PAST (Poland)
| PAST | |
|---|---|
 PAST building in Warsaw, 2024 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Status | Rebuilt (1950s) |
| Architectural style | Historicism |
| Location | Warsaw, Poland |
| Construction started | 1906 |
| Completed | 1908 |
| Demolished | 1944 |
| Owner | World Association of Home Army Soldiers |
| Height | 51.5 m (169 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 11 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Bronisław Brochwicz-Rogoyski |
PASTA,[1][2] also known as PAST-a[3][4] is the common name for a complex of two buildings located at 37 and 39 Zielna Street in Warsaw, constructed between 1904 and 1910 by the Cedergren Telephone Joint-Stock Company.[5] According to some sources, a single building was constructed in two phases.[1][3]
The name comes from the initials of the name of the subsequent owner of the property, the PAST (Polska Akcyjna Spółka Telefoniczna; Polish Telephone Joint-stock Company), less often known as PASTa,[6]
To distinguish the two buildings, the terms "small PASTA" (no. 37) and "large PASTA" (no. 39) are used.[7] Both buildings[8][9] or just the second one[10][11] are sometimes referred to as PASTs. The buildings housing the company's district telephone exchanges[4] were also referred to as PASTs. The building was tallest building in Europe in 1908-1911.
It is notable for its main headquarters in the North Downtown (Śródmieście Północne) neighbourhood in Warsaw, which at the time of its completion was the first skyscraper in Poland and the tallest building in Europe. The fight for the building during the Warsaw Uprising of 1944 also added to the legend of the place.
History
[edit]The Swedish-owned company Cedergren won a tender in 1900 to expand the Warsaw telephone network. For that purpose, two buildings were built at Zielna Street in downtown Warsaw, holding the telephone exchange and the company's headquarters.
The building was built between 1904 and 1910 and was constructed in two phases. The lower part, designed by L. Wahlman, I.G. Clason and B. Brochowicz-Rogoyski, was completed in 1904-1905; the upper part was added in 1907-1910. The building was one of the first reinforced concrete constructions of its magnitude in Europe.
The Cedergren licence expired in 1922 and the building was consequently taken over by the PAST company. This is why it was referred to by Varsovians either by the name of Cedergren or PAST, or, colloquially, "Pasta" (English: Paste). During the German occupation of Poland, it was the regional telephone centre for General Government. During the Warsaw Uprising, on August 20, 1944, the building was captured by Polish insurgents of AK battalion "Kiliński” after 20 days of bloody fighting. The building was severely damaged. It was rebuilt in a simplified architectural form after World War II. The company was not recreated after the war, and its assets were nationalised by the Polish communist authorities.
The historic Próżna Street is right around the corner of the building.
In 2003, Kotwica, a World War II emblem of the Polish Underground State and Armia Krajowa, was placed on top of the company's former headquarters.[12]
Gallery
[edit]-
Pre-war look of the Large PAST (background) and Small PAST (foreground) buildings -
Cedergren skyscraper in Warsaw, 1910 -
The PAST building burning during the Warsaw Uprising -
Present-day view of the company's former headquarters
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See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Encyklopedia Warszawy. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN. 1994. p. 622. ISBN 83-01-08836-2.
- ^ Kucza-Kuczyński, Konrad (1977). "Wieżowce Warszawy". Kronika Warszawy. 3(31): 10.
- ^ a b Komorowski (red.), Krzysztof (2015). Warszawa walczy 1939–1945. Leksykon. Warszawa: Fundacja Polska Walczy i Wydawnictwo Bellona. p. 575. ISBN 978-83-1113474-4.
- ^ a b Rozwadowski (red. nauk.), Piotr (2005). Wielka Ilustrowana Encyklopedia Powstania Warszawskiego. Tom 1. Warszawa: Dom Wydawniczy Bellona i Fundacja „Warszawa Walczy 1939–1945”. p. 451. ISBN 83-11-09261-3.
- ^ Zieliński, Jarosław (2014). Marszałkowska, róg Świętokrzyskiej i okolice. Warszawa: EKBIN Studio PR. p. 153. ISBN 978-83-929745-5-0.
- ^ "PASTa - Warsaw's Architecture - Studio VK". studiovk.pl. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
- ^ Zieliński, Jarosław (2014). Marszałkowska, róg Świętokrzyskiej i okolice. Warszawa: EKBIN Studio PR. pp. 153–155. ISBN 978-83-929745-5-0.
- ^ "Polska Akcyjna Spółka Telefoniczna. „Cedergren", „PAST-A". Zielna 37". warszawa1939.pl. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
- ^ "Polska Akcyjna Spółka Telefoniczna. „Cedergren", „PAST-A". Zielna 39". warszawa1939.pl. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
- ^ Leśniakowska, Marta (2006). Architektura w Warszawie 1918–1939. Warszawa: Arkada Pracownia Historii Sztuki. p. 57. ISBN 83-60350-00-0.
- ^ Kempiński, Michał; Ziajkowska i in., Ewa (2021). ŚRÓD PN. Ilustrowany atlas architektury Śródmieścia Północnego. Warszawa: Centrum Architektury. p. 51. ISBN 978-83-961764-6-2.
- ^ "Znak Polski Walczącej - historia "Kotwicy"" (in Polish). Retrieved 24 April 2022.
External links
[edit]
Media related to PAST building in Warsaw at Wikimedia Commons