Plac Zelaznej Bramy
Encyclopedia
Plac Żelaznej Bramy is a large open space in the city center
Sródmiescie
Śródmieście is a Polish word for "city centre". In particular it may refer to the following designated districts:* Śródmieście, Warsaw* Śródmieście, Gdańsk* Śródmieście, Gdynia* Śródmieście, Katowice* Śródmieście, Szczecin* Śródmieście, Wrocław...
of Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
. The square took its name from a large iron gate that once secured the western boundary of the Saxon Garden
Saxon Garden
The Saxon Garden is a 15.5–hectare public garden in downtown Warsaw, Poland, facing Piłsudski Square. It is the oldest public park in the city...
.
History
In the 17th century, the area to the west of Warsaw's Old TownWarsaw Old Town
Warsaw's Old Town is the oldest historic district of the city. It is bounded by Wybrzeże Gdańskie, along the bank of the Vistula, and by Grodzka, Mostowa and Podwale Streets. It is one of Warsaw's most prominent tourist attractions....
was being parceled out and rapidly built up. It was there that the widow of Jan Wielopolski
Jan Wielopolski
Count Jan Wielopolski was a Polish aristocrat and politician.Son of castellan and voivode Jan Wielopolski and Zofia Kochanowska. He was married to Aniela Febronia Koniecpolska and Konstancja Krystyna Komorowska since 1665...
founded a small town (jurydyka
Jurydyka
Jurydyka is a generic Polish term for a settlement right outside a royal city, that was independent from the municipal laws and rulers but instead remained under the jurisdiction of the ecclesiastic or secular lord who chartered, founded and owned it...
) named Wielopole after her late husband. The town was centered around a small market place dubbed Targowica Wielopolska, "Wielopole Market Place." Though the town was small and poor, it was probably designed by Tylman van Gameren
Tylman van Gameren
Tylman van Gameren was a Dutch-born Polish architect and engineer who, at the age of 28, settled in Poland and worked for Queen Maria Kazimiera, wife of Poland's King Jan III Sobieski...
, one of the most renowned architects of the age. The town bordered another small market town, Mirów. In the 18th century, the mighty Radziwiłł family built a palace there. The structure was later bought and expanded by the Lubomirski
Lubomirski
Lubomirski family is a Polish szlachta family. The family used the "Szreniawa without a cross" arms and their motto was: Nil conscire sibi ....
family, which gave their name to the palace. About the time the palace was built, the town began to prosper.
Under King August II, the area was completely rebuilt. As August was obsessed with the idea of a "Saxon Axis
Saxon Axis
The Saxon Axis is a feature of the historical city centre of the city of Warsaw. It is a line running from the Vistula through the Presidential Palace, the Krakowskie Przedmieście, Saxon Square, Saxon Palace, Saxon Garden, Lubomirski Palace to Plac Żelaznej Bramy.The idea was first proposed by...
," he decided to demolish the poor wooden houses in the area and incorporate the market place into the city of Warsaw. The Lubomirski Palace was also to be demolished, as it was constructed some 30 degrees off the axis. However, the plan had to be called off due to financial difficulties and the eventual death of the monarch. Nevertheless, the area continued growing thanks to both the palace and the local market place. It was there that the first permanent coffee house in Warsaw was opened in 1759. It was also there, in the market place, that six large barracks of the Royal Horse Guard were built.
The barracks were demolished by the Russians in the 19th century. In their place a new, smaller square was created. It inherited the name "Plac Mirowski," after the village of Mirów that once stood there. Between 1899 and 1901, two large markets were built there.
The entire area, excluding the two markets, was completely demolished by the Germans in the aftermath of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising
Warsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance Home Army , to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany. The rebellion was timed to coincide with the Soviet Union's Red Army approaching the eastern suburbs of the city and the retreat of German forces...
. After the war, the Saxon Garden was delimited on the west, and the place of the former iron gate is now occupied by a street. The Lubomirski Palace was partially rebuilt, but was rotated some 30 degrees to conform to the Saxon Axis
Saxon Axis
The Saxon Axis is a feature of the historical city centre of the city of Warsaw. It is a line running from the Vistula through the Presidential Palace, the Krakowskie Przedmieście, Saxon Square, Saxon Palace, Saxon Garden, Lubomirski Palace to Plac Żelaznej Bramy.The idea was first proposed by...
. In the 1960s, under Władysław Gomułka, the former square was built up with large apartment blocks. Even though the square no longer exists, the new buildings retain "Iron-Gate Square" addresses.