19th District
Return to the river … a brief history of an uneasy, yet passionate relationship between Varsovians and the Vistula
The first days of autumn and first day of heavy rains in Warsaw brings many sunny memories from the past weeks in my city as I write this by the riverbank. Memories come back of crowds in the remote cafes and pubs, food trucks, lots of bikes and people on the city beaches.
However, for years and even decades, the Vistula riverbank was a forgotten place, neglected and cluttered. It was a physical manifestation of the mental border existing between the left and right sides of the river. The right side has been less developed and troubled with social issues although it was not actually destroyed in WWII. Prejudice towards this side remains today although perhaps new plans for regeneration of the Praga district will change such attitudes.
Why has the riverbank been neglected for so long? There are numerous reasons including historical, economic, political and social factors involved..
Lets go back a bit in time
Before WWII the area had plans for development, with parts of the left riverbank being paved and boulevards planned along both sides of the Vistula. Then Nazi occupation stopped the entire process . The river was not regulated and natural settlements of birds and unique flora were saved. Some historians of architecture have said of these horrific times that, “this was the only positive outcome of WWII for Warsaw” (almost 90% of left side of the city was destroyed).
In the 1950s and even in the 60s Varsovians would come to the river on Sundays. During that time Saturdays were working days for all white and blue collar workers in Poland. However, wrong decisions to regulate the river — to move the current away from the banks — caused the river to flow faster, taking away most of the beaches, and the banks became overgrown by trees and undergrowth. In the 70s and 80s both banks became abandoned and a dwelling place for the homeless.
New political order that brought economic and social change
Political change in the early 1990s (end of socialism in Poland) and economic growth of the early 2000s (larger disposable income per capita) triggered social interest in the river bank area, as for many years it was more common to party at home than to go outdoors. Why? — because there weren’t many places to go. People worked on Saturdays so it was easier to meet at neighbour’s homes, plus salaries weren’t high enough to pay for outings.
Sometime during this period life returned to the Vistula banks. Once again, there was no well structured or planned process and no general vision for the area coming from city hall. Buildings lining the boulevards close to the Old Town were rented by the city to restaurant owners from the area. Prices were lower than in other parts of the city, so business grew quickly, but had no proper planning and faced numerous problems. In the early 2000s Newspaper headlines spoke of the “horror by the river” with thieves, drugs and crime, which resulted in the commercial area being closed in 2003. Conditions of the infrastructure changed dramatically with EU funding and preparation for the European Football Cup — Euro 2012. National Stadium was built practically on the riverbank and in the exact spot of the 10th Anniversary Stadium from socialist times (also called Europe Market, but that’s a story for another post). There is now a second subway line (M2) connecting the two banks and Karski Boulevards (btw Jan Karski is a fascinating personality and a war hero, I guess also another story for a future post) as well.
Nowadays social life by the river is flourishing again (some date it beginning 2011 with the return of first café and pubs following the 2003 shutdown). Sandy beaches, clubs, pubs, food trucks, concerts, volleyball, kayaks, yoga, SUP and Nature 2000 areas with bird nests can all be visited and observed. Czerniakowski Port, and even multimedia Fountain Park can be seen (this year we had a beautiful Mermaids’ visualisations — yes, a Mermaid because she is on our crest). Name any activity and it is probably available by the river right in the heart of the city, and I have a feeling that each year there will be more and more to see and do.
Challenges ahead
Despite improvements, there are many things still to be done right in the heart of the city — our river. It is still not advisable to swim in the water, although there are some daredevils, but certainly kayaking is safe. Other needs include further development of boulevards, better pedestrian access in the area close to the car lines as well as regulations regarding alcohol drinking in the public space by the river should be enforced. Activities of large real estate corporations, need to be controlled by local development plans (not to allow the situation that only property owners have a view). The change has come and it is simply unstoppable, because the city of the Mermaid loves the river. Even in the newest initiative of the city hall — #Warszawa 2030, which is a revision of existing Warsaw strategy towards 2020 many conversations are focused on the river referred to as the 19th district (officially we have 18th administrative districts).
I believe most importantly in many minds the river no longer represents a division but a connection between two banks and most importantly the Varsovians living on both sides.
