PKO rotunda in Warsaw
The PKO-Rundbau in Warsaw ( Polish : Rotunda PKO w Warszawie ) was a bank building at the most important street crossing in Warsaw - at Dmowski-Rundplatz.
The rotunda was built in 1966 according to the design by the architect Zbigniew Karpiński and formed the end of the department store complex Ściana Wschodnia ("east wall") that was built between 1960 and 1969 . Because of the zigzag shape of the roof, the building was nicknamed "Generalstorte", as it resembled the zigzag pattern on the edge of the caps of Polish generals.
The building is not only known for its striking architecture. On February 15, 1979 at 12:37 p.m. there was an explosion, killing 49 customers and employees of PKO-Sparkasse and injuring another 110 people. The authorities cited a gas explosion as the cause, but the Warsaw people also believed a politically motivated attack to be possible.
The building, which was 70% destroyed, was rebuilt in a hurry with almost no changes and reopened at the end of October.
The owner of the building - PKO-Sparkasse - would like to demolish the building for economic reasons and replace it with a more modern rotunda, but the outraged Warsaw residents protested violently and demanded that the 46-year-old building be entered on the list of listed buildings.
The rotunda often served as a huge advertising pillar.
Web links
- Nowa Rotunda Historia miejsca - New Rotunda - History of the Square (Polish)
- Tak ma wyglądać nowa Rotunda - TVN Warszawa on the new look of the new rotunda (Polish)
Coordinates: 52 ° 13 ′ 49.6 ″ N , 21 ° 0 ′ 44.7 ″ E