Skarpa Warszawska – at the back of Aleje Ujazdowskie

The route begins in the Park na Książęcem in front of the mysterious, barred entrance. This is the remains of Elizeum, an underground rotunda built for the royal brother, Kazimierz Poniatowski, which was probably used for social gatherings. By shining a flashlight into the depths, you can see the remains of this unusual building. Crossing the footbridge over Książęca Street we will reach the second estate of Kazimierz, the “Na Górze” garden. It is worth paying attention to the villa of Pniewski, rebuilt from a summer palace. The architect lived here and had his studio. During the Warsaw Uprising, the building was one of the redoubts. A priceless memento is the blood stain of the insurgent who was wounded here. Going further, we will reach Konopnicka Street. Luxurious tenement houses from the 1930s have been preserved here. The building at No. 5 with hand-forged bars was designed by Pniewski, and at No. 3 with characteristic bay windows by Jerzy Gelbard and Roman Sigalin. It is worth looking through the glass in the door to see the white ceramic floor with the motif of black crosses. In the last building, you can see traces of bullets from the Uprising period on black poles. Passing on the back of the Sejm buildings, and then through Górnośląska Street, we come across a pre-war housing estate designed by professors of the Faculty of Architecture of the Warsaw University of Technology, i.e. the Professors’ Colony. All the houses except one are built in a historic style. You will find there the picturesque Profesorska Street.