Accessibility Statement

The Warsaw Tourist Office rents space in the Palace of Culture and Science which is under conservation protection. The office, which conducts activities aimed mainly at the tourism industry and promotion via the internet, is located in the main building of the Palace of Culture and Science. The Warsaw Tourist Information point is also located in the Palace of Culture and Science, but in a location other than the office premises. Separate entrances lead to it.

Office

The office of the Warsaw Tourist Office is located in the building of the Palace of Culture and Science at Plac Defilad 1, 00-901 Warsaw, on the 10th floor. It is partially accessible for people with disabilities. Limitations in accessibility are mainly due to the historic character of the seat of the office. Activities related to direct tourist services are carried out outside the office, at the Warsaw Tourist Information points.

Access to and from the building

Pedestrian access to the main entrance leads from Marszałkowska and Świętokrzyska Streets, while access to the back entrance leads from Jerozolimskie Avenue and Emilii Plater Street through the inner courtyard. There are numerous obstacles and hindrances along the routes to the building, such as the park, the car park surrounding the building, bollards on the route to the main entrance, ill-parked cars, cobblestones, a row of wooden tables in the square in front of the main entrance. The nearest railway station – PKP Śródmieście – is about 200 m away and the station at Warszawa Centralna railway station is about 400 m away. The platform exits are equipped with escalators. Public transport stops near the main entrance: Świętokrzyska Metro 01, 02, 03, 04 (bus); 05, 06 (tram); approx. 500 m away; Centrum 01, 03, 05, 06 (bus); 07, 08, 09, 10 (tram) approx. 400 m away. Underground stations near the main entrance: Świętokrzyska Metro: lines M1 and M2 distance approx. 400 m; Centrum Metro: line M1 distance approx. 400 m. Bus stops near the rear entrance: Central Railway Station 11, 16 at a distance of approx. 300 m; Emilii Plater 01, 02, 04 at a distance of approx. 200 m. There are obstacles and hindrances on the way (e.g., posts, uneven pavement, cobblestones, badly parked cars, high kerbs, narrowing of the pavement) You can check the timetable of the buses that stop at the above-mentioned stops on https://www.wtp.waw.pl/rozklady-jazdy/ Taxi stands are located at the Central Railway Station (approx. 400 m from PKiN) and on Jerozolimskie Avenue at the corner of Emilii Plater Street near the Central Railway Station (approx. 300 m from PKiN).

Car parking

The car park at the PKiN (Polish State Railways) is payable and has a ticket office adapted to payment of parking tickets by persons with mobility impairments in wheelchairs. The ticket office is located by the “Studio” Theatre and is specially marked. Other automatic ticket offices in the PKiN car park are equipped with an additional button, which can be used to summon a parking attendant. All devices of the PKiN car park system, starting from ticket offices at the entrance, through automatic cash registers to exit barriers, have intercom buttons for immediate communication with the car park personnel. Parking attendants are prepared to provide assistance in using the car park and facilities. Persons with impaired mobility can also pay by driving to the Technical Service Centre at the exit to Marszałkowska Street, bypassing the automatic ticket offices. The car park service is open 24 hours. Parking spaces for disabled persons are located in the PKIN’s external car park, among others in front of the main entrance, and at the entrance to the internal courtyard from Emilii Plater Street, next to the Congress Hall. Apart from that, there are 18 parking spaces around the PKiN.

Entrances to the building

There are two entrances to the Palace of Culture and Science building: the main one from Marszałkowska Street and the rear one from Emilii Plater Street through the so-called internal courtyard. The rear entrance is more accessible for people with physical disabilities.
Main entrance
The main entrance is on the side of Plac Defilad and is marked by a large inscription on the façade “Palace of Culture and Science”. A staircase with contrasting markings in front of the first and on the last step leads to the entrance. The stairs are not equipped with railings or handrails. There are contrasting lines leading from the car park to the stairs. To the left of the stairs is a lift whose doors open automatically when a button is pressed on the call panel at the stop. The ride from stop to stop is similar. The floor area of the cabin is 108×138 cm. The cabin is equipped with a handrail and voice information and signage for the visually impaired. The main entrance is equipped with three pairs of doors of very large size and weight. People in wheelchairs can use the first door on the left which opens automatically. In order to open it you need to press the green button located on the wall next to the blue pictogram with a person in a wheelchair. The inner door opens automatically without any action required. The door has a wooden threshold with a height of 0.5 cm to 3 cm. The building is exited through the same pair of doors. Automatically opening the interior door requires using the green button located on the wall next to the blue pictogram with a person in a wheelchair. The next door leading outside the palace opens automatically without any action required.
Rear entrance
The second entrance is located at the back of the building in the inner courtyard, facing Emilii Plater Street. To get there, one must go through the gate located between the Warsaw Tourist Information point and the Congress Hall, leading to the first part of the courtyard, and then turn left and go through the inner gate to the second part of the courtyard. The entrance to the building is just behind the inner gate on the right. If you have trouble finding your way, you can ask the guard on duty at the entrance gate. The rear entrance has a small 1.5 m wide ramp with a handrail on one side and a door that automatically opens outwards. Inside there is a sliding glass door. A wide corridor leads to the lift lobby located on the same level as the entrance (-1).

Toilets

Two toilets for the use of persons with reduced mobility are located in the lift lobby next to the men’s and women’s toilets located in the side aisles of the lobby. The toilets are lockable and opened by a member of staff on duty in the lift hall. There is limited space to manoeuvre in the toilets. A toilet located adjacent to the men’s lavatories provides space for lateral transfer to the toilet bowl. These are also suitable for mothers with small children.

Horizontal and vertical traffic routes in the building

From the main entrance to the lift hall on level -1 there are stairs on the left and right sides with contrasting stripes on the first and last step. At the staircase on the left there is a folding stairlift platform with a load capacity of 300 kg. The platform of the stair lift is 120x 100 cm. An employee trained to assist with the platform is on duty in the main hall. The platform makes it possible both to descend to the lift hall (level -1) and to ascend to the level of the main hall. The ramp’s runway can also serve as a handrail for pedestrians. To get to the office on the 10th floor, use the lifts numbered 7, 8, 9 or 10 that are located opposite the stairs in the lift hall. The external and internal control panels are located at a height of up to 120 cm. The lifts are equipped with a handrail located at a height of 110 cm. The Secretariat of the Warsaw Tourist Office is located in room no. 1051 located opposite the exits of lifts no. 9 and 10. Wide corridors accessible to wheelchair users lead to the office premises. The entrances to the working rooms are equipped with double doors, about 120 cm wide, and have no thresholds. The kitchen room is located in the escape staircase and is not accessible for wheelchair users due to the excessively narrow doorway. The men’s and women’s toilets are also not accessible to persons with reduced mobility (too narrow doors).

Evacuation

The building is clearly marked with escape routes, has an audible emergency notification system and emergency lighting. The two main escape staircases start on either side of the lift lobby. The staircases are approx. 100 cm wide, have circular handrails placed on the inside at a height of 90 cm, and do not have first and last step markings in each flight. On the 6th floor it is necessary to go through the corridor to the staircases of the high-rise part.

Warsaw Tourist Information Point in the Palace of Culture and Science

It is located in a side wing of the Palace of Culture and Science building at Plac Defilad 1, 00-901 Warsaw from Emilii Plater Street. It is difficult to access for people with physical disabilities. The accessibility limitation is related to the historical character of the building.

Access to and from the building

Pedestrian access from Emilii Plater Street and Jerozolimskie Avenue. The closest railway station – PKP Śródmieście – is approx. 200 m away, and the station at Warsaw Central Station is approx. 300 m away. Exits from the platforms are equipped with escalators. The nearest bus stops: Central Station 11, 12 approx. 200 m away; Emilii Plater 01, 02, 04 approx. 300 m away. You can check the timetable of the buses that stop at the above-mentioned bus stops on https://www.wtp.waw.pl/rozklady-jazdy/ Taxi stands are located on Jerozolimskie Avenue at the corner of Emilii Plater Street near the Downtown Railway Station, about 200 m away, as well as at the Central Railway Station, about 300 m away from the Palace of Culture and Science building.

Car parking

In the paid car park around the Palace building, directly in front of the entrance to Warsaw Tourist Information point, there are two parking spaces for people with disabilities. All devices of the PKiN parking system, from ticket machines at the entrance, through automatic cash registers to exit barriers, have intercom buttons for immediate communication with the car park personnel. Parking attendants are prepared to provide assistance in using the car park and facilities. Persons with impaired mobility can also pay by driving to the Technical Service Centre at the exit to Marszałkowska Street, bypassing the automatic ticket offices. The car park service is open 24 hours. Around the Palace of Culture and Science building there are 18 additional parking spaces for people with disabilities. Two parking spaces for the disabled outside the Palace’s parking system are located on Emilii Plater Street and on Jerozolimskie Avenue at the level of Warszawa Śródmieście station.

Entrances to the building

There are two entrances to the point: the main one by the pavement running along the palace, intended for visitors, and the rear one used by the Warsaw Tourist Information staff, located from the side of the building’s inner courtyard.

The main entrance

It has the form of a portico and is marked with a large, blue, square billboard with the letter “i” and the words “Tourist Information” clearly visible from afar. A staircase leads to the entrance on two sides with contrasting markings in front of the first and on the last step. The stairs are not equipped with railings or handrails. People with mobility impairments in wheelchairs can receive information materials outside the building without the need to climb the stairs leading to the point in the Palace of Culture and Science. The main entrance is equipped with a very large and heavy door, which makes it impossible for a person in a wheelchair to open it independently. The door has a wooden threshold of 3 cm to 4 cm in height. During the summer season the door remains open.

Toilets

The two accessible toilets are located in the main building of the Palace of Culture and Science in the side aisles of the lift lobby, next to the men’s and women’s restrooms. To get to the lift hall, you need to go through the gate located between Warsaw Tourist Information point and the Congress Hall leading to the first part of the courtyard, then turn left and go through the inner gate to the second part of the courtyard. Immediately after the inner gate on the right is the entrance to the building, from which a wide corridor leads to the lift lobby. The toilets are locked and opened by a member of staff on duty in the lift lobby. There is limited space to manoeuvre in the lavatories. In the toilet located next to the men’s facilities, space is provided for lateral transfer to the toilet bowl.

Horizontal and vertical traffic routes in the building

The Warsaw Tourist Information point consists of the main room to serve visitors to the point and staff rooms connected to it by a door without a threshold and a corridor about 130 cm wide. The main room at the back has stairs without contrasting step markings. The staff toilet is not wheelchair accessible.

Evacuation

The point is clearly marked with an evacuation route and an audible alarm notification system is installed. Evacuation takes place through the main entrance.

Office

Information on the layout of the building

The building lacks visual information about the layout of the rooms. Voice information can be obtained from the Palace of Culture and Science employee on duty in the main lobby. Voice information on the layout of rooms used by the Warsaw Tourist Office is available from the Office’s Secretariat located in room no. 1051 on the 10th floor opposite lift exits no. 9 and 10. On the entrance door to the rooms there are plates with information about the people working in a given room and poorly visible room numbers.
You can enter the building and office with an assistance dog and a guide dog. There are no induction loops in the office. There is no Braille signage or contrasting or enlarged print signage for blind and partially sighted people in the building or office. No one in the office speaks sign language.

Warsaw Tourist Information Point

Visitors to the Warsaw Tourist Information point are assisted in one room.
You can enter the point with an assistance dog and a guide dog. An induction loop is installed at the point, there is no access to a sign language interpreter.