Варшавский район Вжебно: история и современность

Neighbourhood in Warsaw, Poland

Wierzbno is a neighbourhood, and an area of the City Information System, in the city of Warsaw, Poland, located within the district of Mokotów. It is a residential area, with most of its eastern area consisting of villas and tenements, and its western area, and a portion of its eastern area, consisting of multifamily residential large panel system buildings. In the neighbourhood is also located the eastern portion of the Arcadia Park, known as the Upper Arcadia. The park is located between Puławska Street, Żywnego Street, Piaseczyńska Street, and Idzikowskiego Street, next to the gardens of Królikarnia palace.

In the neighbourhood are located two stations of the M1 line of the Warsaw Metro rapid transit underground system. They are Wierzbno station, located at the intersection of Woronicza Street, Independence Avenue, and Naruszewicza Street, and Racławicka station, located at the intersection of Racławicka Street, Wiktorska Street, and Independence Avenue.

In Wierzbno, at 77/85 Independence Avenue, are located the headquarters of Polish Radio, a national public service radio broadcasting organization of Poland.

In northeast Wierzbno, on Warsaw Escarpment, in the area of Merliniego Street, in located the Warszawianka sports complex. Among its amenities, it includes tennis courts and indoor swimming pool complex. It is the headquarters of KS Warszawianka sports team. In Wierzbno, at 31 Racławicka Street, is also located the Monastery of St. Joseph of the Catholic mendicant order of Discalced Carmelites. The order occupies the building since 1947. It is the headquarters of the Discalced Carmelites Warsaw Province of the Most Holy Trinity, one of the two border provinces in Poland.

In Wierzbno are located embassies of Algeria at 10 Krasickiego Street, Croatia at 25 Krasickiego Street, and Kuwait at 26 Krasickiego Street.

In the 1770s, the patch of land was given by king Stanisław August Poniatowski, monarch of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, to Józef Jakubowski, the brigadier of the French Army. On his lands, Jakubowski had established a small folwark type settlement of Wierzbno near the village of Mokotów (now part of Old Mokotów), which he then called Pod Wierzbą, which in Polish means under the willow tree. In 1786, in southern Wierzbno was built Królikarnia palace, owned by Carlo Alessandro Tomatis, husband of Caterina Gattai Tomatis. In 1794, during the Kościuszko Uprising, it was the residence of Tadeusz Kościuszko, the leader of the insurrect forces. In 1816, Tomatis had sold it to the Radziwiłł family. In 1824, Louisa Bonnet de Belon (1802 1876), Henryk Bonnet's daughter, had married George Fanshawe (1789 1867; also known as Jerzy Fanshave), English born chamberlain and colonel in the Imperial Russian Army. The couple had inherited the property around 1830. Around 1850, in place of Bonnet's residence, at current 107A Puławska Street, was built Fanshawe Palace, which became the residence of the Fanshawe family. In 1900, the palace was inherited by nobleman August Potocki, who, while never living there himself, had accommodated there the less wealthy members of his family. In 1840, Ksawer Pusłowski built his residence in south Wierzbno, now known as Ksawerów Manor, which is located at 13 Ksawerów Street. Near it was also built a road, which forms the current Ksawerów Street. In 1849, he had bought Królikarnia palace. At that time, Wierzbno, and Mokotów, had also become popular holiday villages. In 1856, at the intersection of current Puławska Street and Dolna Street, was built the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which originally belonged to the Roman Catholic Parish of St. Alexander, and in 1917, it had become its own parish church. It was the first church built within current boundaries of the district of Mokotów. The building was destroyed in 1944, during the Warsaw Uprising. In its place, between 1950 and 1966, was built the Church of Saint Michael the Archangel. In 1881, Wierzbno was connected with Warsaw via a horsebus line. In 1909, it was replaced by a tram line. In 1892, the Fort M Che was built near Wierzbno, as part of the inner circle of the series of fortifications of the Warsaw Fortress, build around Warsaw by the Russian Empire. In 1909, it was decided to decommission and demolish the fortifications of the Warsaw Fortress, due to the high costs of their maintenance, and as such the Fort M Che was demilitarized and abandoned, and was later deconstructed in the 1920s. From 1867 to 1916, Wierzbno belonged to the gmina (municipality) of Mokotów. On 8 April 1916, Wierzbno, together with the rest of its municipality, were incorporated into the city of Warsaw. In 1906, was opened Wierzbno railway station, operated by the Grójec Narrow Gauge Railway. It was part of the railway line between stations of Warszawa Mokotów and Nowe Miasto nad Pilicą. It was located near the current location of Arcadia Park near Puławska Street. The station had operated until 1937. The major development of Wierzbno begun in the 1920s, and continued throughout the 1930s, mostly in the area between current Independence Avenue and Puławska Street, where were built villas and single family detached homes. In the area of Puławska Street were also built tenements. The development included only the eastern portion of the current City Information System area of Wierzbno, with the western portion remaining undeveloped until the 1960s. In 1931, in Wierzbno opened the St. Elizabeth Hospital (originally known as St. Anthony Hospital), operated by the institute of Sisters of Saint Elizabeth, located at 1 Goszczyńskiego Street. The building was destroyed during the Second World War, and rebuilt between 1946 and 1948. In 1949, it was nationalized. In 1993, the legal ownership of the building was returned to the Sisters of Saint Elizabeth, with the agreement that the building would operate until 2003, as the state medical institution, with them ultimately regaining the facility in 2006. In 1938, in Wierzbno was opened the Dreszer Park, an urban park designed by Zygmunt Hellwig in the modernist style, and located between current Ursynowska Street, Independence Avenue, Odyńca Street, and Krasickiego Street In 1944, during the Second World War, the park become a defensive point of the Polish resistance fighters of the Warsaw Uprising, mainly from the Baszta Regiment Group, who defended their position from German forces attacking from the north between 2 and 13 August 1944, and from the south, between 25 and 27 September 1944. The western portion of the park, located between Ursynowska Street, Odyńca Street, Krasickiego Street, and Independence Avenue, was separated from the rest, forming the Second Jordan Garden, one of the Jordan gardens in the city, which form urban green spaces dedicated as the recreational and play area for children and youth. Between 1954 and 1962, in the northeast portion of the area of Wierzbno, was built Warszawianka sports complex, located on Warsaw Escarpment, in the area of Merliniego Street. Among its amenities, the object included a football pitch, and tennis courts. Between 1960 and 1973, the complex was expanded with outdoor and indoor swimming pools. The complex was, and remains to the present day, a home field of KS Warszawianka sports team. The complex was designed by architects Jerzy Sołtan, and Zbigniew Ihnatowicz. The complex had degraded over the years, with its sections becoming abandoned and disused. In the 1990s, in the complex was opened new indoor swimming pool complex. The old outdoor swimming pools of the complex were destroyed, and overbuilt with a residential area. In 1957, at 77/85 Independence Avenue was opened the building of Polish Radio, a national public service radio broadcasting organization of Poland. Originally, it was used as a broadcasting station of international auditions. In 1958, it became the headquarters and main broadcasting station of Polskie Radio. Between 1960 and 1975, in the western portion of the current City Information System area of Wierzbno, was built the residential neighbourhood of Wierzbno, consisting of multifamily residential large panel system buildings. It was one of the first neighbourhoods in Poland built using the large panel system technology. It was built between Wołoska Street, Woronicza Street, Independence Avenue, and Odyńca Street. Its designers were Zofia Fafiusowa, Jerzy Stanisławski, Kazimierz Stasiniewicz, and Andrzej Wochna. Between 1965 and 1971, in the eastern portion of the current City Information System area of Wierzbno, was built the residential neighbourhood of Skarpa Puławska consisting of eight 13 storey multifamily residential large panel system buildings, planned to house between 4 and 5 thousand people. It was built between Puławska Street, Bielawska Street, Żywnego Street, and the peaks of Warsaw Escarpment. Skarpa Puławska was one of the first neighbourhoods in Poland built using the large panel system technology, and at the time of their construction, the buildings were the tallest buildings in the country, built in that technology. Between 1968 and 1970, at the current boundary of Wierzbno and Sielce, was built Arcadia Park, an urban park designed by Longin Majdecki, and located in an area between Puławska Street, Żywnego Street, Piaseczyńska Street, and Idzikowskiego Street. It is located next to the gardens of Królikarnia palace. On 7 April 1995, in the neighbourhood were opened two stations of the M1 line of the Warsaw Metro rapid transit underground system. They were Wierzbno station, located at the intersection of Woronicza Street, Independence Avenue, and Naruszewicza Street, and Racławicka station, located at the intersection of Racławicka Street, Wiktorska Street, and Independence Avenue. On 17 July 2014 was established the municipal neighbourhood of Wierzbno, which is governed by the neighbourhood council. It includes most of the territory of the City Information System area. To the north, its border is determined by Racławicka Street, Independence Avenue, and Ursynowska Street; to the east, by Puławska Street; to the south, by Woronicza Street; and to the west, by Wołoska Street. The neighbourhood government is divided into two organs, the neighbourhood council as the legislative body, and the neighbourhood management as the executive body. Its seat is located at 44A Woronicza Street. The municipal neighbourhood had been established on 17 July 2014.