Plac Trzech Krzyży
| Plac Trzech Krzyży | |
|---|---|
 |
|
 |
|
| St. Alexander Church between the lanes | |
| Basic data | |
| place | Warsaw |
| District | Downtown |
| Created | 1724 |
| Hist. Names | Alexanderplatz |
| Connecting roads | Nowy Świat , Aleje Ujazdowskie |
| Cross streets | Ulica Książęca, Ulica Bolesława Prusa, Ulica Wiejska, Ulica Mokotowska, Ulica Hoża, Ulica Bracka, Ulica Żurawia |
| use | |
| User groups | Pedestrian traffic , private traffic , public transport |
The Plac Trzech Krzyży (German: Place of the Three Crosses) is one of the most important places in Warsaw . Created in the first half of the 18th century, today it is not only an important transport hub, but also the location of many luxury brand stores. As the connection between Nowy Świat and Aleje Ujazdowskie , the square is part of the historic Warsaw Royal Route . The square got its name because of three crosses erected there - one on the church roof in the middle of the square and two more mounted on pillars on another traffic island.
location
The square is located around 200 meters south of the Rondo Charles'a de Gaulle'a roundabout in the city's inner- city district and is connected to it by Nowy Świat Street . In the south, the avenue Aleje Ujazdowskie leads towards Wilanów Palace . The embankment of the Vistula is around 250 meters to the east, the Vistula itself is 900 meters away. The square has a north-south length of around 180 meters, the west-east extension is around 60 meters. In the center of the square is the St. Alexander Church on an approximately 100 × 40 meter island. Motor traffic is directed around them. On a smaller island (40 × 20 meters) there is a monument of St. Nepomuk and two columns crowned by crosses. Ulica Bracka , Ulica Żurawia and Ulica Hoża meet the square from the west . To the east go the Ulica Książęca and Ulica Bolesława Prusa . Mokotowska Street runs in a southerly direction, roughly parallel to Aleje Ujazdowskie .
history
Until the beginning of the 18th century, the area of today's square was a largely uninhabited, rural area south of the city limits at that time. From 1724, Augustus the Strong had the starting point of a crossroads laid here, which led to Ujazdów Castle and formed the basis of the later Aleje Ujazdowskie. The first station of this cross was equipped with two golden crosses. The resulting square was designed in baroque style.
In 1752 Franciszek Bieliński had a statue of St. Nepomuk erected on the square to commemorate the completion of the paving of the streets of Warsaw. Since the saint carries a large cross, the place was from then on referred to by the population as the crossroads of the golden crosses (Polish: Rozdroże złotych krzyży) .
From 1770 to 1787, straightening work took place on the square. Triumphal gates were built for the entry of monarchs in 1809, 1815 and 1830.
19th century
In 1817 the square was expanded to the south. From 1818 to 1825 Chrystian Piotr Aigner built the neoclassical St. Alexander Church in the middle of the square - in honor of Alexander I of Russia . The square has also been known as Alexanderplatz (Polish: Plac Aleksandra) since 1817 .
During the January uprising , on September 30, 1863, there was a fatal assassination attempt on gendarme Leopold Zelner, who was gunned down here by members of the so-called "stiletto fighters" (Polish: Sztyletnicy) an armed group of the insurgents.
In the course of the bitter fighting of the Warsaw Uprising , the square and the adjacent buildings were severely damaged. Reconstruction work began in 1945 with the reconstruction of the deaf and dumb institute on the east side. The Alexander Church was rebuilt in its form from the 18th century. On the west side of the square, the east wing of the Polish Ministry of Economics was built as a new building instead of the destroyed building fabric.
today
After the fall of the Wall , two modern buildings were built on the east side of the square with the Warsaw branch of the Sheraton and an office building for ING Bank Śląski . Luxury boutiques ( Hugo Boss , Kenzo , Max Mara , Coccinelle , W. Kruk and various others) subsequently settled on the ground floor of the bank building .
After the controversial reconstruction of the "Dom Dochodowy" at the southern tip of the square, designer brands ( Burberry , Ermenegildo Zegna ) also moved into shops here. On the south, west and north sides of the square there are boutiques as well as cafes and restaurants (“Szpurka”, “Szparka”, “Czaji”, “Embassy” and “Ale Gloria”).
Buildings and landmarks
Traffic island
- The St. Alexander Church (Polish: Kościół św. Aleksandra) was built from 1818 to 1825 according to plans by Chrystian Piotr Aigner. The dome-crowned central building was rebuilt from 1895 in the neo-Renaissance style and provided with a double tower facade. In 1944 the church was badly damaged and in the course of the reconstruction the extensions and conversions were removed and the original classical appearance was reconstructed
North side of the square
- Ulica Książęca 6 - now a residential and commercial building;
- Plac Trzech Krzyży 16 - there are also offices and the restaurant "Szparka";
- Plac Trzech Krzyży 18 - the former apartment building "to the griffins" (Polish: Pod Gryfami) now houses offices. It was built between 1884 and 1886 for the Fuchs family based on a design by Józef Huss . Later it belonged to the Classen family. The building, which is splendidly furnished with two domes above the front facade, contains styles of the Baroque, Renaissance and Classicism. Destroyed in World War II, it was then rebuilt as the headquarters of the foreign trade company Paged .
West side of the square
- Plac Trzech Krzyży 3/5 - today the Ministry of Economy (Polish: Ministerstwo Gospodarki ). The building was built after the war as the seat of the State Commission for Economic Planning (Polish: Państwowa Komisja Planowania Gospodarczego) by the architects Stanisław Bieńkuński and Stanisław Rychłowski. After the name of the chairman of the commission, Hilary Minc , the ministry was popularly referred to as "Mincówka";
- Plac Trzech Krzyży 13 - corner building on Ulica Żurawia, today a post office (No. 15) and a café belonging to the “Coffeeheaven” chain.
East side of the square
- Plac Trzech Krzyży 4/6 - today the seat of the Deaf Institute (Polish: Instytut Głuchoniemych im. Jakuba Falkowskiego ) is a palace-like building, which was built in the years 1827 to 1830 on the old rear building. This main building was probably redesigned in 1845/46 based on a design by Stanisław Pszczółkowski. The building was destroyed in 1944 and rebuilt in the neo-renaissance style after the war . In addition, the Dutch factory (Polish: Domek Holenderski ) was founded around the middle of the 19th century on the basis of an older villa that Domenico Merlini had owned. The renovation was probably overseen by Francesco Maria Lanci ;
- Monument to Father Jakub Falkowski, erected on October 23, 1968 based on a design by Ferdynand Jarocha;
- Plac Trzech Krzyży 10/14 - modern office building, formerly the seat of ING Bank Śląski SA and various luxury shops;
- Ulica Bolesława Prusa 2 - the Sheraton Warsaw Hotel & Towers is a seven-story new building from the 1990s.
South side of the square
- Aleje Ujazdowskie 28 - today the textbookshop of the Center for Teacher Training (Polish: Księgarnia nauczycielska Centralnego Ośrodka Doskonalenia Nauczycieli) is housed here;
- Aleje Ujazdowskie 51 - the house with the three facades (Polish: Dom Dochodowy o Trzech Frontach). The ensemble of buildings goes back to a house belonging to Antoni Luciński, the cellar master of King Stanisław August Poniatowski . Which is why it used to be called Luciński House (Polish: Kamienica Lucińskiego) . In its further history, the original three buildings changed hands frequently and served very different purposes: residential house, horse stable, carriage shed, grain store, playing card manufacture and schnapps distillery. Under the developer Platan Group , the buildings were renovated in the 2000s and connected to one another to form a modern office and retail complex.
literature
- Julius A. Chroscicki and Andrzej Rottermund: Architectural Atlas of Warsaw. 1st edition, Arkady, Warsaw 1978, p. 215
- Janina Rukowska: Travel guide to Warsaw and surroundings. 3rd edition, Sport i Turystyka, Warsaw 1982, p. 85, ISBN 83-217-2380-2
Web links
- Warsaw Inner City District website (in Polish)
- Plac Trzech Krzyży in Warszawa-Wikia (in Polish)
- Various historical recordings from the years 1860 to 1912 at Warszawa1939.pl
- Historical aerial photo at Warszawa1939.pl
References and comments
- ↑ The name Alexanderplatz initially probably referred to the Russian ruler, later the square was called Sankt-Alexanderplatz (Plac św. Aleksandra), according to Janusz Durko, album Warszawski / Warsaw album. The image of the city according to the collections in the Historical Museum of the Capital City of Warsaw , German-Polish edition, Agencja Reklamowo-Wydawnicza A. Grzegorczyk, ISBN 83-86902-73-6 , Warsaw 2000, p. 237 describing a picture of the Władysław Square Podkowiński from 1887
- ↑ W. Kruk is the oldest jewelry company in Poland, founded in Poznan in 1840
- ^ Franciszek Jakub Falkowski (1775–1848) was a Polish educator and philanthropist . He was the founder of the Deaf Mute Institute
- ↑ Ferdynand Jarocha (* 1922) is a Polish sculptor
- ↑ according to the website of the restaurant operator working there ( Memento of the original from October 27, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (in English)
Coordinates: 52 ° 13 ′ 43.4 ″ N , 21 ° 1 ′ 21 ″ E
Structure of the approximately 10 km long Warsaw Royal Route (Polish: Trakt Królewski ) from north (city center) to south (Wilanów)