Ząbkowska

Ząbkowska! The new, the trendy, the up-and-coming part of Praga - of Warsaw indeed. In my recent explorations of Praga, there's not been a post from here, street of a dozen hip bars, cafes and restaurants, with its cool, retro-style klimat. Below: the gates of Ząbkowska - helmeted and turreted, the building on the corner of Ząbkowska and Targowa gives a flavour of what's to come. At its feet, one of Warsaw's surviving bary mleczne - cheap food for the working proletariat.

Three cheers for Warsaw's konserwator zabytków (heritage building inspector) for insisting that Ząbkowska retains its cobbles and its tram tracks. Though trams no longer run here, the street's character is greatly enhanced by the original 19th century street surface. Look through the arch into the podwórko (courtyard); many have small chapels, traditional local places of prayer. Below: into a more down-at-heel podwórko for some characteristically Praga klimat.

O mother! Right: The Virgin Mary is ubiquitous in this part of Praga; statues and paintings of the Undefiled One adorn courtyards and porticos, street corners and façades. The image is becoming used ironically; devotional paintings are appearing in hipster art shops and t-shirts, referencing and referential - not so much as images of worship, nor even with sarcastic intent - more to say "these are my authentic roots, dude, this is where I'm, like, from - my babcia heavily was into this". Below: pre-war buildings maintaining that Praga atmosphere; this is deepest Szmulowizna, where until recently respectable Varsovians daren't linger after dark...

Below: composed into a modern block of flats, some original pre-war architecture on Ząbkowska 25-27. Architectural heritage is so important.

Below: irony, or what? Wallpaper in a courtyard - old copies of Trybuna Ludu, the communist daily newspaper (print-run 1.6 million) stuck to the wall. A real treat for Polish readers. The communists sure knew how to bore people. For such crimes (boring readers) the editors of this organ should have been brought to trial. (Click to enlarge - a real hoot.)

Below: view down Ząbkowska towards Stara Praga. All that's missing is the tram wires. And the clip-clip of horses' hooves as they draw drożki up and down the thoroughfare.

  Below: bar culture on Ząbkowska. Probably the hippest place (though the competition is fierce): W oparach absurdu ('In the Vapours of the Absurd' - ul. Ząbkowska 6). The title is Julian Tuwim's; it was from this work that came his famous satirical quote about "Jews, Masons and Cyclists" being to blame for Poland's woes.

  Below: interior of W oparach absurdu. Every other table has a Singer sewing machine on it. Takes up valuable space for your lorneta z meduzą (two x 50 ml shots of vodka served in a pair glasses looking like a pair of binoculars, with pig trotters in aspic, all for less than three quid), but what an atmosphere!

  Slightly rougher, but still extremely old school Praga: Po drugiej stronie lustra (ul. Ząbkowska 5) Note the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the middle of the podwórko, and the fact that Ukrainian brewers (Obolon, in this case) are starting to market their beer effectively in Poland. Also worth checking out on Ząbkowska: Czarny motyl, Mucha nie siada, Łysy Pingwin - and indeed several others.

If you're planning to visit Warsaw, make time for a trip to Praga and pop by Ząbkowska. Otherwise, if you stick to Old Town/Palace of Culture/Łazienki, you'll have failed to have captured the city's true essence. If you're looking to invest in Warsaw property, this is an up-an-coming area; a bit like Notting Hill in the early 1960s, just before London started to swing. 

This time two years ago: 

Catching the klimat 

This time four years ago: 

Road to Łuków - a road trip into the sublime