Once a post-industrial, inaccessible quarter in Wola district. Today – a new urban space with greenery, fountains, cafés and restaurants, culture and art spots. Plac Europejski (European Square) is an entirely new quality of urban space, previously unknown in Poland, which has stolen the hearts of Warsaw residents, tourists and employees of nearby buildings. This is the first urban square of this scale in Poland, coherently designed and implemented by the developer on a private plot of land.
Plac Europejski has been built in the once neglected quarter of Towarowa, Grzybowska, Wronia and Łucka streets, in a post-industrial quarter in Wola district, which has been inaccessible for decades. It is a perfect meeting spot for Warsaw inhabitants and a venue for various events, teeming with life long past working hours. Residents, tourists and employees of neighbouring office buildings come here, not only those who work in Warsaw Spire. One can encounter here the residents relaxing on deckchairs, children splashing in the fountains, employees of Warsaw Spire, as well as families and groups of friends taking memorable photos against the highest office building in Poland.
Plac Europejski is an example of an entirely new approach of the developer to creating space around commercial projects. By planning and implementing the project, Ghelamco provided a completely new quality for the capital and set an entirely new direction for other developers. This is the first urban square of this scale in Poland, coherently designed and implemented by the developer on a private plot of land. Although there are still numerous fenced residential and office projects implemented in Warsaw, Ghelamco proposed an entirely new approach to the city as a common good, which should be taken care by and benefited from by all its users.
Plac Europejski was created due to the developer's sense of social responsibility and the desire to deliver a new quality of Warsaw's urban fabric. Contrary to most squares in Warsaw, which are crowded by cars, Plac Europejski has been created for pedestrians. This is an approach consistent with best practices from Western Europe, where the comfort and quality of the space in which we live and work are considered key issues when planning cities.
It is twice as big as the historical plac Zamkowy (Castle Square). Its area amounts to 1.5 ha. It is also one of the few green oases in this part of the city – 14,000 various plants, including 120 trees, have been planted there. A cascade stream 120 meters long runs among them, with its estuary in the fountain located at the tower building of the complex. This perfectly designed space is the work of a renowned Belgian studio Wirtz International Landscape Architects, whose portfolio includes, among others, Élysée Palace gardens, Jardin du Carrousel in Tuileries Gardens in Paris, and Jubilee Park in London.
Plac Europejski means not only high-end architectural and urban solutions, but also a rich functional program ensured by the project's investor. Its northern side is occupied by Art Walk – a specially designed modern exhibition space where one can experience art outside museum walls, at any time of day or night. The person responsible for this project is Mac Stopa – a world-famous designer and winner of numerous international awards from the renowned Massive Design studio. On the walls of the tenements at Grzybowska Street there are two murals painted by world-famous artists – Rafał Olbiński and François Schuiten. The square is also enlivened by restaurants and cafés operating in Warsaw Spire and in the standalone pavilion between the buildings of the complex.
The square is also the only urban space of this class in this part of Warsaw. Plac Europejski's success is proven by the people who visit it every day – residents of Warsaw, employees of Warsaw Spire and surrounding office buildings as well as tourists, who treat this place as one of the city's attractions. Thanks to outstanding installation “KOCHAM WARSZAWĘ” (I love Warsaw) on the Warsaw Spire tower building, Plac Europejski became a unique, recognizable place in Warsaw.
Plac Europejski has also gained recognition of Polish town planners, who granted it in September an award in the Society of Polish Town Planners competition for the best newly created public space in Poland.
