Foksal Street

Foksal
View of Foksal Street, 2023
TypeStreet
Length285 metres (0.177 mi)
LocationDowntown, Warsaw, Poland
Coordinates52°14′02″N 21°01′18″E / 52.23389°N 21.02167°E / 52.23389; 21.02167
Major
junctions		In descending order: Nowy Świat Street, Gałczyńskiego, Kopernika, Krywulta.
Construction
Inauguration15 May 1776 (as Foksal Gardens)
Other
Known forhistoric tenements, pubs, bars, restaurants

Foksal Street (Polish: ulica Foksal; from Vauxhall) is a street in central Warsaw, Poland. Situated within the Śródmieście (Downtown) borough, it extends from Nowy Świat to the Zamoyski Palace and is a dead end street. Much of the buildings and edifices in the surrounding area date back to the 19th century, including tenements and palatial residences near its end.

Name

The contemporary polonised term "Foksal" was directly derived from the Vauxhall Gardens at Vauxhall, an area of Central London in Great Britain.[1] The street was once an alley acting as the central axis of a pleasure garden designated for recreational use and exhibitions. In 1934, the name was changed to Pieracki Street, after Bronisław Pieracki, Minister of the Interior, who was assassinated there by the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists in 1934.[2] Under the Polish People's Republic, the name was changed to 'Yugoslavian Youth' (ulica Młodzieży Jugosłowiańskiej), but reverted to the original Foksal in around 1950 after Yugoslavia's split with the Eastern Bloc (Tito–Stalin split).[3]

History

Konstanty Zamoyski Palace, 1875–1877.
Przeździecki Palace, 1878–1879, modified 1951–1953.
Tenements at Foksal 13 and 15, 1895–1898, following their restoration completed in 2020.

18th century

The land now occupied by Foksal was originally held in the 18th century by the aristocratic Czapski family, whose members erected a small suburban residence in its place.[4] In 1746, Walenty Aleksander Czapski, Bishop of Przemyśl and Kuyavia, sold it to Maria Anna Brühl, who transformed it into a garden.[4] Following her death, the land was acquired by a Warsaw banker of Huguenot origin, Fryderyk Cabrit (Kabryt).[5] Together with Franciszek Ryx, a courtier and butler of King Stanislaus Augustus of Poland, they formed a joint venture with an aim of creating a space for public exhibitions and displays.[5] Ryx and Kabryt subsequently established the Foksal Gardens, a place of entertainment for the wealthy residents and burghers of Warsaw, which opened on 15 May 1776.[6] The name was not coincidental and corresponded to the fashionable Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens in London to attract attention.[6] It became a site rented for balls and concerts, with eateries and illuminated pavilions for the guests.[7][8] On 10 May 1789, French inventor Jean-Pierre Blanchard undertook Warsaw's first flight with an aerostatic balloon over the gardens and its surroundings.[9] Much later, Jordaki Kuparenko repeated Blanchard's achievement on the same spot.[10]

19th century

The park continued to change hands and eventually disappeared over the course of the 19th century.[11] Under the Przeździecki family, the property was partitioned, the former park alley was transformed into a street, and individual plots of land were sold.[12] Between 1875 and 1877, Konstanty Zamoyski erected an imposing Renaissance Revival mansion at its far end.[13] Designed by renowned Polish-Italian architect Leandro Marconi, the building survived to this day.[13] Another extant historical edifice is the Przeździecki Palace with its two-storey arcaded colonnade, located at Foksal 6.[14] It was rebuilt in its current Neo-Renaissance form between 1951 and 1953.[15] Simultaneously, many city-style tenements and urban architecture began appearing close to the intersection with Nowy Świat.[16] The Neo-Gothic house at Foksal 19 and Teatr Sabat at Foksal 16 are notable landmarks.[17]

20th & 21st centuries

Prior to 1939, the street was deemed prestigious and became inhabited by high society.[18] Notably, Polish actor Eugeniusz Bodo opened a fashionable cafe and resided at Foksal 17.[19] Many of the edifices also hosted social clubs and private associations.[19] One of those clubs at Foksal 3 was often attended by politicians and military personnel.[20] On 15 June 1934, Bronisław Pieracki, Minister of Internal Affairs of Poland, was assassinated by a Ukrainian nationalist and member of the OUN whilst exiting the premises, near the gate.[20] Pieracki died in hospital on the same day.[21] Shortly after, the name of the street was changed to honour the deceased statesman.[2]

During the Second World War and the Warsaw Uprising in 1944, much of the street's built heritage was damaged or destroyed, though some important structures survived or were rebuilt.[22] Nonetheless, the street maintained its historic appearance under the Polish People's Republic.[22] Today, it is a venue for pubs, bars and restaurants, some of which are open-air. In terms of residential aspects, the flats and apartments at Foksal are one of the most expensive in Warsaw, particularly at Foksal 13 and 15.[23] Both buildings underwent a major restoration between 2016 and 2020 by Ghelamco.[23]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Foksal Street in Warsaw.

References

Citations

  1. ^ Boniecki & Mickiewicz 1981, p. 127.
  2. ^ a b Kochanowski & Pieńkowska 2006, p. 114.
  3. ^ Jaroszewski 1987, p. 78.
  4. ^ a b Szwankowski 1970, p. 47.
  5. ^ a b Jaroszewski 1987, p. 123.
  6. ^ a b Baranowska 1996, p. 138.
  7. ^ Jaroszewski 1987, p. 13.
  8. ^ Herbaczyński 1983, p. 41.
  9. ^ Jaroszewski 1987, p. 18.
  10. ^ Jaroszewski 1987, p. 21.
  11. ^ Przezdziecki 1999, pp. 122–123.
  12. ^ Przezdziecki 1999, p. 123.
  13. ^ a b Chrościcki & Rottermund 1978, p. 63.
  14. ^ Jaroszewski 1987, p. 125.
  15. ^ Głębocki & Kobyłka 1991, p. 92.
  16. ^ Chrościcki & Rottermund 1978, p. 41.
  17. ^ Jaroszewski 1987, pp. 106, 115, 136.
  18. ^ Jaroszewski 1987, p. 100.
  19. ^ a b Janicki 1985, p. 154.
  20. ^ a b Polit 2003, p. 9.
  21. ^ Uniszewski 2000, p. 221.
  22. ^ a b Kasprzycki & Stępień 1986, p. 233.
  23. ^ a b Redakcja 2024.

Bibliography

  • Baranowska, Małgorzata (1996). Warszawa; miesiące, lata, wieki (in Polish). Wrocław: Wydawnictwo Dolnośląskie. ISBN 9788370235291.
  • Boniecki, Zbigniew; Mickiewicz, Marian (1981). Londyn (in Polish). Warsaw (Warszawa): Wiedza Powszechna. ISBN 9788321400402.
  • Chrościcki, Juliusz; Rottermund, Andrzej (1978). Atlas of Warsaw's Architecture. Warsaw (Warszawa): Arkady. ISBN 978-0-8002-2280-2. OCLC 4402354.
  • Głębocki, Wiesław; Kobyłka, Tadeusz (1991). Pałace Warszawy (in Polish). Warsaw (Warszawa): Wydawnictwo "Sport i Turystyka". ISBN 9788321728148.
  • Herbaczyński, Wojciech (1983). W dawnych cukierniach i kawiarniach warszawskich (in Polish). Warsaw (Warszawa): Państwowe Wydawn. Naukowe. ISBN 9788306007893.
  • Janicki, Stanisław (1985). W starym polskim kinie (in Polish). Warsaw (Warszawa): Krajowa Agencja Wydawnicza. ISBN 9788303007285.
  • Jaroszewski, Tadeusz Stefan (1987). Pałac Zamoyskich na Foksalu / Zamoyski Palace at Foksal. Warsaw (Warszawa): Państwowe Wydawn. Naukowe. ISBN 9788301070557.
  • Kasprzycki, Jerzy; Stępień, Marian (1986). Warszawskie pożegnania (in Polish). Warsaw (Warszawa): PTTK "Kraj". ISBN 9788370051150.
  • Kochanowski, Jerzy; Pieńkowska, Patrycja (2006). W połowie drogi. Warszawa między Paryżem a Kijowem (in Polish). Warsaw (Warszawa): Wydawnictwo Trio. ISBN 9788374360463.
  • Polit, Ireneusz (2003). Miejsce odosobnienia w Berezie Kartuskiej w latach 1934-1939 (in Polish). Toruń: Adam Marszałek. ISBN 9788373224698.
  • Przezdziecki, Rajnold (1999). Aleksander Przezdziecki; historyk, literat z XIX w. (in Polish). Toruń: Adam Marszałek. ISBN 9788371743078.
  • Redakcja (2024). "Kamienice przy ulicy Foksal. Przebudowa zabytkowych kamienic 13/15 w Warszawie". architektura.muratorplus.pl (in Polish). Grupa ZPR Media. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  • Szwankowski, Eugeniusz (1970). Ulice i place Warszawy (in Polish). Warsaw (Warszawa): Państwowe Wydawn. Naukowe. OCLC 1412106041.
  • Uniszewski, Zdzisław (2000). Przeszukanie. Problematyka kryminalistyczna (in Polish). Warsaw (Warszawa): Neriton. ISBN 9788386842759.