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Z±bkowska, one of Praga's most neglected streets, once slated to be demolished, has become more attractive over the past five years thanks to work by those who want to protect Warsaw's historic monuments and support from the Praga Północ administration. As part of the campaign, launched in 2001, another dilapidated tenement house has recently undergone a metamorphosis.
The building at 11 Z±bkowska St. bears little resemblance to the one pictured in old photographs with decaying walls and chipped balconies. Now the 19th-century building looks as if it had been transplanted from Nowy ¦wiat, one of the most elegant streets in Warsaw. Renovation work was completed throughout the building, not only on the sand-color facade.
A few years ago, Z±bkowska was the perfect movie set for a war film. "Actually, the street's appearance had little to do with the war, which spared most of Praga buildings," said Janusz Sujecki from the ZOK Warsaw Cultural Heritage Board, one of the initiators of the campaign. "Decades of neglect and vandalism earned Z±bkowska the name 'ruin canyon.'" Authorities allowed the buildings to deteriorate so they would be condemned and modern buildings more consistent with the "spirit of the age" built in their place.
In the 1990s protesters stepped in, sidetracking plans to destroy the old buildings, considered by many to be valuable historical monuments. In 2000 Sujecki and Jarosław Zieliński from the City-History pro Futuro organization formulated a Renovation Public Program. The program contained detailed directives regarding individual buildings and lots, intended to transform Z±bkowska Street into a tourist attraction comparable to Warsaw's Old Town.
"We focused on the most valuable section of Z±bkowska between Targowa and Brzeska streets," Sujecki said. "This section is of particular historic significance-the oldest brick houses of Praga are located here. Examples of various historic designs line the street, from the one-story suburban houses of the 19th century to the tenement houses of the '30s.
The architects behind the idea were prepared for lengthy discussions with administration officials and were surprised when the idea was approved at once. Professional architectural teams drew up renovation designs and work began in 2001. Five tenement houses were completely renovated over two years, regaining lost or damaged elements which were carefully reconstructed using traditional materials and technology. The building at 13 Z±bkowska Street now features a picturesque wooden gallery, no. 7 is embellished with richly decorated iron balconies and no. 3 was fitted with decorative window finials. Streetlights were restored, patterned on prewar examples, and the old authentic cobbled surface was preserved. Shop signs resembling those from the 19th century were hung over shops and workshops. Z±bkowska has a renewed elegance that attracts artists and eccentrics.
Most visitors are from Israel since the history of the street is linked to that of Warsaw's Jewish community. Two different worlds, religions and cultures once coexisted on Z±bkowska. On the odd-number side of the street, one of the largest Jewish marketplaces was located, while the even side was home to the Christian marketplace Różyc, still open today. In the former Jewish working-class district of small shop owners and craftsmen, some doors still bear the traces of the mezuzah-a Jewish religious symbol. Remnants of a former Jewish prayer house were discovered at 11 Z±bkowska St., which was later used as a set for Roman Polanski's The Pianist.
"For connoisseurs, Old Praga is more interesting than the Old Town because it is authentic," Zieliński argues. One Swedish tourist even opened a restaurant here called Łysy Pingwin (The Bald Penguin).
This year work will begin on no. 4 and more renovation projects are planned for 2006. Eventually renovation will cover most of Praga. Administration officials say the renovation must be matched by a well-balanced social program combating the district's greatest problems-poverty and crime.
The Local Revitalization Program for Warsaw, co-funded by the European Union, will help the district change its reputation. Its guiding idea is that the residents of Praga will be transformed along with their surroundings. Praga administration employees note that the renovated Z±bkowska is no longer cluttered with trash. Increasing numbers of artists, tourists and investors are putting a new face on an old district.
Anna Wysocka
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