The car park at Plac Teatralny in Warsaw is currently undergoing renovation. For this reason, residents hoping for a major transformation of the area will have to be patient. Instead of fountains and trees, the damaged and uneven paving stones are being replaced. The much-heralded green Theatre Square remains uncertain, and much depends on the fate of the reconstruction of the Saxon Palace.
The promise of transformation has stalled
The idea of redeveloping Teatralny Square has been a recurring theme in Warsaw’s public debate for years. In 2018, Rafał Trzaskowski, standing for the first time in the mayoral election, promised to renovate this part of the city by 2021. The deadline has passed, and the prestigious space in front of the Grand Theatre building still serves mainly as a vast car park. Today, roadworks crews commissioned by the City Roads Authority are working on the square. The work is being carried out by the Road Repair and Maintenance Department. The surface on the Moliera Street side was restored first, and the entire square is due to be renovated by the end of the year. The City Hall emphasises that these are purely maintenance works. The condition of the paving stones was assessed as very poor, particularly for a space adjacent to the country’s most important cultural institutions.
Green Theatre Square
A far more ambitious vision was developed several years ago by the Mycielski Architecture & Urbanism studio. The concept emerged following design workshops organised in 2023 with the participation of residents, experts and city representatives. It was inspired by the square’s pre-World War II layout, when the space in front of the historic building was adorned with greenery and a more intimate composition. The architects proposed removing cars and relocating some of the parking spaces underground. The car park would be situated on the side facing Wierzbowa Street. Above it would be lawns, trees, shrubs and seating areas. The central element of the design is a circular fountain referred to as the ‘water theatre’. Water channels would lead to smaller pools in the side squares. The designers aimed to create a more pedestrian-friendly space, with rest areas, the shade of trees and safer traffic flow around the water theatre. The workshops clearly demonstrated what residents expect. The most frequently repeated requests were for restrictions on car traffic, the removal of the above-ground car park, the construction of new pedestrian crossings and more greenery. Ideas for organising outdoor events and artistic activities in front of the opera house also emerged during the discussions.
Everything is being blocked by the Saxon Palace
However, the biggest obstacle turned out to be not the square’s design itself, but a development taking place a few streets away. The city explains that the construction of an underground car park beneath Teatralny Square requires the issue of the car park beneath the Saski Palace, which is currently being rebuilt, to be resolved first. Both facilities would be located a short distance from one another, which is why officials wish to first analyse the practicality of having two large car parks in Śródmieście. A state-owned company operating under a law passed in 2021 is responsible for the reconstruction of the Saxon Palace. Despite political disputes regarding the merits of the investment, archaeological and design work is still ongoing. We wrote about the discoveries made during the excavations HERE. The underground car park beneath the palace is set to accommodate up to 550 cars. It is this very project that may determine the future of Theatre Square.
A green Theatre Square or a huge car park?
For decades, Teatralny Square has served as an example of a space entirely subordinated to cars. After the war, a huge part of it was designated for parking spaces, making conditions difficult for pedestrians. There is a lack of shade, benches and greenery, and the square’s representative character is lost beneath rows of vehicles. The proposed redevelopment was intended to transform the square’s image and return it to the residents. For now, however, the vision of a green space with a fountain remains on paper.
Source:um.warszawa.pl, tvn24.pl/tvnwarszawa
See also:Architecture in Poland|Squares, Parks |Greenery|Warsaw|Metamorphosis|whiteMAD on Instagram
Teatralny Square around 1925 and 2025. Photo: Adrianwolowski, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons and Adrian Grycuk, CC BY-SA 3.0 PL, via Wikimedia Commons
The square today and in the design. Photo: Google Earth and Mycielski Architecture & Urbanism
The square today and in the design. Photo: Google Maps and Mycielski Architecture & Urbanism
