unveiling of the historic timetable will take place later this year. It will be placed in a glass display case and exposed on the square in front of the Warszawa Włochy railway station. The railwaymen undertook the task of preserving the find, which was cut out along with a fragment of the brick wall on which the timetable was painted. This will be another element emphasising the historical character of the Warsaw Włochy stop.
The work involved in preparing the display of the monument was not easy. Every detail of the board’s preservation process had to be consulted with a conservationist.
However, the preparation stage is behind us, and we are now beginning the construction of a glass display case, which will be built around the historical timetable. Conservation work will then begin on coating the board with special preparations that will keep it in good condition for years to come. The display case will have special glazing, lighting and an air-conditioning unit to ensure the right temperature and humidity inside. We plan to unveil the historic object by the end of the year,” reads a PKP PLK communiqué.
How was it possible to determine the period from which the timetable dates? The name of the village Zielkowice, which appears, helped. The station has been called Łowicz Przedmieście since 1951. There will be more historical elements at the station. Above platform two is a modernist shed, whose construction is linked to the electrification of the railway line in the 1930s.
The structure, often referred to as the ‘winged shelter’, was renovated by PLK SA during the modernisation of the railway line from Warsaw to Grodzisk Mazowiecki, therailwaymen add.
The station’s past is also recalled by the stylised design of the subway.
source: Mazovian Voivodeship Historic Preservation Officer, PKP PLK
Read also: Warsaw | Railway | Monument | Interesting facts | Featured | whiteMAD on Instagram
