A Guide to the Garden-City Podkowa Leśna “Horseshoe Grove” Anna Żukowska-Maziarska Copyright © by Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Miasta-Ogrodu Podkowa Leśna Translated, edited, and expanded by Philip Earl Steele Photographs: Jacek Maziarski (and archival) On the cover: the newly restored Casino in Podkowa Leśna’s City Park photographer: Tomasz Jakobielski Publisher: Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Miasta-Ogrodu Podkowa Leśna 05-807 Podkowa Leśna, ul. Świerkowa 1 Contents How to get to Podkowa Leśna 5 Introduction 6 Tourism 8 Cultural events and regularly held artistic happenings 12 Sporting activities 14 Protected natural treasures 15 Historical sites and monuments 19 A calendar of Podkowa Leśna’s history 28 Famous Podkovians 34 A word about Podkowa Leśna’s street names 42 Where to eat – and where to stay 44 Important addresses and telephone numbers 45 Polish Pronunciation Guide 46 Hiking trails and bike paths in the Młochowski Forest How to get to Podkowa Leśna: From downtown Warsaw it takes just some 40 minutes on the WKD commuter train to arrive at the Main Station in Podkowa Leśna, which means ‘Horseshoe Grove’. The WKD train is all the more convenient, as it departs from Warsaw every 30 minutes – during weekday mornings and late afternoons/early evenings even twice as often. In fact, Podkowa Leśna has three WKD stations. On the way from Warsaw the first is Podkowa East (Wschodnia, in Polish). About one kilometer later is the Main Station (Główna). Ride another kilometer and you’ll be at Podkowa West (Zachodnia). The WKD line is divided into three travel-time zones. To get to Podkowa Leśna from Warsaw you will need the ticket for zone III. As of March 2008 the cost is 6 złoties for adults and 3.80 zł for children. During school vacations the adult guardian and child pay only 3 zł each. Just ask for “family tickets”. By car the most direct route from Warsaw to Podkowa Leśna is along the Warsaw-Skierniewice highway (28 km). Introduction The Garden-City of Podkowa Leśna (pronounced: poht-KOH-vah LESH-nah) offers its residents the comfort of a natural setting, the graces of a refined cultural life, and the advantages of vibrant community activism. Moreover, Podkowa Leśna – which means ‘Horseshoe Grove’ – is a wonderful get-away for Varsovians, be that because they love nature, wish to attend outstanding cultural events, or have an interest in history. Podkowa covers some 10.1 km² and has a population of 4,000. It is located in the Młochowski Forest, and is surrounded by woods on three sides – from the east, the south, and the west. Thus, despite its proximity to the Warsaw metropolitan area, Podkowa is home to sizeable virgin stands of trees, as well as to many species of plants and animals. The natural virtues of the Podkowa area – its fresh, foresty air and protection from the southwesterly winds – eminently lent themselves to the decision more than 80 years ago to found Poland’s first Garden-City. This was done in accord with the concept of the Englishman Ebenezer Howard, who a century ago developed what he envisioned as the ideal solution to urban congestion. Thus, here in this natural, forested setting an altogether unique town arose in the 1920s. Podkowa’s instant allure drew many prominent figures from the world of the arts, science, and politics. And the climate of those times still makes itself known today, thanks to the homes and lasting legacy of those people. Indeed, Podkowa’s early home architecture offers a rare opportunity to acquaint oneself with the styles and fashions of the interwar period – and so do many of the town’s other buildings, notable among them St. Christopher’s Catholic Church, the WKD train station, and the trademark Casino in Podkowa’s lovely park. The stately home of the literati Anna and Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz – which, together with its surrounding parkland, is known as ‘Stawisko’ – is host to concerts, exhibitions, and lectures throughout the year. Stawisko’s rich cultural program is supported by the Parish in Podkowa, by The Friends of Podkowa Leśna Society, Podkowa’s City Culture Center, the Federation of Podkovians, and numerous other NGOs. Indeed, the community of people in Podkowa Leśna is altogether unique as regards civic spirit and cultural and artistic life. This no doubt reflects the fact that so very many artists, academics, musicians, architects, scientists, and engineers make their homes here. Not coincidentally, Podkowa Leśna boasts one of the highest percentages of people with university degrees and one of the highest voter-turnout rates in Poland. Podkowa and its environs may be explored on foot, on horseback, by car, by the WKD train – and of course by bike on ever longer, specially prepared bike trails that wind through the neighboring towns and forests. In the winter Podkowa’s City Park and the Młochowski Forest invite sledders and cross-country skiers. And so we have today’s Podkowa Leśna – Horseshoe Grove – situated in a dense forest of oak, pine, beech, birch, hornbeam, larch, acacia, and alder – and with such forest shrubs as juniper, spindle, bird cherry, buckthorn, and broom. A stroll in Podkowa’s woods will delight with the blueberries, rare flowers, and many varieties of mushrooms to be seen growing on the forest floor – as with the not infrequent sightings of foxes, hares, and martens. But more abundant are the birds, especially turtledoves, wood pigeons, and – particularly on Podkowa’s outskirts – partridges and pheasants. Tourism Bike trails Podkowa’s Młochowski Forest has three lovely bike trails that loop out into the Forest. Each begin and end at the edge of the Forest on Krasiński street. The small loop is 4 kilometers long, the medium loop a kilometer longer. The large loop circles out a full 9 kilometers. The entrance to the Forest and the places where the trails diverge are posted with information signs that clearly show where you are and where you want to go. You may find a map of those forest trails on page 4 of this booklet. Horseback riding trails Podkowa’s forests also include trails for horseback riders. For instance, the Młochowski Forest has 12 kilometers of horseback trails. They are shown on the map provided in this guidebook. Cross-country ski trails The Młochowski Forest is a favorite place for winter fun, too, drawing cross-country skiers to its scenic trails. In fact, these are the same trails described immediately below, ones groomed in the winter for skiing enthusiasts by the Młochowski’s foresters. Hiking trails Winding through Horseshoe Grove and its environs are several carefully-marked trails that beckon all year-long. For instance, in the springtime Podkovians enjoy their forests’ wild lilies and violets – and of course the carpet of windflower (a protected species!) in Bluejay Gulch. Nor can the spring’s wonderfully blooming rhododendrons and azaleas be missed in many of Podkowa’s home gardens. A further spring attraction is that of the large pond – dry throughout the rest of the year – in Podkowa’s rolling City Park, a favorite place for strolls not only during the warm seasons. In the autumn Podkowa’s forests become simply glorious when the ivy (Virginia creeper) covering the entire trunks of old trees turns its stunning shades of red, from incandescent to crimson. Once the leaves have fallen it becomes easier to observe Podkowa’s older homes, many of which have maintained their original form and gardens from the interwar period. Photo: Nathalie Bolgert And of course throughout the year – winter, too – Podkovians are ever accompanied by their town’s plentiful birds and bright orange squirrels. The Red Trail enters Podkowa from the north, from the town of Brwinów. It runs along Wiewiórek, Główna, Sarnia, and Myśliwska streets to Podkowa’s Main Station (2 on the map on page 4 of this booklet). From there it runs south on Jan Paweł II street, past St. Christopher’s Catholic Church (1). Just to the right of the trail on Iwaszkiewicz street is the historic villa “Aida” (6), which is eminently worth seeing. The Red Trail then turns east into Lipowa Avenue, and from the WWII monument to the “Brzezinka” Company of the Home Army (29) it runs along Prus and Krasiński streets to the Bolesław Hryniewiecki Nature Preserve in the Młochowski Forest, from where it continues on to Zaborów (near the mass grave of soldiers of the Home Army), and then on to the Na Dębaku Forest Ranger’s Station near the Brwinów- Nadarzyn highway. Within the township of Horseshoe Grove the Red Trail is about 3 ½ km. long. The forest part of the trail, running from the Hryniewiecki Nature Preserve to the Ranger Station, is about 4 km. long. Incidentally, in the area where the Red Trail runs along Myśliwska street one is likely to notice a breed of dog unusually prevalent in various habitats of Horseshoe Grove. This stout, short- legged, yapping but otherwise friendly dog resembles the Welsh corgi, and may in fact be its continental ancestor. Dogologists have labeled it canis familiaris podkoviensis, some believing that it originated on Miejska street, others on Helenowska. The Blue Trail begins at the PKP station in Brwinów and runs along Grodziska street past the villa “Zagroda” (once belonging to the writer Zygmunt Bartkiewicz) to Stawisko (17 – the Anna and Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz Museum), which lies on the border between Brwinów and Podkowa. From there it continues along Sokola, Ptasia, and Sępów streets to the protected Bluejay Gulch, and then across Słowicza street, through the wooded, picturesque low hills and under the WKD rails, past the prewar Casino (4) and alongside the City Park to Podkowa’s Main Station, where it joins the Red Trail.