Saska Kępa

Coordinates: 52°13′58″N 21°03′35″E / 52.2327°N 21.0596°E / 52.2327; 21.0596
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Saska Kępa
Saxon Meadow
Praga Południe (navy blue)
Coordinates: 52°13′58″N 21°03′35″E / 52.2327°N 21.0596°E / 52.2327; 21.0596
CountryPoland
VoivodeshipMasovian
County/CityWarsaw
Time zone+2

Saska Kępa (Polish pronunciation:

Praga Południe (South Praga) district, with a population of over 40.000 inhabitants.[1] It is also the home to one of Warsaw's largest urban parks, the Skaryszew Park
. The neighbourhood is mostly occupied by semi-detached suburban houses and villas.

History

House of Zalewski's family - an example of prewar house designed by Bohdan Pniewski

In the seventeenth century, an area of the (eastern) bank of the

Kings of Poland stationed there in the eighteenth century. The area retained its rural character until the early twentieth century. It officially became part of the city of Warsaw in 1916, and quickly became one of the fastest-growing areas of the city. During the 1920s and 1930s members of Warsaw's growing middle class
built mansions in the suburb and the area became a popular residential area.

The location of Saska Kępa on the east bank of the Vistula, allowed the district to escape the systematic destruction inflicted during and after the

Praga Południe
to retain much of its original peaceful character. It has historically housed many foreign embassies and consulates, nestled among streets that were named in the 1920s after continents, nations, and major world cities.

Ulica Francuska is today the main commercial street, and is lined with shops and increasingly large numbers of restaurants.

The "front door" to the district is Rondo Waszyngtona, a roundabout named after

10th Anniversary Stadium
.

Several controversial apartment complexes have sprung up within Saska Kępa, but no further major construction projects are being considered for fear they would damage the unique character of the area. Many of the older homes in Saska Kępa were remodelled in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but most were restored in a manner consistent with the pre-World War II character of the district.

Notable residents

Bibliography

  • Piwowar, Magdalena; Piątek, Grzegorz; Trybuś, Jarosław (2012). SAS. An illustrated Atlas of Saska Kępa ARchitecture. Warsaw: Centrum Architektury. .

52°13′58″N 21°03′35″E / 52.2327°N 21.0596°E / 52.2327; 21.0596

External links

References

  1. ^ "Informacje o dzielnicy - Warszawa, Praga Południe - Portal Informacyjny". www.citymedia.waw.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2022-12-02.