Praga Południe – the green capital of sportsmen and artists

Until now, Warsaw tourist guides have discussed almost exclusively the left-bank Capital, as if the order created by the nature course of the Vistula was outright impassable. Their authors apparently forgot that the green and peaceful Praga district is distinguished by a unique atmosphere, offers a taste of a pre-war setting, and includes Warsaw’s oldest housing state and necropolis.

The unparalleled ambience of Praga was discovered by artists, whose sui generis exodus to the right bank of the Vistila has Bern observed for the last few years. An excellent example of this phenomenon in Praga Południe is Stowarzyszenie Pracownie Twórcze (association of Creative Workshops) Lubelska 30/32 supported by our office.The artists were attracted by postindustrial spacer whose rough technocratic scenery is a perfect match for the demands of contrmporary art.

Moreover, the post-industrial buioldings are no small opportunity for clubbing enthusiast – after all, the celebrated M25 club (Mińska Street) is located within Praga Południe – and for the academic community – the Warsaw School of Social Psychology, situated In Chodakowska Street, will hopfully become the first Praga university. The developmennt of this seemingly unfriendly space provides our District with the original charakter of a site where scence, culture and art. Co-exist In relics of twentieth-century utilitarian architecture. However, this is just a ample of what can be fund in Prag Południe.

To some degree, that traditional willa buildings of Saska Kępa, dating Bach to the 1920s and 1930s, are an architectural contradition of the industrial landscape. Thanks to its unequaled atmosphere, Saska Kępa is rcognised as one of the most magnificent parts of Warsaw.In addition, it plays the role of a „diplomatic” space – the numerous embassies and consulates located here add a cosmopolitan dimansion, Expressem nat only In street names but, most of all, In restaurants, pizza parlours and caffes serving Polish, Italia, French, Hungarian, Turkisch or Chinese cuisine. Saska Kępa is also celebrated during a special holiday – once a year, In the spring, itd. streets are transformed into colorful promenades with concerts, theatre spectacles, film screenings and crowds of guests strolling between cafes, wine bars, conjurers and antique vendors.

The Saska Kępa festivities are not the only mass event to be held in Praga Południe. The end of February marks the enomous staging of the Battle of Olszynka Grochowska, one of the most important clashes in the November Uprising (1830-1831). To the accompaniment of roaring cannons, hundreads of participants in historically accurate attire reenact impresive battle scenes. Despite frosty weather, each year several thousand spectators admire the staging.

This year`s edition of the Battle of Olszynka Grochowska staging was once again held in the Skaryszewski Park (official name: the I.J. Paderewski Park). The park, covering an area of more than 55 hectares, is a considerable attraction both for Varsovians and tourists. This is the only place in the Capital whereyou can enjoy walks among greenery, fresh air and sailing a kayak or pedal boat. The park also includes a concert bowl, which on every summertime weekend is filled with music or peals of laughter of the audience of cabaret perfomances.

Visitors to the near-by old Wedel factory are recommended to have a cuo of the acclaimed hot chocolate, held in high esteem also abroad. Here, we enter Kamionek- the oldest inhabited fragment of Warsaw whose origins date back to the thirteenth century. Warsaw`s oldest cemetery is also located in the area, right next to the church of Our Lady of Victory. The adjacent Grochowska Street features the historical Tollgates, which during the partitions marked the town borders. Special attention should also be paid to the acclaimed Zygmunt Hübner Powszechny Theatre iz Zamoyskiego Street.

Until recently, the Jarmark Europa market located in the 10th Anniversary Stadium was a major tourist attraction. One of Europe`s largest bazaars, Jarmark Europa attracted visitors with its low prices and distinctive folklore. In teh very near future, the market will be finally shut down. Within the next few years, its former site will witness the construction of a major complex- the National Sports Centre whose opening is planned on the eve of the UEFA Euro 2012 Soccer Championships.

Anticipating the sports events, the District Department is palnning numerous investments, which will gradually change the appearance of Praga Poludnie. Each day, this diverse and green district becomes an increasingly attractive meeting point of history and contemporaneity, tradition and modernity.