Mokotowska Street: The Fresh Start of an Old Sentiment

    “Are you a Varsovian? Bred-in-the-bone? Then show your ID!”, was one gentleman’s answer to the question what he thought about Mokotowska Street. In a perverse way his reaction expresses a pretty common attitude toward the street located in the city’s centre: Mokotowska has always been here and only those who know about it can claim to be True Varsovians. A True Varsovian is thus a person with family roots in the city at least three generations deep (although the matter is disputable), thanks to which he possesses the knowledge about Warsaw’s pre-war topography and anecdotes. Yet most importantly not for the world would he come to the capital in search for work, whether still in Communist or democratic Poland.
Mokotowska Street, where pre-war buildings are mixed with later developments, includes the potential for Warsaw sentiment in which the need to have traditions – and an opportunity to demonstrate them – is linked with the contemporary everyday life of the street: cafes, shops, uneven pavement. Moreover, it includes the typical city-centre conflict between those who want to have fun at night and those who would rather sleep. Mokotowska is a city-centre street which of late began its transformation into “little Manhattan”, as an old resident of that street named it. It is turning into an expensive street with pricey shops and restaurants. More recently Mokotowska has also become the destination for young Warsaw artists and club goers who created a gallery space and a bar in an abandoned tenement at the northern end of the street.

    Like many other streets in the centre of Warsaw, Mokotowska is full of contrasts. The present residents, often of modest means, are being driven out by people who have been more successful in the new, democratic and capitalist reality, and who also find the life in the city’s centre alluring. Furthermore, there are the people who have been slowly recovering their pre-war tenements, taken away from their families in the Communist period. (“The owners are recovering Jewish property”, was the way an older man put it; he works as a caretaker in the neighbourhood from time to time.) Hence the crumbling pre-war houses stand next to the newly-renovated ones, mixed both with austere Communist blocks and modern edifices built only recently. This jumble is visible on the pavement level, too, where “old” and “new” residents pass each other every day. The difference between them lies not so much in their age as in their affluence. And the contrast is clear on the narrow street as well: the sight of a new Volvo slowly purring behind an old Lada hardly shocks anyone.

    Contrary to some of Mokotowska Street residents’ dreams the street is not exclusively theirs, and the “others” are quite happy to use it. During the day you can mostly observe employees of companies and institutions located nearby—there are quite a few of them on this rather short street, from Współczesny Theatre to a shoemaker. The employees do not walk down Mokotowska only to their work; they also eat there, choosing between cafes, cafeterias, pierogi-serving restaurants and the more expensive ones, with which the street is becoming increasingly associated. Other people go to shops and service centres, like the old lady who has been coming there to her hairdressing salon for the last thirty years; she went to Mokotowska Street for romantic dates before that. Still, there are also those people who simply like to walk down Mokotowska Street because it serves as a substitute for the gorgeous pre-war Warsaw. Reservations about the beauty of Mokotowska are usually voiced by tourists and Untrue Varsovians who use the street only to get from one square (Plac Zbawiciela) to another (Plac Trzech Krzyży). Night-time Mokotowska regulars usually come from all over the city to gather in the artistic tenement building, or in a nearby club on Plac Zbawiciela. The square is a key space which cuts across Mokotowska Street. Since making longer routes in pursuit of entertainment is a phenomenon typical of Warsaw – the clubs are dispersed all around the city – it is no surprise that people visiting the artistic tenement often wish that Mokotowska Street were closer to the other clubs or, the other way round, wish the other clubs were closer to Mokotowska.

    If the Mokotowska pre-war buildings have survived only in fragments – a large part of Warsaw’s centre was destroyed during the Second World War – other elements of the street are nonetheless typical of the capital’s centre. When asked what they do not like about the street or what they would like to change in it, more often than not people on Mokotowska point out the cars: that there are too many, that the lay-bys take away the space for pedestrians (not to mention bikers, who have been consistently ignored by the authorities in the city centre). On the other hand, there is in fact no place to park and bollards block potential parking spots. It is a perfect illustration of the Warsaw conflict between car owners and pedestrians, in which the city authorities are unable to take any definite stand. In addition, people often mention the dirt on Mokotowska, the street chaos and dog pooh. The latter has been subject to yet unsuccessful social campaigns which encourage dog owners to clean up after their pets.
    The residents, the employees from nearby firms and the passers-by unanimously complain about the uneven pavement (this should change in the near future as the street is currently being repaired), lack of green spaces, waste bins or benches. Still, if you think of the enthusiasts of late-night entertainment, who would be just too happy to move from cafes and clubs to the free benches, the latter could just as well turn into the street’s residents’ nightmare. Even so, it is pure speculation given that some of the residents want to see more policemen and municipal guards on their streets.
    In terms of the existing shops and services the residents’ reservations do not meet the demands of other Mokotowska Street’s regulars either. While the latter do not mind the “big-city”, “European”, “artistic” or “snobbish” character of Mokotowska, the former complain about the gradual disappearing of basic-food and greengrocer’s shops, not to mention restaurants affordable for the average budget. Indeed, while people who live in the centre of the city would like to be able to buy provisions around the corner, grocery shops are moving away from the centre giving way to other businesses, which frequently offer less essential goods. This phenomenon is at the same time a perverse realisation of the residents’ demands (and not only theirs) for “pretty” shops on their street. In this case “pretty” usually equals “expensive”, and not necessarily with the same range of goods.

    What constitutes the appeal of Mokotowska, and is also the cause of its ills, is the street’s vibe—a thing easy to sense but extremely difficult to describe. Suffice it to say that (nearly) everyone wants to live on a street with ambience. If you cannot live on it you can at least spend your time there, simultaneously influencing and transforming the street’s vibe which was the initial magnet. Mokotowska began to stand out from other streets in the city centre sometime in the end of the 1990s, as shops with expensive clothing and equally costly restaurants emerged. Gradually more places opened, while the squares Plac Trzech Krzyży and Plac Zbawiciela turned (among other things) into café-oriented points of reference on the street’s map. Along with the shops, cafes and institutions came the property developers who wanted to create stunning and pricey flats in the then grey and squalid buildings. People who could afford them followed. Still, as is the case in all of Warsaw, property ownership remains an issue of debate, and newly renovated houses (with an owner) stand next to dilapidated ruins (without an owner). This too undoubtedly creates the street’s ambience.

    It is difficult to openly assert what the future of Mokotowska Street will look like. While you might speculate about the likely increase of affluent residents, it is hard to ignore the street’s old residents or the art and entertainment spaces which are important to young Varsovians. And while it is still undecided whether the True Varsovians will have the final say, there is a chance that the vibe of Mokotowska along with the sentiment for this old city-centre street – qualities only some Warsaw streets can boast – will influence its further development.

The street
    Mokotowska Street can be divided into several sections: the first begins on Plac Trzech Krzyży (it is the end of the street, too, since house numbers in Warsaw on the north-south axis go downstream with the Vistula, that is toward the North) and ends on Wilcza Street; the second section starts at the intersection with Wilcza and runs to the crossing with Piękna and Krucza streets; the third part stretches from Krucza to the square Plac Zbawiciela; and the last section runs from Plac Zbawiciela to the roundabout Rondo Jazdy Polskiej, one of the main arterial routes in Warsaw.
    Each section is unique in its own way. The stretch between Plac Trzech Krzyży and Wilcza Street is “parking central” thanks to a peculiar “parking bay” next to a rotunda building which houses a restaurant. Some of the key shops are also located in this section. The second part is distinctive because of its restaurants (Przegryź, Roma) and boutiques (Ania Kuczyńska), yet it is currently dominated by street repairs. The third section of the street, with a two-way road, is much busier than the first two. Expensive boutiques can also be found between Krucza Street and Plac Zbawiciela but this part has a much less intimate atmosphere. The last section of Mokotowska Street, between Plac Zbawiciela and Rondo Jazdy Polskiej is definitely the least known and the most quiet; in is also the home of Współczesny Theatre. Nonetheless, this part of Mokotowska is the least frequented and there are relatively few service centres or shops. Still, this section of Mokotowska Street will most likely gain in significance once the construction of an office block on Rondo Jazdy Polskiej is completed.

The cars
The first thing you may notice when you enter Mokotowska Street are the cars: endless lanes of vehicles on both sides of the street, taking up the space of the pavement. A column of cars flows between them on the one-way street. The employees from nearby offices, which lack underground car parks, have a hard time trying to find spaces for their cars, and the very appearance of Mokotowska only proves the case. Hence, those who come in their cars are annoyed that they cannot find a parking spot, while the residents of Mokotowska cannot stand even looking at the number of cars parked on the pavement—a space which should belong to them. The brands of the parked cars draw people’s attention, too. Most of the cars are pretty expensive; they are owned by the people from the offices located close by. Such cars take up the vast majority of the space on the street, making it seem as if the less prosperous residents either did not own any cars or parked them in other parts of the city.
    The presence of cars in Warsaw’s urban space is extremely visible. So much that sometimes after a car finally empties the space where it had been parked, it leaves a mark—especially on summer days when the heated-up asphalt melts under the wheels.
    Attempts to fight the vehicle dominance on the street include planting bollards and bicycle stands. It is at the same time worth noting that the distinct presence of bicycles in urban space shows that Varsovians, unlike what some claim, in fact enjoy using them. This can also be observed on Mokotowska Street.

Shops, shop windows
    Shop windows on Mokotowska Street can be divided into those which belong to the street “by custom”, which have “always” been there, and those which emerged only recently. Unsurprisingly, the older shops are visited by the older residents while the other ones belong to the new world which the residents see as alien.
    Among the old establishments on Mokotowska Street the service shops, such as leather-working and furrieries – increasingly lacking in Warsaw – draw special attention. Moreover, they pride themselves on their long tradition.
    Yet what seems most striking about the street is that you can find almost any type of shop on it: from children’s toys to toys for adults, from basic products to those wholly extravagant (you can see a sample of shop-signs on a Mokotowska street corner on the photo below: a bakery, a sex shop, as well as a gourmet deli with Spanish wines and cured meats).
    At present, Lilou, a jewellery shop is one of the most eye-catching shops on Mokotowska Street. You can see women standing in a queue, sometimes even on the street every single day (!). The place is a phenomenon in and of itself, attracting customers despite the steep prices.
    Speaking of shops, the permanent street commerce – which boasts a long tradition in Warsaw – is also worth noting; it can be found on Mokotowska, too. Each day around noon a woman comes to sell a peculiar set of goods, eggs and flowers, across from the grocery shop on the stretch between Plac Trzech Krzyży and Wilcza Street. She is there every day even though she lives in another part of the city, and only comes here “to work”. Nonetheless, she already knows the residents, and has become a fixture in the street’s landscape.
    Shops are also one of the factors which shape the appearance of the street. The shops on Mokotowska try to mark their presence and add variety to the street’s look. Thus, they step outside their four walls.
    The interference of shops in urban space is not limited to a solely decorative function. Now and then it can be functional, too.
    Every so often, instead of putting out a promotional stand, a shop will display its products, luring potential customers inside.

Above the ground floor
    If you raise your head above the street level you may notice more than just the edifices’ empty windows. The life of the city “goes on” not merely on the pavement but, moreover, on the other floors of the buildings, and sometimes on their roofs. Elevation repairs on Mokotowska can be seen as a form of “going on”, or it can be a small Polish flag lost on a balcony—at the same time reminding you which country you are in.
In Warsaw people reluctantly gaze above the ground-floor level, mostly because of the advertisements which cover many of the buildings. While you will not find many of those on Mokotowska Street, you can notice instances of integrating ads into their facades—according to the present law advertisements may not cover rooms in which people reside permanently. Still, truth be told, you can find tenements where the elevations look as if they were begging to be covered with ad signs. The frontage seen on the photo is a good example of “fallow” into which many tenements in Warsaw seem to be turning; with lacking funds for their renovation the buildings often fall into ruin.

Courtyards
    To really get to know the city it is not enough to walk down the most known streets and visit the places which for the tourists look most significant. You have to go deeper and enter the spaces that do not seem to be the most attractive. The same goes for Mokotowska Street: it is good to have a look in its courtyards. They are not always easy to access. Some are shut away from strangers, while some are cut in half if the building owners figure they do not want to have anything to do with their neighbours from the adjacent tenement. Occasionally this proves to be a particular form of “adaptation” of people’s own space—fencing off the residents of council flats.
    The courtyard is also a space where the residents feel more at ease to voice their opinions.

[Photo: Paulina IVG [stairwell? class at school?] is a cunt, whore and dyke. [the last word misspelled]]

    The courtyards of tenements are also public spaces where you can observe various forms of social control.

[Photo: Don’t throw out junk and No parking]

    The courtyards of the renovated buildings look particularly interesting. You can notice the residents’ growth of social trust as well as a “personalisation” and adaptation of the space: the door to the stairwell is open, and the bikes left near the entrance are not chained. In comparison, the courtyard of a squalid tenement is practically deserted.
    Yet what is most clearly visible in Mokotowska’s courtyards – a phenomenon you can notice in other places in Warsaw, too – is the fact that people do not care about them, they throw out their rubbish there, and ignore the damage they cause. This is also why when asked what they would like to change on Mokotowska, some of the residents claim that, most of all, they want to change people’s habits and teach them to care about the shared space.

Public space
    Mokotowska is an interesting example of how in Warsaw, a city rather unfriendly to public spaces, people try to brighten up space and adapt it to their own needs.
    The lack of benches forces the employees of a nearby restaurant to spend their “cigarette break” sitting on stone plant pots. Another interesting form of adaptation is the use of a garage entrance as shelter from the rain (or the boss’s gaze).
    One of the spots serving as public space on Mokotowska is a green square on the corner with Piękna and Krucza Streets. It is the only space on this street where you can sit down and relax.
    What is characteristic of public spaces in Warsaw is that they either do not exist or they are left untended. An example of this can be found on the corner of Krucza, Piękna and Mokotowska. This piece of urban space, overgrown with grass, and unnoticeable to the eye accustomed to Warsaw landscapes, is at the same time an example of “fallow”. You can find a couple of these on Mokotowska Street; this one has been reclaimed solely by advertisements.
    The freedom of speech, typical of democracies, is visible in public space, too. Hence, like it or not, writings on the walls have become fixtures in contemporary public space. In Warsaw symbols of Legia and Polonia football teams are the most distinctive. They serve both as announcements for others and as a form of personalising space, providing information on a team’s “ownership” of a given neighbourhood. Judging by the walls on Mokotowska, the street quite surely sympathises with Legia.
    Tables set in front of restaurants and bars are another example of the personalisation of space.

Animals
    Tracking animals on Mokotowska Street is not necessarily easy—it is hard to notice their presence on the street at all. Still, the buildings’ courtyards, as is usually the case, have been captured by cats, and the proper residents not only share their space but even furnish it for them.
    The streets are ruled by pigeons, regularly fed by the residents on the green square. This square is often visited by dog owners with their pets, too.

People
    Apart from the shops, parked cars and other signs of activity in public space, most of all, the city is the people who create its gist. Even though it is much easier to find a passing or parked car than a human being on Mokotowska Street, people form a no less important element of the street’s landscape. In the daytime you see a lot of hard-pressed, smartly dressed people who work in the offices close by. They are often talking on their cell phones, getting inside their cars, and driving off to other parts of the city.
    Older people mark their presence at a somewhat slower pace, and thus perhaps less noticeably. Dressed not necessarily according to the newest fashions, but with a modest elegance they walk down the present-day space of Mokotowska. Yet when asked, the street they talk about belongs to the old Warsaw which no longer exists.
    Youth is completely different: dressed in trendy clothes, watching the shop windows closely, walking with a sure step on the unsteady pavement. They seem most happy about the street filling up with expensive shops and exciting places such as the club 5 10 15 or Bęc Zmiana Foundation. Their take on Mokotowska Street is very different from the others’; they see the street as one which has not made the use of its enormous potential just yet.
    As of now you can notice quite a few construction workers who are working daily to make Mokotowska Street look better.
    They, too, have become part of the street’s landscape.