Echoes of industrial Kamionek
Warsaw Kamionek, the part of Praga-South district, will surprise many. A few tram stops from the center full of skyscrapers, in the vicinity of the impressive PGE Narodowy (the national stadium) and the captivating Skaryszewski Park, we can find a place that differs from those recommended in the guides. Post-industrial buildings located in Kamionek intrigue and at the same time delight with the atmosphere of old Warsaw.
Walking down Mińska Street, we can see traces of artistic creativity left on the facades of factories and tenement houses, e.g. at 23 Bliska Street, you will see an unusual mural depicting a bird and a snake. It was created as part of the Street Art Doping festival by the Chinese artist DALeast.
The industrial character of the district is changing with the growing number of cultural attractions, creative studios and trendy restaurants. One of the flagship examples is SOHO at Mińska 25. Here you can visit the Neon Museum, which is beloved by instagrammers from all over the world. The Neon Museum is the first in Poland and one of the few neon museums in the world. The history of the museum began in 2005, when Ilona Karwińska saved the neon sign of the former “Berlin” store at ul. Marszałkowska in Warsaw. The museum’s collection includes about 100 neon lights from all over Poland. Most of them come from the 1960s and 1970s. In 2020, the facility was recognized by the readers of the British daily The Guardian as one of the 12 most interesting city museums in Europe.
Kamionek has a charm, even in the areas that look abandoned. You will find here tenement houses overgrown with ivy, such as the one at 22 Chodakowska Street or the buildings of the former “Perun” factory at 301/305 Grochowska Street, which are one of the best preserved and the oldest examples of industrial architecture in the city.
It is also worth entering the premises of the former Veterinary Institute of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW). The complex of buildings occupying about two hectares was erected in the years 1898-1900 according to the design of the Russian architect Vladimir Pokrovski. The university chose this place because next door, in the nearby park, was a horse and cattle market providing students with research material. The site was bought by the Capital City of Warsaw and handed over to the Sinfonia Varsovia Orchestra.
