This is the definitive end to the story of Poland's most famous self-construction project. Demolition work will soon begin on the site of the Czarny Kot Hotel on Okopowa Street in Warsaw. The last remnants of the building will be removed.
A multi-year battle
photo by Adrian Grycuk / Wikimedia Commons
The latest developments mark the finale of a long battle fought by Warsaw authorities to reclaim the site and demolish the self-build that has been growing for years. In early 2020, the hotel's illegally overbuilt floors, turrets and roofs disappeared. The entire site finally came into the hands of officials in August 2021. Since then, administrative work has continued. A report on the condition of the property was prepared, on the basis of which the District Building Inspector was to rule on the hotel's further fate.
final
photo: UM Warsaw
The procedure has just ended, and the PINB confirmed that the remnants of the development are a safety hazard and issued a demolition order. Once it becomes final, the contractor will secure the site and begin heavy demolition work. They are expected to take just a few days - only a small, originally legal part of the hotel remains.
The future of the plot
photo: BAiPP
The future of the plot has been written into the local plan for the site. It provides for commercial development of up to 25 meters in height at the site. The property will be commercialized, and from the proceeds the district management would like to finance the construction of an educational facility for residents of the Burakowska Street area.
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photo: UM Warszawa
The Czarny Kot Hotel was the result of years of transformation of a one-story pavilion erected near Warsaw's Powazki cemetery in the late 1980s. For decades it was expanded without any officially approved designs or permits and in violation of regulations. The structure, added one floor at a time, eventually reached a height of seven stories.