Warsaw wants to reach for the sky, at least through skyscrapers

Warsaw - The symbol of Warsaw has so far been the Palace of Culture and Science built in the style of socialist realism. However, the 230-meter-tall building, including its tower, will soon stand in the shadow of other structures. Developers and architects are flocking to the Polish capital with the task of designing the most interesting buildings reaching for the sky. The tallest among them will measure over 280 meters.
    The administrative building with offices, luxury apartments, a hotel, shops, and restaurants is set to become the pride of Warsaw. With a height of around 282 meters, it will surpass Europe's tallest residential building, the Victory Palace in Moscow. That building measures 264 meters and is five meters taller than the Commerzbank building in Frankfurt, Germany (measured without antennas).
    Construction of the building in the center of Warsaw is set to begin in 2009. The first tenants are expected to move in, according to the investor, Chmielna Development, two years later. The company will submit an application for the issuance of a zoning decision later this week. Investment costs are estimated at over one billion zlotys (over seven billion crowns). According to information from the newspaper Rzeczpospolita, the investor will pay nine percent of this amount, with the rest covered by a consortium of banks.
    What one of the tallest European buildings will look like is still unclear. The investor wants the most prestigious architectural firms in the world to participate in the competition. The top floor will house around 300 luxury apartments. Below them will be a hotel with 200 rooms, and the lower parts of the building will contain offices.
    The skyscraper between Chmielna and Aleje Jerozolimskie is not the only one that will rise in Warsaw soon. In the center of the metropolis, a residential glass tower around 190 meters high, designed by world-renowned architect Daniel Libeskind, will also be built. He is known for projects such as the Jewish Museum in Berlin and the redevelopment of Ground Zero, where before the terrorist attacks in September 2001 the high-rise buildings of New York's World Trade Center (WTC) stood.
    The Jewish Religious Communities ordered its own tower in Warsaw. The building, taller than 200 meters, could be located near the Nożyków synagogue, one of the few that survived World War II. The tower, featuring offices and hotel rooms, is to be adapted to the needs of Orthodox Jews. It will include, for example, a small synagogue or a restaurant offering kosher food. The project is being consulted with rabbis.
    According to experts, there is room for more skyscrapers in Warsaw. Demand for luxury apartments in skyscrapers is growing in the market. "The Warsaw market has great potential and can accommodate many investments of this type," says real estate market specialist Anna Kwiatkowská. The gray Polish metropolis, which was newly constructed after World War II, may soon transform into a colorful city of skyscrapers.