The Służewiec horse racing track, located at 266 Puławska Street in the Ursynów district, is one of the most important equestrian facilities in Poland. During its nearly 100-year history, the complex has gone through various forms of organisation and ownership, as well as numerous modernisation works. It is currently managed by the Totalizator Sportowy company and is a flagship example of the capital’s functionalism.
Beginnings of racing at Służewiec
The first documented horse racing competitions of a sporting nature in Poland took place as early as the second half of the 18th century. Regular organised races, however, began to appear in the 19th century. The original permanent track operated at Pole Mokotowskie in Warsaw, but the gradual growth of urban development made the continued operation of this location problematic. In response to the need for a new venue, in 1925 the Society for the Encouragement of Horse Breeding purchased extensive land at Służewiec and work was started on a new racing complex of real proportions.
Służewiec Racecourse – design and architectural concept from the 1930s.
The design of the new track was prepared by Zygmunt Plater-Zyberk and his co-workers. The layout was a fusion of elements of functionalism and naval design, which gave it a modernist and very modern character, typical of the architecture of the interwar period. The complex was planned as a multifunctional training and competition venue. It included two racetracks, brick stables with living quarters for the staff, paddocks, training roundabouts and an underground tunnel to allow the horses to be brought safely to the track. Additional features included a park-like green composition and a water tower providing its own water source for the facility.
The Służewiec horse racing track and its fate
The Służewiec Racecourse was ceremonially opened on 3 June 1939. Soon afterwards, during World War II, the facility was taken over by the occupying forces. Part of the infrastructure was destroyed, the horses were taken away and the site was used as an airstrip, among other things. During the Warsaw Uprising, armed clashes took place in the area of the complex, resulting in human and material losses. After the end of hostilities, the facility returned to its sporting function and, in time, regained some of its former splendour. In 1989, the track complex was entered in the register of historical monuments.
A masterpiece of Warsaw modernism
The entire buildings were constructed with care and according to strictly refined designs. The stands were planned so that spectators were not blinded by the afternoon sun. Stand I, known as the ‘Honorary Stand’, was intended for official guests, referees and the media. It is characterised by a glass façade on the paddock side, a system of viewing terraces and representative interiors. There was a formal dress code in this grandstand for many years. Stand II seated approximately 4,500 and was equipped with lodges and subterranean rooms that included a dance hall with a revolving dance floor. Stand III, planned for 7,000 spectators, was never completed.
Służewiec Racecourse – modernisation and recent renovation works
The facility has undergone several stages of restructuring and modernisation over the past dozen years. Already from the beginning of the second decade of the 21st century, measures were taken to restore and protect the historic infrastructure. In 2013, Totalizator Sportowy initiated one of the largest renovation programmes in the facility’s history, which continues in stages to this day. The work has already included, among other things, the modernisation of installations and the renovation of the stables or the Stand of Honour and the main track.
Służewiec Racecourse today
Today Służewiec Racecourse remains an active horse racing arena and a venue for commercial and cultural events. The venue’s calendar includes racing days with cyclical events and the most important races of the season. The racecourse has both a sporting and a cultural function. As a monument of modernism, it is an example of inter-war quality and elegance, while the ongoing renovation work and the range of events on offer aim to strike a balance between heritage conservation and the economic and social use of the facility.
Source: torsluzewiec.pl, totalizator.pl
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