Wierzbno, Warsaw

Wierzbno is a neighbourhood, and an area of the City Information System, in the city of Warsaw, Poland, located within the district of Mokotów. It is a residential area, with most of its eastern area consisting of villas and tenements, and its western area, and a portion of its eastern area, consisting of multifamily residential large panel system-buildings.

Wierzbno was established as a small settlement in the 1770s, by Józef Jakubowski, a brigadier in the French Army. In the early 19th century, within the eastern portion of the current area of Wierzbno, Henryk Bonnet, a clerk and a judge, had established the settlement of Henryków, which was originally settled by French people. In 1840, nobleperson Ksawer Pusłowski had built his residence in southern Wierzbno, and a road near it, which forms current Ksawerów Street, and in 1849, he had bought the nearby Królikarnia palace, which was originally built in 1786. Overtime, the area had developed into a separate settlement, forming the modern northern portion of the neighbourhood of Ksawerów. In the 19th century Wierzbno functioned as a holiday village, and from 1840 to 1866, in the village had operated a hydrotherapy facility. In 1916, the area was incorporated into the city of Warsaw. Throughout the 1920s and the 1930s, the eastern portion of the current neighbourhood went through major development, becoming a suburban residential neighbourhood with numerous villas and tenements being built in the area. Between the 1960s and the 1970s, in the neighbourhood were built the residential neighbourhoods of Wierzbno, and Skarpa Puławska. They consisted of the multifamily residential large panel system buildings, which at the time, were the tallest, and one of the first, of their kind, to be built in Poland.

Most of the territory of the City Information System area of Wierzbno is administrated by the municipal neighbourhood of Wierzbno, which is governed by the neighbourhood council.

Name
The name of Wierzbno comes from Polish word wierzba, which means willow. Its founder, Józef Jakubowski, had originally named it in 18th century Pod Wierzbą, which means under the willow, most likely referring to willow trees present in the area.

Housing
Wierzbno mostly consists of a residential area. The eastern portion of the neighbourhood, contained mostly between Independence Avenue and Puławska Street, consists mostly of low-rise buildings of villas and single-family detached homes. In the area around Puławska Street are also located tenements. Between Puławska Street, Bielawska Street, Żywnego Street, and the peaks of Warsaw Escarpment, is located the residential neighbourhood of Skarpa Puławska consisting of eight 13-storey multifamily residential large panel system-buildings.

The eastern portion of the City Information System area of Wierzbno, between Wołoska Street, and Independence Avenue, contains the residential neighbourhood of Wierzbno, which consists of multifamily residential large panel system-buildings.

Public spaces
In Wierzbno are located a few urban parks. Between Ursynowska Street, Puławska Street, Odyńca Street, and Krasickiego Street is located the Dreszer Park, which consists of a main avenue, and adjacent pathways, with trees growing alongside them. In the park is located the Monument of Fighting Mokotów of 1944 (also known as the Monument of Mokotów Insurgents), dedicated to Polish resistance fighters, mainly from the Baszta Regiment Group, who fought in the park in 1944 during the Warsaw Uprising. The monument, designed by Eugeniusz Ajewski, and unvailed in 1985, consists of a glacial erratic rock broken into two parts, with a sculpture of the Kotwica, which, during the Second World War, served as the emblem of the Polish Underground State, and the Home Army. It is a ligature of the letters P and W, symbolizing term Polska Walcząca, which in Polish, means Fighting Poland. In front of the sculpture has placed a plaque with text commemorating the fighters. In front of the monument are held annual commemorative celebrations. Next to the park, between Ursynowska Street, Odyńca Street, Krasickiego Street, and Independence Avenue, is located the Second Jordan Garden, one of the Jordan gardens in the city, which form urban green spaces dedicated as the recreational and play area for children and youth. It is located between Ursynowska Street, Odyńca Street, Krasickiego Street, and Independence Avenue.

In the neighbourhood is also located the eastern portion of the Arcadia Park, known as the Upper Arcadia. The park is located between Puławska Street, Żywnego Street, Piaseczyńska Street, and Idzikowskiego Street, next to the gardens of Królikarnia palace.

There is also the Olga and Andrzej Małkowskis Square, a garden square located between Puławska Street, and Okolska Street.

Public transit
In the neighbourhood are located two stations of the M1 line of the Warsaw Metro rapid transit underground system. They are Wierzbno station, located at the intersection of Woronicza Street, Independence Avenue, and Naruszewicza Street, and Racławicka station, located at the intersection of Racławicka Street, Wiktorska Street, and Independence Avenue.

Media
In Wierzbno, at 77/85 Independence Avenue, are located the headquarters of Polish Radio, a national public-service radio broadcasting organization of Poland.

Sports
In northeast Wierzbno, on Warsaw Escarpment, in the area of Merliniego Street, in located the Warszawianka sports complex. Among its amenities, it includes tennis courts and indoor swimming pool complex. It is the headquarters of KS Warszawianka sports team.

Religion
In Wierzbno are located two parish churches of the Roman Catholic parishes.

The Church of Saint Michael the Archangel is located at 95 Puławska Street, at the intersection of Puławska Street and Dolna Street. It was built between 1950 and 1966, in place of the historical Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which was built between 1853 and 1856, and was originally part of the Roman Catholic Parish of St. Alexander. In 1917, it became the parish church, in an area that forms the current parish. The building was destroyed in 1944, during the Warsaw Uprising.

The Church of Madonna of Angels is located at 98A Modzelewskiego Street. Its parish was established in 1983, and is operated by the Order of Friars Minor.

In Wierzbno, at 31 Racławicka Street, is also located the Monastery of St. Joseph of the Catholic mendicant order of Discalced Carmelites. The order occupies the building since 1947. It is the headquarters of the Discalced Carmelites Warsaw Province of the Most Holy Trinity, one of the two border provinces in Poland.

Embassies
In Wierzbno are located embassies of Algeria at 10 Krasickiego Street, Croatia at 25 Krasickiego Street, and Kuwait at 26 Krasickiego Street.

History
In the 1770s, the patch of land was given by king Stanisław August Poniatowski, monarch of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, to Józef Jakubowski, the brigadier of the French Army. On his lands, Jakubowski had established a small folwark-type settlement of Wierzbno near the village of Mokotów (now part of Old Mokotów), which he then called Pod Wierzbą, which in Polish means under the willow tree.

In 1786, in southern Wierzbno was built Królikarnia palace, owned by Carlo Alessandro Tomatis, husband of Caterina Gattai Tomatis. In 1794, during the Kościuszko Uprising, it was the residence of Tadeusz Kościuszko, the leader of the insurrect forces. In 1816, Tomatis had sold it to the Radziwiłł family.

At the beginning of the 19th century, Henryk Bonnet, a French-born clerk who served as the State Councillor and the judge in the district court of Warsaw, had bought an area around current Malczewskiego Street, establishing there the folwark-type settlement of Henryków. It was originally settled by French people. In there was built a small palace residence of the Bonnet family. In 1824, Louisa Bonnet de Belon (1802-1876), Henryk Bonnet's daughter, had married George Fanshawe (1789-1867; also known as Jerzy Fanshave), English-born chamberlain and colonel in the Imperial Russian Army. The couple had inherited the property around 1830. Around 1850, in place of Bonnet's residence, at current 107A Puławska Street, was built Fanshawe Palace, which became the residence of the Fanshawe family. In 1900, the palace was inherited by nobleman August Potocki, who, while never living there himself, had accommodated there the less wealthy members of his family.

In 1840, Ksawer Pusłowski built his residence in south Wierzbno, now known as Ksawerów Manor, which is located at 13 Ksawerów Street. Near it was also built a road, which forms the current Ksawerów Street. In 1849, he had bought Królikarnia palace. Overtime, the area developed into a separate settlement, which was named, after its founder, Ksawery, and later, Ksawerów.

In 1840, physician Ludwik Sauvan had opened in Wierzbno the hydrotherapy facility, which used the local water spring. It had operated until 1866. At that time, Wierzbno, and Mokotów, had also become popular holiday villages.

In 1856, at the intersection of current Puławska Street and Dolna Street, was built the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which originally belonged to the Roman Catholic Parish of St. Alexander, and in 1917, it had become its own parish church. It was the first church built within current boundaries of the district of Mokotów. The building was destroyed in 1944, during the Warsaw Uprising. In its place, between 1950 and 1966, was built the Church of Saint Michael the Archangel.

In 1881, Wierzbno was connected with Warsaw via a horsebus line. In 1909, it was replaced by a tram line.

In 1892, the Fort M-Che was built near Wierzbno, as part of the inner circle of the series of fortifications of the Warsaw Fortress, build around Warsaw by the Russian Empire. In 1909, it was decided to decommission and demolish the fortifications of the Warsaw Fortress, due to the high costs of their maintenance, and as such the Fort M-Che was demilitarized and abandoned, and was later deconstructed in the 1920s.

From 1867 to 1916, Wierzbno belonged to the gmina (municipality) of Mokotów. On 8 April 1916, Wierzbno, together with the rest of its municipality, were incorporated into the city of Warsaw.

In 1906, was opened Wierzbno railway station, operated by the Grójec Narrow-Gauge Railway. It was part of the railway line between stations of Warszawa Mokotów and Nowe Miasto nad Pilicą. It was located near the current location of Arcadia Park near Puławska Street. The station had operated until 1937.

The major development of Wierzbno begun in the 1920s, and continued throughout the 1930s, mostly in the area between current Independence Avenue and Puławska Street, where were built villas and single-family detached homes. In the area of Puławska Street were also built tenements. The development included only the eastern portion of the current City Information System area of Wierzbno, with the western portion remaining undeveloped until the 1960s.

In 1931, in Wierzbno opened the St. Elizabeth Hospital (originally known as St. Anthony Hospital), operated by the institute of Sisters of Saint Elizabeth, located at 1 Goszczyńskiego Street. The building was destroyed during the Second World War, and rebuilt between 1946 and 1948. In 1949, it was nationalized. In 1993, the legal ownership of the building was returned to the Sisters of Saint Elizabeth, with the agreement that the building would operate until 2003, as the state medical institution, with them ultimately regaining the facility in 2006.

In 1938, in Wierzbno was opened the Dreszer Park, an urban park designed by Zygmunt Hellwig in the modernist style, and located between current Ursynowska Street, Independence Avenue, Odyńca Street, and Krasickiego Street.. In 1944, during the Second World War, the park become a defensive point of the Polish resistance fighters of the Warsaw Uprising, mainly from the Baszta Regiment Group, who defended their position from German forces attacking from the north between 2 and 13 August 1944, and from the south, between 25 and 27 September 1944. During the war the park was used as a provisional cemetery, both for the fallen Polish resistance fighters and the civilian casualties. After the end of the conflict, the bodies were exhumated and relocated to the proper cemmentaries. The park was restored and reopened in 1951. The western portion of the park, located between Ursynowska Street, Odyńca Street, Krasickiego Street, and Independence Avenue, was separated from the rest, forming the Second Jordan Garden, one of the Jordan gardens in the city, which form urban green spaces dedicated as the recreational and play area for children and youth.

Between 1954 and 1962, in the northeast portion of the area of Wierzbno, was built Warszawianka sports complex, located on Warsaw Escarpment, in the area of Merliniego Street. Among its amenities, the object included a football pitch, and tennis courts. Between 1960 and 1973, the complex was expanded with outdoor and indoor swimming pools. The complex was, and remains to the present day, a home field of KS Warszawianka sports team. The complex was designed by architects Jerzy Sołtan, and Zbigniew Ihnatowicz. The complex had degraded over the years, with its sections becoming abandoned and disused. In the 1990s, in the complex was opened new indoor swimming pool complex. The old outdoor swimming pools of the complex were destroyed, and overbuilt with a residential area.

In 1957, at 77/85 Independence Avenue was opened the building of Polish Radio, a national public-service radio broadcasting organization of Poland. Originally, it was used as a broadcasting station of international auditions. In 1958, it became the headquarters and main broadcasting station of Polskie Radio.

Between 1960 and 1975, in the western portion of the current City Information System area of Wierzbno, was built the residential neighbourhood of Wierzbno, consisting of multifamily residential large panel system-buildings. It was one of the first neighbourhoods in Poland built using the large panel system technology. It was built between Wołoska Street, Woronicza Street, Independence Avenue, and Odyńca Street. Its designers were Zofia Fafiusowa, Jerzy Stanisławski, Kazimierz Stasiniewicz, and Andrzej Wochna.

Between 1965 and 1971, in the eastern portion of the current City Information System area of Wierzbno, was built the residential neighbourhood of Skarpa Puławska consisting of eight 13-storey multifamily residential large panel system-buildings, planned to house between 4 and 5 thousand people. It was built between Puławska Street, Bielawska Street, Żywnego Street, and the peaks of Warsaw Escarpment. Skarpa Puławska was one of the first neighbourhoods in Poland built using the large panel system technology, and at the time of their construction, the buildings were the tallest buildings in the country, built in that technology.

Between 1968 and 1970, at the current boundary of Wierzbno and Sielce, was built Arcadia Park, an urban park designed by Longin Majdecki, and located in an area between Puławska Street, Żywnego Street, Piaseczyńska Street, and Idzikowskiego Street. It is located next to the gardens of Królikarnia palace.

On 7 April 1995, in the neighbourhood were opened two stations of the M1 line of the Warsaw Metro rapid transit underground system. They were Wierzbno station, located at the intersection of Woronicza Street, Independence Avenue, and Naruszewicza Street, and Racławicka station, located at the intersection of Racławicka Street, Wiktorska Street, and Independence Avenue.

On 4 October 1996, the district of Mokotów was subdivided into areas of the City Information System, with an area of Wierzbno being one of them.

On 17 July 2014 was established the municipal neighbourhood of Wierzbno, which is governed by the neighbourhood council. It includes most of the territory of the City Information System area.

Location and administrative boundaries
Wierzbno is located in the city of Warsaw, Poland, within the central-western portion of the district of Mokotów, in the subregion of Upper Mokotów. It is a City Information System area. To the north, its border is determined by Racławicka Street, and Dolna Street; to the east, by the peaks of the Warsaw Escarpment, and around the area of the Warszawianka sports complex; to the south, by Woronicza Street, and in the straight line going to the east from the end of the street to the eastern boundary; and to the west, by Wołoska Street.

It borders Old Mokotów to the north, Sielce to the east, Ksawerów to the south, Służewiec to the south-west, and Wyględów to the west.

Municipal neighbourhood
Within the City Information System area of Wierzbno, is located the municipal neighbourhood of Wierzbno, which is governed by the neighbourhood council.

To the north, its border is determined by Racławicka Street, Independence Avenue, and Ursynowska Street; to the east, by Puławska Street; to the south, by Woronicza Street; and to the west, by Wołoska Street.

The neighbourhood government is divided into two organs, the neighbourhood council as the legislative body, and the neighbourhood management as the executive body. Its seat is located at 44A Woronicza Street. The municipal neighbourhood had been established on 17 July 2014.