PAST building Warsaw

52.236111111111 21.006388888889Coordinates: 52 ° 14 ′ 10 ″ N , 21 ° 0 ′ 23 ″ E

The PAST high-rise in August 2009

Prewar view

Historic PAST telephone line shaft cover on Grzybowski Square in Warsaw

Eugeniusz Lokajski : Soldiers of the “Kiliński” battalion attacking the PAST building in August 1944

The PAST building in Warsaw is an 11-story high-rise office building, construction of which began in 1904. When it was completed in 1910, it was the tallest office building in Europe. During the Warsaw Uprising , the building became a symbol of the Polish liberation struggle because of the bitter fighting between the Polish Home Army and German troops here . Today it houses various veteran organizations of the Polish Home Army and is located on Zielna Street in the inner city area ( Warszawa Śródmieście ). In addition to the name “PAST”, it was and is also known by the population as the “Cedergren” or “Pasta” high-rise.

history

Until 1900 the American Bell Telephone Company held the state concession to operate a telephone network in Warsaw. With effect from November 1, 1901, this concession changed to the Polish subsidiary Towarzystwo Akcyjne Telefonów Cedergren of the Swedish company Cedergren . As a result, the Polish Cedergren constructed two neighboring buildings on Zielna Street; a telephone switchboard and a central administration building (today No. 37 and 39).

The skyscraper was built in two stages between 1904 and 1910 after the completion of the building known as “little pasta” and after the demolition of a three-storey residential building at this point. The lower part was built under the Swedish and Polish architects Lars Israel Wahlman , Isak Gustaf Clason and Bronisław Brochowicz-Rogoyski from 1904 to 1905. The upper part was added between 1907 and 1910. The building was constructed using the reinforced concrete method that was rarely used at the time . The height was 51.5 meters, making it the tallest office building in Warsaw, the then Russian Empire and Europe. It was only with the completion of the Prudential office building in 1934 that it lost its status as Warsaw's tallest skyscraper. The design of the building is inspired by historicism and resembles a medieval castle tower. The interior was designed in the contemporary Art Deco style.

After the Cedergren concession expired in 1922, Polska Akcyjna Spolka Telefoniczna (PAST) took over the network and buildings with effect from July 1, 1922. The term of the concession was tendered for 25 years. Since then, the building has been given the addition of "PAST" or "Pasta" (derived from the Polish genitive form of the company abbreviation).

Second World War

During the German occupation , the building served as the regional switchboard of the Generalgouvernement . In the Warsaw Uprising, it was a focus of Polish attacks. After 20 days of bitter fighting, the Polish AK battalion "Kiliński" was able to take the building. In the course of these fighting (from August 2 to 20, 1944) as well as when it was retaken by German units, it was badly damaged.

After the war the building was rebuilt. The PAST company was not re-established; its property, including its real estate, became the property of the Polish state. During the reconstruction, some of the original facade elements were lost; so the destroyed battlements of the tower were no longer reconstructed. On July 1, 1965, the building was placed under monument protection (register no. 757).

Destroyed building in World War II

Seat of the AK veterans

On November 9, 2000, after many years of negotiations, the high-rise was handed over by the Polish state to a veterans organization of the Polish Home Army because of its special significance in the Warsaw Uprising. On their behalf, the building is managed by the Fundacja Polskiego Państwa Podziemnego (German: Foundation of the Polish Underground State ). During a ceremony, the then Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek handed over the key for the building to the chairman of Światowy Związek Żołnierzy Armii Krajowej (German: World Association of Home Army Soldiers ), the resistance fighter and later Brigadier General Stanisław Karolkiewicz. Also present were the Voivode of the Masovian Voivodeship , Antoni Pietkiewicz, the Foreign Minister Władysław Bartoszewski and the Military Bishop Sławoj Leszek Głódź .

In August 2003 the Kotwica , the symbol of the Polish resistance, was installed on the roof. The gold-colored logo is 4 meters wide and 6 meters high, is made of aluminum and is illuminated at night. The top floor of the building also received a viewing platform.

Web links

Commons : PAST skyscraper in Warsaw - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Article in Wieżowce Warszawy (in Polish)
Views of the street from 1902, 1904 and 1910

References and comments

↑ ^a ^b according to Article Historical events of the telecommunications of the countries in Europe up to 1975/1994. Poland on Bayern-Online.com
↑ The Swedish telephone network operator Cedergren des Henrik Tore Cedergren was later taken over by Almanna Telefon AB LM Ericsson , a predecessor company of the Ericsson group .
↑ Bronisław Brochwicz-Rogoyski (1861-1921) was a Polish architect.
↑ In addition to the Warsaw local network, the license granted to PAST also included those in Łódź , Sosnowiec , Lemberg , Boryslaw , Lublin and Białystok . The Polish state was involved in the PAST.

[BOC-1] rding to Article Historical events of the telecommunications of the countries in Europe up to 1975/1994. Poland on Bayern-Online.com

[2] The Swedish telephone network operator Cedergren des Henrik Tore Cedergren was later taken over by Almanna Telefon AB LM Ericsson , a predecessor company of the Ericsson group .

[3] Bronisław Brochwicz-Rogoyski (1861-1921) was a Polish architect.

[4] In addition to the Warsaw local network, the license granted to PAST also included those in Łódź , Sosnowiec , Lemberg , Boryslaw , Lublin and Białystok . The Polish state was involved in the PAST.