Will the pre-war townhouses at 10, 12 and 14 Waliców Street finally see renovation and a new use? There are indications of this. The mayor of Wola, Krzysztof Strzałkowski, has announced that the district councillors have unanimously voted in favour of taking action on these historic buildings. The first step is to develop a functional and utilitarian concept, which will help to determine possible uses for them. This will be followed by an estimate of costs and a conservation consultation. Although this process may take time, so far there have been no such concrete declarations, which gives real hope for saving these precious relics of Warsaw’s past.
Historical value of the tenements on Waliców Street
Warsaw has many forgotten, deteriorating tenement houses, but those at 10, 12 and 14 Waliców Street are special. The three buildings from the early 20th century are some of the last surviving mainstays of the Warsaw Ghetto. They witnessed some of the most tragic events in the history of the capital. They survived the occupation, the Warsaw Uprising, post-war demolitions and urban changes. Each of them is a living monument to history that reminds us of the dramatic fate of the city and its inhabitants. During the Second World War, after the establishment of the ghetto, the even numbers of Waliców Street became part of its boundaries, while the odd numbers remained on the Aryan side. Three tenements also became the site of a dramatic battle during the Warsaw Uprising. The building at number 14 suffered from the explosion of a goliath – a German remote-controlled self-propelled mine. Its missing front is still a reminder of the city’s wartime history. After the war, the damaged buildings were repaired and over the following decades they were inhabited by successive tenants, but by the beginning of the 21st century the tenements were abandoned. In 2009, a mural was created on the wall of one of them depicting the inscription ‘stone and co’ and a red balloon, which became a symbol of their uncertain future.
Hope for the rescue of three female neighbours from Walicowo
Thanks to the efforts of city activists and historic preservation institutions, a few years ago the Waliców Street tenements were entered in the register of historic buildings. Despite this, they have been standing abandoned and deteriorating for years. Now there is a real prospect of their renovation. The Wola District Council has given its positive opinion to a project that envisages the development of a detailed concept for their redevelopment. This document will make it possible to determine what functions the buildings can perform and what the costs of their modernisation will be. The final decision on the future of the three buildings will depend on expert analyses and agreements with the conservation officer. Nevertheless, the very fact that action has been taken on their future is a milestone in the history of the buildings. We look forward to receiving further information about the project.
Source: Stone and what? We save Warsaw’s monuments, mwkz.pl
Read also: Monument | Tenement | Curiosities | City | Warsaw | Architecture in Poland
Surviving tenement houses in Waliców, 1935 and 2024. Photo: mapa.um.warszawa.pl
