The Walusiński tenement house at 25 Bednarska Street is one of the most interesting monuments in Warsaw. As one of the few buildings in the area, it survived the Second World War almost intact. It is also distinguished by its architectural design, unparalleled in the capital, which refers to Romantic English Neo-Gothic. There is no other building in this style in Warsaw today. The building has been entered in the register of monuments since 1999
It was built in the years 1859-60 for Eleonora and Ludwik Walusiński. There were two buildings on the plot at the time – a front house and an outbuilding. Both buildings survived the Second World War. In the 1990s, the outbuilding was demolished for a new development. Its construction was interrupted when it became apparent that the project had been altered without the required approvals
The building today. Photo: whiteMAD/Mateusz Markowski
The building was two storeys higher and had bay windows, which were also not envisaged. The unfinished building waited until 2006. Its new owner obtained permission to complete the work, but on condition that the top storey be demolished. At the same time, it turned out that the Walusińska tenement house was in a bad technical condition. The residents were then evicted and the building has stood empty ever since. Until 2015, it was in private hands as a perpetual lease. Due to the failure to take care of the condition of the tenement, the Śródmieście district led to the termination of the contract
View of Bednarska Street in the early 1990s and today. You can see the demolished annexe and the new building. Source: mapa.um.warszawa.pl
In 2021, the Mazovian Provincial Conservator of Monuments imposed a fine of PLN 10,000 on the owner of the tenement, the City of Warsaw, for failing to secure the building. The district assured that the security work had been done, but that major renovation was not envisaged. Due to the small area, architectural barriers and restrictions from the Capital Conservator of Monuments, renovation is not cost-effective. As a result, the district authorities want to sell the building
What will be the further fate of this architecturally exceptional and historically valuable monument?
Sources: tvn24.pl, Tu było, tu stało
Read also: Architecture | Tenement | City | Warsaw | Architecture in Poland
