in the sixth and final phase of the residential project Jaśminowy Mokotów in Warsaw It will be composed of two types of housing: four three-storey urban villas with a total of 40 apartments and six semi-detached buildings with single-family houses The project is located in the Mokotów district This phase will be equipped with innovative technologies that will not only improve the comfort of residents’ lives but also minimize the estate’s environmental impact it is distinguished by low-rise buildings encircled by greenery The buildings will use a combination of heat pumps solar panels and a ventilation system with energy recovery The semi-detached buildings will have a low annual demand for primary energy: approximately 30 kWh/m² per year All apartments will also be equipped with the smart home management system Appartme which allows remote or manual control of heating electricity and water consumption by the residents Construction work for the final phase is scheduled to begin in October 2024 and is due for completion in the first quarter of 2026 This and previous releases can also be found at www.skanska.com                   Skanska Group uses its knowledge and foresight to shape the way people live We are one of the world’s largest project development and construction companies with 2023 revenue totaling SEK 157 billion We operate across select markets in the Nordics Together with our customers and the collective expertise of our approximately 27,000 teammates we create innovative and sustainable solutions that support healthy living beyond our lifetime Witnesses said the men carried blue thermal bags typically used by food couriers but had concealed heavy tools inside They used pepper spray on a security guard threatened staff with what appeared to be a firearm and smashed display cases before fleeing on electric scooters Napad na jubilera w Galerii Mokotów. Przerażeni sprzedawcy opowiadają o tych wydarzeniach https://t.co/fAcZemsLSL Some of the stolen goods were recovered after the robbers reportedly dropped a bag during their escape Police recovered two items resembling firearms at the scene spokesperson for the Warsaw Prosecutor’s Office said investigators are reviewing the incident in connection with similar cases both in Poland and abroad “A large number of police officers are working on this case,” he told local media and authorities are urging anyone with information to come forward Log in and download the free e-publication of the latest A&B The printed version is available for sale online in our store and press salons throughout Poland unique e-mail [will also be used as login in the portal] Only name - check the correctness of the data Only the last name - check the correctness of the data password must be at least 8 characters long * fields required for registration; data can be completed in account settings after logging in ** establishment of a student account follows verification of the validity of the student ID card Please try later or let us know: contact Technology: aitnet.pl Ⓒ AiB Publishing House 2025 announces the opening of Four Points by Sheraton Warsaw Mokotow - marking the brand entry in Poland operated as part of a franchise agreement with Hotel Management Group the hotel is conveniently situated in the heart of the buzzing business district and just 4km from Warsaw International Airport and 7km from the city centre The LEED-certified hotel's décor takes cues from famous Polish artists of the 50s and 60s offering stylish comfort designed for today's modern traveller The history of the region is reflected in black and white photography of the local area and unique historic touches including ceramics by Lubomir Tomaszewski glass by Zbigniew Horbowy and furnishings by Roman Modzelewski and Jozef Chierowski The vintage design elements are complemented by modern technology including mobile check-in and Chromecast screening in-room with Youtube and Netflix apps The property offers an 85-square-metre fitness centre with Technogym equipment for aerobic and strength training as well as 350 square metres of meeting space across five meeting rooms Four Points by Sheraton Mokotow offers everything that matters for today's independent travellers including the Four Points by Sheraton Four Comfort Bed fast and free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel and an energising breakfast with fresh coffee on tap Guests can relax after a busy day and quench their thirst for local flavour with the Four Points' signature Best Brews™ programme Hotel website Brand OwnerMarriott International, Inc. Służewiec business center is fighting to maintain its position In the area of the largest Polish office district more facilities offering various functions keep on emerging Never before has there been so much development in the capital New office buildings are emerging in all parts of the city The largest expansion can be observed nearby Daszyńskiego roundabout which is adjacent to Warsaw Śródmieście district quickly fills up with modern complexes and is already a strong competition for the capital district of Służewiec the largest office district in the country urban space is designed differently than it used to be when the famous office district in Mokotów was under construction The best Warsaw quarters are now arranged in a more thoughtful way the buildings are more diversified in terms of urban planning Investments carried out in Warsaw such as Browary Warszawskie Centrum Praskie Koneser or EC Powiśle are typical examples of multifunctional constructions entertainment and cultural areas as well as residential and hotel space Thanks to these types of projects and attractive development of the area around the new buildings the parts of Warsaw which are under development abound in various functions that are interesting for the residents The investors have learned their lesson and do not make the same mistakes as developers building the Mokotów business center which until recently had a unified office character and now undergoes a kind of transformation which holds the largest amount of office space in its area in Poland According to Mateusz Strzelecki, partner at Walter Herz Not only investors from the office segment but also residential and hotel developers are building in the area nearly 2,5 thousand premises in total residential investments are emerging in new hotels that will open in this area there will be around 1.1 thousand available rooms - informs Walter Herz expert Służewiec is developing a retail and service network and numerous investments are implemented in the district in order to improve the road and transport infrastructure in this part of the city - adds Mateusz Strzelecki about 300 thousand sq m of office space may still be built on plots owned by developers in the area of the Służewiec district Further office projects are being implemented in Mokotów but the scale of investments carried out in this segment is not as large as it had been before - Developers are moving away from concentrating more buildings in Służewiec New office investments in Mokotów are still appearing but the buildings are designed to be much smaller A good example is the recently commissioned Witosa Point intimate office building A six-storey building with a two-level underground car park of which we are the exclusive commercialization agent offers a total of 6680 sq m of space - says Walter Herz specialist at Cybernetyki Street in the Neopark office complex another building will be commissioned in the third quarter of the year which will offer around 12,000 sq m of offices In the newly completed D48 building on 11 office floors from the side of Domaniewska Street and 8 office floors from Postępu Street there are over 26 thousand sq m of modern space The construction of the first stage of the multifunctional complex P4 is also coming to an end in Warsaw's Służewiec In one of the two buildings that are being implemented in this project the four-star business hotel Vienna House Mokotów is to be built spacious conference rooms and a recreation area The facility is to be opened at the end of the year in the business part of Mokotów at the intersection of Cybernetyki and Postępu Streets Hampton by Hilton Warsaw Mokotow hotel will welcome their guests The opening of the Four Points by Sheraton Warsaw Mokotów hotel was planned for the last quarter of the year a conference space with a total area of approximately 400 sq m a restaurant with a bar and a fitness center New commercial buildings and residential investments are diversifying the infrastructure of Służewiec The district is also improving its competitiveness thanks to the opening of restaurant and entertainment establishments growing in the vicinity of Daszyńskiego roundabout which already offers 630 thousand sq m of offices the investments currently under construction within a radius of 1.5 km from the roundabout will soon provide another 600 thousand sq m of modern space on the Warsaw market The most spectacular project the construction of which can be observed in this area is Varso Tower complex with over 140 thousand sq m of space where the tallest building in the European Union will be located the Mokotów office center has some advantages which allow it to maintain a good position on the market often spectacular investments and rich transport infrastructure but this has its impact on rental rates for office space which are about 30 per cent lower in Mokotów – says the specialist The expert also points out that the great asset of the Mokotów district is the concentration of numerous international entities and important global brands betting on the neighborhood facilitating B2B contacts Mateusz Strzelecki also mentions a rich and diverse office offer as well as the vicinity of the Chopin International Airport CA Immo exits non-core market Serbia with the sale of the 19,600 sqm office building Sava Business Center in Belgrade Both the sales price and the buyer are subject to confidentiality As the PBSA sector finally takes off in Poland it is now increasingly attracting international operators and investors Eurobuild CEE spoke to Xior's investment manager about why it has such confidence in the Polish market Residential developer Develia has signed a preliminary agreement to acquire all the shares in Bouygues Immobilier Polska the Polish subsidiary of Bouygues Immobilier ESA logistika has leased 15,000 sqm in Prologis Park Piotrków GLP has completed the development of its Wrocław V Logistics Centre and has received a BREEAM rating of Outstanding Panattoni has secured EUR 40 mln in financing from BNP Paribas for the development of Panattoni Park Sosnowiec IV Newgate Investment (NGI) and Redkom Development are developing a large retail park in Bydgoszcz Deutsche Hypo – NORD/LB Real Estate Finance has provided a five-year green loan to Olivia Seven for the refinancing of the Olivia Prime A office building in Gdańsk-Oliwa communications and security company Motorola Solutions has signed a five-year lease renewal 18,000 sqm at the Green Office complex in Kraków’s Podgórze district Falling interest rates and easing monetary policy across the eurozone and CEEi are boosting investor confidence in the region’s commercial real estate market reveals Colliers in its ‘Beyond Real Estate | Economy’ report Panattoni is to build the Panattoni Park Mainz Süd in Erbes-Büdesheim bei Alzey Axi Immo has presented its latest report “Warsaw Office Market – Q1 2025 The market opened in 2025 on a steady footing with a notable increase in leasing activity and a modest decline in vacancy landlords continue to focus on upgrading existing assets and prioritizing quality over quantity Convenience store chain Żabka has officially opened a new logistics centre in Kąty Wrocławskie The first stage of the development will serve 1,500 stores in the Wrocław area Romanian Post has leased over 5,000 sqm of logistics space in CTPark Bucharest to serve as its temporary regional courier and logistics hub for Bucharest JLL has announced the sale and leaseback of two properties by a manufacturing company in a deal worth over PLN 1 bln Warehouse developer CTP is adding 2,000 sqm to its Clubco coworking development in Brno pbb Deutsche Pfandbriefbank has extended an investment facility to PineBridge Benson Elliot for the Diuna Office Park in Warsaw The hotel market in Bucharest continued its recovery in 2024 while the ADR has finally surpassed the milestone of EUR 100 Torus has announced its All.inn students’ residence concept that is soon to appear on ul Panattoni has been granted a EUR 14 mln loan from Alior Bank for the development of an 11,190 sqm centre for a leading logistics operator Xior has bought the Basecamp Wrocław student residence Sienkiewicza has 780 rooms and is the largest in Poland in terms of floor space Newgate Investment has completed the purchase of a retail park at ul 16,000 sqm and stands on the site of a former Tesco hypermarket investors bought commercial real estate with a total value of EUR 155.8 mln according to a study by Fortim Trusted Advisors followed by investments from Lebanon and Romania (9 pct) Berlin Hyp has just released the findings of its Trendbarometer survey of just under 140 real estate professionals Santander Bank Polska and Helaba have granted AFI a total of EUR 120 mln in refinancing for four PRS assets under the brand AFI Home in Warsaw This is the largest transaction of its type in this sector in Poland Panattoni has secured financing from mBank for its latest project in the Małopolska region The €26 mln funding will be used to develop the modern logistics complex Generali Adriatic Value Fund has concluded the sale of two properties in Ljubljana: Stekleni Dvor and Tivoli Center The buyer of both properties is Agromarket Logistic The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is providing a regional loan of up to EUR 120 mln to AFI Europe to support its development pipeline across Serbia BIG Poland has announced the acquisition of Power Park Olsztyn a shopping centre located in the southern part of Olsztyn This strategic investment reinforces the company’s commitment to expanding its presence in Poland’s retail sector through high-quality assets Syrena Real Estate has sold its first PRS project at ul The new owner is the Belgian company Xior Student Housing NV making it the second successful sale of a stabilised PRS project in Poland KGAL has acquired the Streitfeld Lofts office complex with 8,400 sqm of rental space and 54 underground parking spaces for one of its institutional special funds The seller of the property is one of the BlackRock Real Asset Funds Spring has very much sprung and everywhere is bathed in the first warm sunshine of the year I have in the back of my mind the terrifying fo .. The Polish warehouse market has finally stabilised after the post-pandemic boom but new challenges and opportunities are on the horizon for the sector UBM Development has been given the go-ahead for the first wooden office building in Poland: Timber Park in Poleczki Business Park in Warsaw The office market in Warsaw is currently experiencing a period of stability in terms of supply and take-up Recent data on overall tenant activity indicates that clients in the cap .. Receive all the latest information from the world of real estate by e-mail the construction of the Aura residential building designed by Robert Konieczny's office KWK Promes According to a report by research company Spectis “Construction companies in Poland 2025-2030” the total revenues of the 300 leading construction gro .. The Globalworth Foundation has provided the authorities in Bucharest with office space for a Covid vaccination centre Panattoni BTS and Commercecon together support the establishment of the second Centaurus Foundation centre in Poland to help horses and other animals intends to focus on operations in other reg .. Six class A office buildings in the PRO Portfolio which is jointly owned by PineBridge Benson Elliot and Sharow Capital have been granted BREEAM In-U .. Who won this year's 14th edition of the Eurobuild Awards The jury and guests gathered at the Double Tree by Hilton hotel in Warsaw chose this year's .. Enjoy the last set of recordings with comments straight from this year's MIPIM we asked experts from our home country for their input will take place on 9-10 April 2025 at the Norblin Factory Event Hall in W .. we invite you to hot episode of the "Eye to eye" podcast The UN Nansen Refugee Award award will go to Poland for the first time According to the office of the UNHCR High Commissioner this year's regional wi .. Czech developer CTP has been granted a EUR 200 mln loan from the European Investment Bank for the roll-out of its large-scale solar panel installation .. while the ADR has finally surpassed the milestone .. Jarosław Szanajca plans to resign from the position of president of the management board of Dom Development at the end of the year and join the superv .. The Polish and Danish governments have entered preliminary discussions for the construction of a tunnel between Szczecin and Copenhagen underneath the .. Viterra has moved into its ​​new 1,500 sqm offices in Olivia Prime part of the Olivia Centre business complex in Gdańsk Panattoni has acquired two properties near Gothenburg The brownfield sites will be replaced by a modern 43,000 sqm facility Contemporary cities are grappling with the challenge of fostering dynamic growth while alleviating environmental pressures Colliers has taken over the management of the Studio B office building located in the Warsaw Wola district The property is owned by Stena Real Estate .. The University of Warsaw has signed a contract with the general contractor for a project at ul The new building will house the faculti .. Velis Real Estate Tech is officially changing its name to Singu adopting the title of its property management product the construction of the Panattoni Park Unterfranken has officially started Following a franchise agreement with Szczecin Hospitality Group Sp Hampton by Hilton Szczecin East is set to open its doors in January 2024 becoming the first Hilton property in Szczecin Poland's seventh largest city and home to the country's largest commercial seaport Szczecin is directly connected to other European countries by railroad and ferries The 103-guest room hotel will be situated in the heart of the commercial district of Szczecin which can be converted into one larger meeting room for events Hotel website Brand OwnerHilton a nationwide Polish developer and part of the Echo Group is spearheading the development of Modern Mokotów envisioned as a 15-minute city designed for convenient living amidst abundant green spaces The investor aims to transform the entire urban block of the industrial Służewiec district once home to factories producing electronics and lifts This transformation will culminate in a city-shaping project where essential amenities are easily accessible Archicom will convert the formerly neglected office space creating an attractive place to live and spend free time with mostly residential development which will blend seamlessly with public green areas and services The finished project will be a mixed-use complex in the form of a 15-minute city offering convenient access to all essential services within a short walk or bike ride such as the Warsaw Breweries and Fuzja in the city of Łódź serve as testament to our ability to craft enticing living environments These successes assure residents of the capital that they can expect quality and comfortable living conditions and Postępu Streets has incredible potential which we would like to unleash not only for future residents of the project but also for all those who wish to enjoy appetizing dishes in restaurants drink their morning coffee or shop in an artisan bakery I can assure you that we will effectively redefine this part of the Mokotów district and emerge from the shadow of “Warsaw's Mordor” by creating a micro-district known for its desirability as a residential and leisure destination,” assures Dawid Wrona Managing Director for Sales and Marketing at Archicom Modern Mokotów will be built in a place that has undergone significant transformation over the years it later embraced the industrial revolution followed by the proliferation of office buildings The latest concept of the Polish developer is to create a friendly and functional urban block without fences The initial phase of the project will see the construction of three buildings comprising over five hundred apartments several green courtyards featuring small architectural elements will offer spaces for relaxation and recreation The opening phase will feature an exclusive building of higher standards housing 40 comfortable apartments ranging from studios to five-room units with floor areas up to 142 square meters A green area with a playground will be adjacent to the apartment building Nature will replace the vastness of concrete The rays of spring sunshine pleasantly caress strollers longing for warmth while the little ones take advantage of the weather to kick a ball around with their parents or race their bikes it’s not just a pleasant thought; it will soon become a reality in Modern Mokotów To enhance the redeveloped micro-district along Wołoska Street the architects from the renowned BBGK design studio have proposed a linear park spanning 1.5 hectares will offer recreational and ecological benefits while providing a tranquil retreat from the hustle and bustle of the nearby busy street Serving as the centerpiece of the block will be Aleja Lipowa (Lime Avenue) A green neighborhood path will invite visitors for a walk along the playground and peaceful Gardens of Three Colors comprising green courtyards with distinct themes will be sustained by reclaimed rainwater for watering the bioactive area Archicom was inspired by the concept model of sustainable neighborhoods Modern Mokotów will epitomize the potential of a vibrant city offering not just residences but also easy access to a comprehensive urban infrastructure This friendly complex will provide outdoor fitness and cross-fit areas Apartment owners will also benefit from coworking spaces and a storage room for prams The youngest will be able to spend time outdoors using three safe and well-equipped playgrounds an outdoor playing area and a recreational hillock an attractive meeting spot within the development will be surrounded by boutiques and eateries offering cuisine from around the world Modern Mokotów is much more than just a place to live Archicom is poised to breathe new life into previously concrete-covered spaces establishing a fresh urban hub for Warsaw residents This bold metamorphosis will change the nature of the former industrial and office areas in the strategic heart of Warsaw's Służewiec district By aligning with global trends in designing friendly and multifunctional living spaces the developer aims to strike a balance that seamlessly integrates city living with nature catering to residents’ needs and providing convenient access to essential amenities Archicom aims to become a developer of choice by creating a unique district where everything residents require is within easy reach More details click here Get the best of “Warsaw Business Journal”  delivered to your inbox daily Report: resources of modern office space.. Terms of Service Trademarks Privacy Policy 2018 Warsaw Business Journal The Mint residential fund is planning to extend its portfolio by 500 apartments in 2025 increasing the value of its assets by CZK 4.5 bln The PBSA market represents an attractive investment opportunity according to the authors of a report prepared by Savills the premium real estate market in Poland is steadily growing though at a slower pace compared to previous years The prices of luxury homes and apartments are also rising A new report by Avison Young describes the current situation in the Private Rented Sector in Poland The market has experienced a decade of growth institutional rental sector is still in its early stages with the first transaction completed in 2014 Matexi Polska has announced a new investment in Warsaw's PRS aimed at meeting growing investor demand for bulk apartment purchases The project will be located on Aleje Jerozolimskie ECE is investing in the further development of Gesundbrunnen Center Berlin and is expanding the property to include hotel use on the roof of the shopping center: an additional section with a total of 162 design apartments will be operated by the brand Stayery Only 11 pct of students in Poland can be accommodated in student houses PRS At a Glance: Institutional Rental Market Poland a report by BNP Paribas Real Estate Poland indicates that investor interest in the PBSA segment will grow in the coming years Nearly 1,500 flats in six stages will be built in Wrocław as part of the Apartamenty Krakowska project being developed by Robyg on land adjacent to the Haase brewery buildings The 30-ha revitalised site formerly occupied by the Silesia Metallurgical Plant will become home to a modern mixed-use district Nowy Wełnowiec with predominantly residential functions Nearly a third of the area will be dedicated to open green spaces The Capital Park Group is responsible for the implementation and management of the project YIT continues to grow in line with its strategy in the CEE countries The company is expanding its operations in the Czech Republic and establishes a joint venture with the Czech investor group RSJ Investments Archicom is planning a new housing estate in Warsaw The developer wants to implement its latest project Develia has signed a letter of intent with Innova Capital and Solida Capital to develop student housing through an investment fund Czech property group Mint is finalising the construction of its premium Metropolis residential project in Bratislava a Polish developer active in the residential and commercial market has announced the signing of key agreements for a new project will be built in Warsaw's Bielany district According to Savills Rental Housing report the share of residential transactions within total investment volumes in Prague has been increasing since 2023 Rental housing is expected to exceed last year's volume making 2024 one of the most successful years for this sector ‘We decided to keep the limited colour palette of blue and focus on the contrast between the simplicity of the materials and vintage nostalgic details,’ explains the studio the duo commissioned architects Dominika and Paweł Buck for their third stressing a desire to keep the original’s authenticity while standardising the brand’s in-store image recreates the olfactory bliss of citrus and basil with herbaceous patchouli For more information, visit Mo61's website VIEW GOOGLE MAPS Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox. @thib_ault / Unsplash View Tours The northern district of Żoliborz is one of Warsaw residents’ favourite places to live and hang out It boasts a village feel thanks to its quiet charming streets (make sure you walk around the area’s most beautiful streets such as Brodzińskiego and Wieniawskiego) a weekend food market called The Breakfast Market (Targ Sniadanowy) and a mix of lovely cafés and restaurants including Porananas A magnet to Warsaw’s hipsters, Plac Zbawiciela (Savior Square) is a centrally located and home to the trendy wine bar and café Charlotte and the cult pub Plan B The baroque/renaissance Church of the Holiest Saviour on the southern part of the square overlooks a busy roundabout in the middle which up until the summer 2015 featured a colourful rainbow shaped art installation (symbol of LGBT pride famous for the controversy it stirred among Poles Mokotów is a vibrant neighbourhood located south of the city centre Head there to enjoy great cafés (such as Relaks on Puławska Street) delicious ice cream at Jednorożec (on Narbutta Street) and do some shopping at lovely shops including This is Paper (on Odolańska Street) and Reset (on Puławska Street) The iconic Iluzjon art house cinema is another must see It features a 1950 style café and outdoor seating overlooking a charming leafy square by Narbutta Street Sign up to our newsletter to save up to $800 on our unique trips See privacy policy Praga / Ząbkowska Street The coolest street of the artistic Praga district, located east of the Vistula River, is Ząbkowska Street, where you’ll find a raft of alternative bars and cafés such as W Oparach Absurdu (meaning “in the fumes of absurdity”) and Łysy Pingwin (“bald penguin”) part of the street was home to a famous vodka factory Koneser and the area is currently being redeveloped into a trendy retail/office/residential complex Another highlight of Praga is the Soho Factory complex, where you’ll find a mix of post industrial buildings and new developments housing everything from creative retail and office spaces to Warsaw’s coolest museum, the Neon Museum, and one of the city’s best Polish restaurants, Warszawa Wschodnia In recent years the Vistula River Bank has become the heart of Warsaw’s summer nightlife, attracting crowds of young party goers. Most popular clubs include Temat Rzeka, Pomost 511 and Cud nad Wisłą. During the day it’s a perfect spot for cycling, skateboarding and simply relaxing on the grass by the water The adjacent district of Powiśle on the left side of the river is also worth exploring Part of the Old Jewish Quarter centred around the grand Renaissance All Saints Church the triangular Plac Grzybowski (the Grzybowski Square) has recently experienced a lot of redevelopment and become one of the coolest areas in the very centre of Warsaw It now features a number of new cool cafés such as Kosmos and Charlotte Menora (a sister café to the famous Charlotte on Savior Square) and great dining options on the nearby Próżna Street which is made up of beautifully restored tenement houses The Oleandrów Street is cool and can’t afford to be overlooked. This small quiet street is home to cosy restaurants, hip shops and independent art galleries. Enjoy some tasty ramen and salted caramel doughnuts and at MOD, taste artisan Polish beer at Inne Beczki and browse a collection of design homeware at Makutra Guides & Tips The Best European Cities to Visit in November See & Do Lesser-Known Summer Destinations to Visit in Europe Guides & Tips This Is Europe's Ultimate Road Trip Guides & Tips The Best European Cities to Visit in December Sports A Hiker's Guide to the Tatra Mountains See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in September Guides & Tips Beat the Crowds with these Alternative Summer Destinations See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in October See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in Summer See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in Autumn Guides & Tips The Best Places to Travel in August See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in July US: +1 (678) 967 4965 | UK: +44 (0)1630 35000 tripssupport@theculturetrip.com © Copyright 2025 The Culture Trip Ltd The Shire – Beyond Coworking has taken over the operational management of an existing coworking location in the Zebra Tower office building in Warsaw has extended its lease at Warsaw’s Skyliner office building owned by the Karimpol Group for a further 63 months XTB remains in its current space spanning nearly 4,400 sqm BSH Hausgeräte has signed a green lease for 60,000 sqm in the Aviva office complex in Munich’s Neuperlach district This is the largest single letting in Munich in more than five years Independent flex office provider New Work is set to open on the eighth floor of the Metron office building in Warsaw Fio Investment Company has purchased the Stará Celnice office and retail building in the centre of Prague for its real estate fund from German pension fund BVK Europa-Immobilien-Spezialfonds with Invesco Real Estate representing the seller OKAM Capital has finalised the sale of the D E and F stages of its Bohema project in Warsaw’s Praga-Północ district to AFI Poland The transaction began with the signing of a contract in October 2021 but the sale was officially closed in March 2025 a provider of IT resource and cost management solutions has extended its lease agreement in the Business Garden complex in Warsaw International real estate advisory Knight Frank has relocated its Polish headquarters to the Vibe office building next to Rondo Daszyńskiego in Warsaw Paref has received a building permit for the Nau The work on the 34,800 sqm development on Theodor-Heuss-Allee is scheduled for completion in 2028 Green Caffè Nero is to open a 190 sqm café on the first floor of the Nefryt residential building under construction in the Soho complex under development by Yareal in Warsaw’s Praga-Południe district B2B professional services supplier Crowe is to move into the Office House building in the Towarowa 22 mixed-use project in Warsaw According to ‘Office Occupier – Office Market in Tricity’ published by real estate advisory firm Newmark Polska The Tricity ended 2024 with the second-highest office take-up level on record while its vacancy rate – hovering above 12 pct for the past four years – edged down Two Polish companies from the IT and gaming industries have leased space in the Korona Office Complex The centre comprises over 38,200 sqm of space across four buildings on al Skanska has sold the first stage of the Equilibrium office complex in Bucharest to Gordiusz Private Equity Fund for EUR 52 mln The fund is managed by Gránit Asset Management Australian-based team-management software firm Atlassian has moved into the Officyna centre in Gdańsk Consumer chemicals producer Henkel is relocating to the second building of the Equilibrium complex developed by Skanska in Bucharest's Barbu Văcărescu-Floreasca Our CompaniesNewsroomInsightsAbout PPF Group PrintDownload as PDFCopy linkPPF Real Estate Holding is continually expanding into new markets and diversifying its asset portfolio the company entered the Polish market with the acquisition of New City Poland and the United States are the new commercial property markets where PPF Real Estate Holding has begun operating this year The company owns properties also in the Czech Republic Germany and Russia.Located in Warsaw’s Mokotów quarter the New City office complex is a part of the capital’s premier office district Close proximity to Warsaw Chopin Airport and significant recent investments in the local transport infrastructure have transformed this area into the most sought-after office location in the country being one of the most liquid in Central and Eastern Europe and despite the local market not having avoided the coronavirus pandemic’s adverse economic effects New City has shown a high degree of stability compared to other office centers,” says PPF Real Estate Investment Manager Jiří Sýkora The pace of high-rise buildings construction has earned Poland a moniker the land of skyscrapers Warsaw is a leader among major cities in Central Europe regarding this type of development “After our recent entry into the US market I’m glad the geographic diversification of our assets continues in Europe which is also very important part of our overall portfolio,” says PPF Real Estate Executive Director Jiří Tošek The seller of New City office complex was a fund owned by Hines PPF Real Estate has enjoyed long-term cooperation with Hines and purchased several properties from the fund including London’s Westferry Circus office building and Moscow’s Metropolis office center The parties have agreed not to disclose financial details regarding the New City transaction in Warsaw Download as PDF RelatedPPF Real Estate Holding PPF Real Estate agrees with Northwood Investors to acquire Four Seasons Hotel Prague PPF Real Estate Holding acquires stake in current phase of mixed-used development in Tampa PPF expands into the real estate development market in USA PPF Real Estate enters residential development market in Prague in alliance with Karlín Group PPF Real Estate expands its activities in Bucharest Acquiring SouthPark Office Complex in Orlando AllResultsPersonnel newsTransactionsCSREventsAllResultsPersonnel newsTransactionsCSREventsCompanies a.s.Tanemo a.s.Nadace PPFPPF GroupAllHome Credit International All20252024202320222021202020192018All20252024202320222021202020192018Latest CME Appoints Global Broadcasting Executive Sam Barnett as CEO PPF Group agreed to sell its shareholding in LEAG e& PPF Telecom Group agrees 100% acquisition of Serbia Broadband (SBB) PPF Real Estate agrees to acquire Hilton Prague expanding in the Czech capital’s hospitality and conference sector For press release archive please contact media@ppf.eu. Škoda Group CEO Škoda Group: We will evaluate the possibility of an offer for Talgo once we have more detailed information we are exploring various synergies and using AI to change the way the entire company operates Our generation makes the mistake of criticizing the young Sometimes we could try to understand them more Viewers want good stories and Nova has plenty to offer + 420 224 174 214 media@ppf.eu I agree to the privacy policy.  This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply If you wish to receive a logo or images relating to PPF Group or its subsidiaries We will send you a link allowing you to download the files I agree to the terms&conditions. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. News to EmailGet the latest press releases, interviews, podcasts, and insights.  BIG Poland has acquired the Multishop Suwałki retail park comprising 13,000 sqm of retail space The company now owns nine fully commercialized retail parks in Poland Slate Asset Management has sold three OBI retail stores to the Lindner Group from Germany Cushman & Wakefield has conducted a survey the findings of which are presented in the report From Shopping to Experiences: A Customer’s View on Shopping Centres and Retail Parks Cushman & Wakefield notes that despite evolving shopping trends both retail formats continue to hold strong appeal Multi Poland has taken on the management of the Galeria Przymorze shopping centre in Gdańsk The store offers lifestyle and sporting clothing and is to open this spring According to the "Quo Vadis E-commerce" report released by Cushman & Wakefield the online commerce continues to be a growth driver for the industrial & logistics real estate sector generating significant opportunities for developers and investors the investor behind the Projekt Góraszka shopping and entertainment complex in Wiązowna on Warsaw’s eastern outskirts has obtained a building permit for a mixed-use development Poznan-based company Scallier is opening another facility under the Funshop Park brand in Romania According to the latest report “At a Glance: Modern Retail Market in Poland Q4 2024” from BNP Paribas Real Estate Poland Poland’s retail market experienced record growth in 2024 Cushman &Wakefield has summarised the situation on the Polish retail market Over half a mln sqm of new retail space came on stream last year marking the highest new supply level in Poland since 2015 This robust development activity occurred amid rising demand from new retailers and improving consumer sentiment which boosted retail sales A new retail park with a total area of 24,000 sqm is set to be developed in Otwock under the name Świderek The investment will be led by Redkom Development Empik has opened a flagship store in the revitalised former Cepelia pavilion in the centre of Warsaw the modernist building has regained its former glory and once again impresses with its original appearance and modern interior Trei Real Estate Poland has opened its 40th Vendo Park The investment was created in Wrocław and has 5,000 sqm Vendo Park Wrocław is the first facility under this banner in the capital of Lower Silesia The retail park was built on a plot of approx An 800 sqm Biedronka grocery store is to open on the ground floor of the Moje Bielany residential complex which is being developed by CeMat A/S at ul Wólczyńska 121 in Warsaw’s Bielany district The man had a prior record for insults and drug possession he fired three shots at the closed doors of a city bus on line 119 and excellent operational work by the police led to the suspect's arrest at his home Mężczyzna. który oddał 3 strzały do autobusu na Mokotowie, został zatrzymany.Więcej: https://t.co/MfJFrnwkjB@Policja_KSP pic.twitter.com/HGl5hxtIdb officers found an object resembling a weapon which will be examined to determine if it was used in the incident The investigation is ongoing under the supervision of the Warsaw Mokotów District Prosecutor's Office The suspect faces up to 5 years in prison for the property damage as explained by Assistant Commissioner Marta Haberska Source: Polish Police/KSP/X/@Policja_KSP/@Raport_W A unique office designed by MXCF Architekci impresses with its functionality and innovative architectural solutions which was built inside Fort Mokotów in the 1970s was adapted for office and commercial purposes has been arranged with a view to creating a multifunctional office space The work of designers from MXCF Architekci and Marcin Ferenc together with the team – Julia Białoszyńska is the interior of the headquarters of the Polish branch of the Red Bull brand The design combines classic design with a comfortable the architects decided to open the hall in such a way as to connect the functional zones expose the prefabricated reinforced concrete structure of the building and illuminate its middle section This provided all office users with a view-through high loft window of the greenery of the Fort's embankment and at the same time allowed for the proper dynamics of the interior and emphasizing its restrained The office project was preceded by an in-depth analysis of Red Bull's needs and expectations The high naturally lit open space office space has been divided into semi-open zones that give users a sense of comfort and at the same time allow free contact between members of individual teams located evenly between the employee parts of the office These rooms are designed for quiet or group work and are available to all employees The architects also emphasize that the number of various positions allows cross working flexible and creative use of the workplace depending on the type of activity which is jointly owned by PineBridge Benson Elliot and Sharow Capital have been granted BREEAM In-Use as well as WELL Health-Safety Rating certificates Colliers has been approved by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) as a qualified WELL Survey Provider joining a select group of companies authorised to conduct employee satisfaction surveys as part of the WELL Certification process in the business district of Mokotów in Warsaw has been awarded the prestigious BREEAM In-Use certification at the Excellent level The property is part of the Hines Poland Sustainable Income Fund  portfolio The Ghelamco-owned Vibe has received DGNB New Buildings International 2020 Gold certificate This is the first office building in Poland with such certification LEED and BREEAM certifications are currently a must-have in the Polish commercial real estate sector Does the market need a certification that evaluates actual energy consumption results with annual audits a sustainability associate at construction engineering specialists Cundall introduces NABERS – a certification system developed in Australia and now successfully operating on the UK market Syrena Real Estate has signed a cPPA with Polenergia Sprzedaż The four-year contract covers the supply of green energy from the FW Dębsk and FF Strzelino wind farms owned by the Polenergia Group and energy balancing services Two buildings completed as part of the first phase of Good Point V have received the final BREEAM International New Construction V6 certificate at the Excellent level Warsaw's Studio B building has been awarded SmartScore and WiredScore certificates Skanska has thus become the first company in Poland to receive these certificates for a building already in use Panattoni has again partnered with law firm HFW and Pledge and Analytiqa to publish the 3rd edition of the 2024 European Logistics Sustainability Report The results show significant progress in efforts to reduce the sector's carbon footprint Warsaw has adopted a green standard to make urban construction more energy efficient and environmentally friendly The capital is the first city in Poland to implement such a solution The Imagine office complex in Łódź has received the global WiredScore certification which is awarded to buildings that are technologically advanced in digital connectivity the headquarters of the Portus Vitae Foundation but it is already bringing people together thanks in no small part to the unfailing support of the real estate industry has obtained BREEAM certification with the rating of Outstanding The mission of the Robert Dobrzycki Foundation is to help shape the development of society and promote Poland and Polish business on the world stage the fourth-tallest office project in Bucharest has been granted the LEED certification by the U.S has been awarded the LEED Gold certification in the Operations and Maintenance category has achieved BREEAM certification at the Outstanding level The building also has a WELL and Green Building Standard pre-certificate Wired Score and "Barrier-free building" certification Warsaw is returning this weekend to its tradition of all-day outdoor breakfasts available in the north of the city in Żoliborz and in the south in Mokotów: The Warsaw Breakfast Market starts this weekend🥙🥐🍳Saturdays 9:00-16:00📌Żoliborz, aleja Wojska Polskiego, róg ul. ŚmiałejSundays 10:00 - 17:00📌Mokotów, skwer AK Granat pic.twitter.com/mOHfEcBity Not only in Warsaw's parks but all across Poland Magnolias are in bloom earlier than usual: Hurry up to admire beautiful magnolias. #DiscoverWarsaw 📌 University of Warsaw Botanical Garden pic.twitter.com/DQUvKeL6eQ The 700 sq mt store is located on the first floor of Galeria Mokotów Warsaw’s new upmarket shopping centre.Featuring a clean layout with wooden detailing and contemporary lighting the space introduces & Other Stories’s clothing beauty and accessories collections to Poland for the first time the brand announced the launch of a country-specific e-commerce store for Poland allowing customers everywhere in the country to purchase & Other Stories items John Besemeres reviews a remarkable book and recounts the career of its equally remarkable author John Besemeres 3 October 2013 5579 words Natural authority and flair for organisation: Polish cavalry captain and resistance fighter Witold Pilecki The Auschwitz Volunteer: Beyond BraveryBy Witold Pilecki | Translated by Jarek Garliński | Aquila Polonica | US$ $34.95 I found myself travelling by public transport along Rakowiecka Street in the southern suburb of Mokotów with a young Polish woman named Sonia who had been deputed by kind friends to look after their exotic and no doubt naive visitor At a certain moment she pointed discreetly at the forbidding walls of a building we were passing and whispered she explained to me that there were political prisoners inside She sought my confirmation that there were such prisons in Australia too there were far fewer political prisoners in Mokotów Prison than there had once been But during the Stalinist period of Poland’s postwar history many wartime anti-Nazi resistance fighters were held there for extended periods of brutalisation and torture Sonia was probably acutely aware of that period and perhaps apprehensive that it might return and take an anti-Semitic turn The politics of the ruling Polish United Workers’ Party certainly seemed to be tilting in that direction Jews had been prominent in the Polish communist regime of the Stalinist era including within its brutal security police anti-Semitic faction within the regime was seeking to exploit that fact to seize power and in 1968 it launched an internationally conspicuous hate campaign against Poland’s surviving Jews the notorious Jewish communists of the Stalinist-era security establishment had been removed from office But its failure came only after a major crackdown on the opposition-minded intelligentsia It is unlikely that Sonia would have heard of the name of one of Mokotów’s prisoners who was held and tortured there for nearly a year in the late 1940s For many decades following his judicial murder his heroic career unknown to the younger generation of his compatriots Pilecki features as one of the six most outstanding resistance fighters of the second world war in the British historian Michael R.D Foot’s 1978 book Six Faces of Courage But because of the Western squint on the history of the war Pilecki is not well-known among Anglo-Saxon readers either And that means any introduction of the remarkable book to English-language readers must also introduce its equally remarkable author WITOLD Pilecki was born in 1901 into a family that had been forcibly resettled to Tsarist Russia because of his grandfather Józef Pilecki’s involvement in the Polish uprising of 1863 for which Józef had spent seven years in Siberian exile he moved with his family to the ethnically Polish (and Jewish) city of Wilno He joined the secret Polish scout movement which led naturally to his teenage involvement in the Polish independence struggle during the latter stages of the first world war including the underground resistance to invading Bolshevik forces near Wilno (Despite presenting themselves as the liberators of the Tsarist “prison of the peoples,” the Bolsheviks were in fact doing their best to restore the Russian empire in a new “proletarian” guise.) Following Poland’s re-emergence as an independent state Pilecki joined the newly formed national Polish army and took a very active part in the Polish–Bolshevik war of 1919–20 working to restore his family estate while remaining active both as a reserve officer and through charitable work By all accounts a devoted husband and father he also engaged in musical and artistic pursuits He was later to pen a poem in Mokotów Prison to his torturer-in-chief the notorious Colonel Różański Pilecki was mobilised as a platoon commander in the Polish cavalry his poorly equipped unit did not undertake quixotic charges on horseback against the advancing Germans but it did succeed in destroying seven tanks and three aircraft The Polish armed forces received no help from their Western allies and were soon outgunned by the enemy Pilecki and his men were overrun by Soviet forces entering Poland to claim their share of the spoils of the secret clauses of the Molotov–Ribbentrop pact which carved up Eastern Europe between Germany and the Soviet Union Discouraged by Poland’s isolation and the unequal struggle on two fronts and abandoned by a high command and political leadership that had retreated across the southeastern border many Polish armed units also headed west via the same route Its last battles were fought as a partisan force Pilecki helped found a pioneering resistance group called the Secret Polish Army which became one of the building blocks of the Armia Krajowa (the Home Army) the biggest armed resistance formation in German-occupied Europe for much of the war Pilecki’s Secret Polish Army derived from the prewar nationalist right which had numbered extremists and anti-Semites among its members But Pilecki’s simple personal and military code Under his leadership the Secret Polish Army quickly accumulated thousands of followers Hitler’s occupation regime quickly began implementing its plan to decapitate the Polish intelligentsia seizing children with promising Germanic traits for adoption by Germans and generally reducing the nation to a leaderless mass of slave labourers to be worked to death or deported to make Lebensraum for German settlers Large groups of Poles were being arbitrarily seized and despatched to the Auschwitz concentration camp in the southwestern Polish region of Silesia had been annexed directly to the Third Reich The fragmentary but alarming reports about Auschwitz that reached the underground led Pilecki to propose to his superiors that he allow himself to be incarcerated in Auschwitz to organise a resistance movement there and send back intelligence Pilecki seems to have been the only person who ever volunteered to become an Auschwitz prisoner he inserted himself in a German mass round-up in Warsaw Along with some 1800 other people seized in the round-up where he was to spend two years and eight months in Auschwitz I Auschwitz was not yet the mass-murder facility it was later to become nor had adequate reports of the vicious conditions there filtered through to Warsaw Even for someone as hardened to resistance as Pilecki arriving at the camp after a nightmarish journey without food or water was a severe shock Brutally extracted from their freight trucks under blinding lights kicked and rifle-butted by SS-men and herded by snarling dogs into lines the new arrivals were then marched into the camp We approached a gate in a wire fence over which could be seen the sign “Arbeit macht frei” [“Work makes you free”] It was only later that we learned to understand it properly Beyond the gate they were set upon by a horde of kapos (prisoner trusties) in the pyjama-like garb later to become so familiar throughout the world Demanding in German to know what the newcomers had done in their former life the kapos beat to death any who acknowledged they were educated professionals The amplified voice of the Auschwitz deputy commandant could be heard promising the newcomers that they would be allowed to live no more than six weeks; any who did would be regarded as having stolen food and for that they would be sent to a penal company where they could be quite certain they wouldn’t survive long losing some teeth and only just managing to suppress groans of pain that might well have led to worse The daily routine of the camp proved to be very like that welcome Prisoners were systematically starved and deprived of sleep sanitary facilities were grotesquely inadequate Unless they found a niche away from the everyday grind even if they weren’t killed for some alleged infringement of discipline or “hygiene.” The day was made longer by repeated parades and roll-calls and anyone failing to appear because of hunger fatigue or disease was likely to be routed out and murdered on the spot to encourage the others to better behaviour Although some of the kapos and some of the German civilians employed at the camp showed some residual signs of human decency Two ethnically Polish early arrivals at Auschwitz had ascended to the most senior kapo positions and were loathed and feared even more than the SS Pilecki refers to the two contemptuously as “ex-Poles.” Pilecki’s report describes the conditions in the camp in grim detail poignant scenes and brutal patterns of behaviour Because the prisoners were given consecutive numbers based on the time of their arrival in Auschwitz (Pilecki was 4859) it became possible to determine attrition rates by counting the numbers who had survived from any group of one hundred each group of Pilecki’s approximate vintage had been reduced to fewer than ten slow-motion genocide compared to the hideous mass-murder regimes instituted for Europe’s Jews in the adjoining Auschwitz–Birkenau camp and elsewhere And camp SS officials frequently reminded the prisoners that the purpose was to finish them all off in the end Historians estimate that at Auschwitz alone some eighty to ninety thousand ethnic Poles perished PILECKI survived through a combination of physical fitness At one point he was allocated a skilled labourer’s job by a junior camp official who was desperate to perform a private task for a superior he inserted himself plausibly into the role one tradesman’s job led to another and he escaped the worst of the barbarous camp conditions the relative freedom of movement and above all the longevity to build up his organisations of intelligence agents and soldiers-in-waiting they were sometimes able to help themselves and others – or even save prisoners from impending disaster or exposure – and also to conduct guerrilla warfare against the worst of the camp administrators (An example of the latter involved collusion with sympathisers on the staff of the prison hospital – itself typically a staging post to death or execution – to infect their hated tormentors with the typhus-carrying lice that were endemic in the prisoner population.) Pilecki had begun organising this elaborate resistance structure very soon after his arrival had a comprehensive sense of the extent or membership of the organisation as a whole Though by no means the most senior military prisoner in the camp his natural authority and remarkable flair for organisation enabled him to unify all the existing underground cells and groups in the camp under his leadership The resulting Union of Military Organisation included activists from various points on the political spectrum of prewar Poland who would not have been prepared to shake hands with one another By recruiting collaborators from among inmates who had become camp functionaries of one sort or another Pilecki’s organisation was able to mitigate some of the worst features of camp life It also gathered information about the crimes of the occupation regime and transmitted reports to the underground leadership via the occasional prisoners who were released from the camp (often thanks to large bribes offered to German officialdom in Warsaw or Kraków) or the very small minority who managed to escape Neither release nor escape were viable options for any of the Jews being caught up in the mass shipments to Auschwitz and other death camps Pilecki’s report describes how some time before Hitler’s “final solution” began to be implemented Jews among the prisoners in Auschwitz I were forced to write letters to relatives throughout Europe describing the circumstances there as very favourable Conditions were even eased for a time to facilitate this operation was to deceive the many thousands of Jews still to arrive at Auschwitz into believing that they were simply being resettled and thereby to avoid mass panic or desperate rebellions as they were prepared for the gas chambers Pilecki’s central objective was to ready an underground fighting force to rise up and overpower the camp administration in the event of an allied or Home Army attack on Auschwitz this worthy and understandable ambition proved to be unrealistic Despite the information provided by the Union of Military Organisation to the underground leadership widespread murder and hideous conditions prevailing in Auschwitz the Allies never undertook any significant action to disable And the Home Army was never strong enough to mount such an operation successfully on its own Even when the Germans began mass gassings at Auschwitz initially and “experimentally,” of Soviet POWs then increasingly of Jews – all of which Pilecki reported – there was a marked reluctance in Allied circles to believe the reports As with the news of the Holocaust conveyed to the Allies by the legendary Polish courier they tended to be dismissed as exaggerated or inaccurate After more than two-and-a-half years in Auschwitz Pilecki began to detect signs that the organisation may be in danger and that his own role could be exposed with his overarching knowledge of the underground structure in Auschwitz succumbed to extreme methods of interrogation the results for all his colleagues would have been disastrous surviving gunfire from guards in hot pursuit and an encounter with an armed German patrol a little further along the way the gripping description of this adventure in Pilecki’s report Over 800 inmates tried to escape from Auschwitz but only 144 succeeded The failed escapees were invariably executed and typically the Germans inflicted collective capital punishment on at least ten others who may not have been involved in any way Pilecki’s organisation had adopted a policy of discouraging escapes for that reason At the time Pilecki and his companions decided to escape while conditions in the adjoining Auschwitz–Birkenau death camp were even more hideous the administration had become milder in Auschwitz I and a successful escape a short time before had brought no collective punishment Pilecki made his way stealthily towards Warsaw he met the real owner of the identity he and his underground colleagues had pilfered to forge the documents he had used for the round-up The false identity had helped to protect his underground colleagues and to save him from being blackmailed by threats to his family The real owner of his nom de guerre was startled to meet him but bore him no ill will and indeed invited him to rest and recuperate before continuing his journey Back in Warsaw he immediately resumed his underground activities in Home Army headquarters where he was promoted from lieutenant to captain and deployed in the Home Army Sabotage Command In his new post he resumed his efforts to convince his superiors of the need to launch the attack on Auschwitz that he believed could have enabled the Union of Military Organisation to liberate the camp from within called the “W Report” (later “Witold’s Report”) which formed the basis of the longer 1945 version that Jarek Garliński has now translated The report was a key source of intelligence for the allies on Auschwitz the Home Army leadership took its fateful decision to unleash the Warsaw Uprising against the German occupation of the capital underground soldiers and medical orderlies alike – were killed Hitler gave explicit instructions that the city should be razed to the ground in punishment for its outrageous impertinence Pilecki volunteered for action as a foot soldier in the uprising and led some particularly noteworthy acts of armed resistance against the vastly superior firepower of the enemy One in particular, in which his unit repeatedly took and retook a strategic building on the main east–west thoroughfare through the city, caused great frustration to the German side. Reviewing the episode, the eminent British historian Norman Davies comments that so long as Pilecki “threatened this one vital pressure point the German command was made to feel insecure One is tempted to suggest that a single company could have won the Rising a fortnight’s reprieve.” Time was perceived as vital by the uprising’s leaders who were calculating that the Allies would come to their assistance having called in its propaganda broadcasts to Poland for the insurgents to rise up halted its advance on the other side of the Vistula River when they did so and waited for Hitler to crush the insurrection the powerful national underground movement which he wanted to replace with his proxy Polish forces Stalin even refused to allow the Western Allies to make use of airstrips under Soviet control to the east of the city in their attempts to deliver vital supplies to the insurgents (Flight distances were too great for aircraft to deliver supplies to Warsaw without landing somewhere nearby and refuelling for the return journey to Allied airfields on the Western front.) When the leaders of the uprising finally surrendered Pilecki was taken prisoner and spent several months in German POW camps he joined the main unit of the Polish Armed Forces in the West Władysław Anders’s Second Polish Corps He soon accepted a mission from Anders to return to Poland under yet another false identity to gather intelligence on the progressive communisation of Poland by the Soviet Army These Polish forces and nascent political structures had been recruited from deportees and exiles in the Soviet Union who had not chosen to join General Anders in his evacuation of Polish forces and their families from the Soviet Union to the West they had been thoroughly immersed in Stalin’s methods by their Soviet masters and fully subordinated to them Pilecki again set about forming a resistance intelligence network deflated by a complete lack of support from the Allies who had supposedly guaranteed their sovereignty and declared war against Germany in their defence decided further resistance to Sovietisation of Poland was pointless They ordered all the partisans still resisting the new occupiers to abandon the struggle conserve their remaining strength and return to a civilian existence in Poland or seek to escape to the West in readiness for some future reckoning and also warnings that the Moscow-controlled Polish police apparatus was closing in on him He declined to respond to an amnesty offered by the regime in 1947 He was arrested in May 1947 and spent ten months in detention while a show trial was prepared against him and a number of others accused of being members of his group Like all political prisoners in the emerging Stalinist Polish state and is known to have been subjected to “interrogations” by some of the most notorious sadists in the Polish security police In a final whispered aside to his wife and a family friend at his trial he told them that in comparison with the communists’ torture methods “Auschwitz had been kids’ play” (igraszka) THE trial of Pilecki and others from “Witold’s Group” began on 3 March 1948 Pilecki argued that his spying activities had been carried out on behalf of the Polish army in the West of which he continued to regard himself as an officer bound by his oath of God Regime propaganda about the group on trial included the brazenly mendacious theme that they had collaborated with the Nazi occupation Pilecki was sentenced to death on 15 March 1948 At the show trial or in separate closed hearings eight of his colleagues were also sentenced to death for spying against their own country for which most of them had fought in shocking conditions throughout the German occupation Two of the nine under sentence of death had their sentences commuted to life imprisonment Thirteen others were sentenced to jail terms of from three to fifteen years The prosecutor and the president of the court that tried Pilecki had been members of the Home Army but when the Soviets and their Polish allies arrived in the country making mass arrests among Home Army officers they decided instead to forge careers in the new occupation regime Pilecki’s wife and others made efforts to have his death sentence commuted but Poland’s communist president Bolesław Bierut declined to exercise his right to do so Pilecki’s supporters had hopes of the prewar Socialist leader Józef Cyrankiewicz who had been active in the Home Army and also survived imprisonment in Auschwitz had decided to collaborate with the new regime and ultimately led the rump of his Socialist party into a 1948 merger with the communists to form the Polish United Workers’ Party which dominated communist Poland till 1990 he was made prime minister of Poland (under communism an important but certainly not the top job) from 1947 to 1952 and again from 1954 to 1970 His alleged achievements as a resistance leader in Auschwitz were much trumpeted by Cyrankiewicz and the regime But when people begged him to do something to save the life of the doyen of all Polish Auschwitz survivors, he conspicuously declined to do so It has been argued plausibly that Cyrankiewicz saw Pilecki as someone who could undermine his new propaganda persona as an Auschwitz hero and for that reason wanted him out of the way Pilecki is reported to have told a fellow prisoner that “if Cyrankiewicz finds out I’m in here Another source recalled that Pilecki had told her in 1946 he had heard Cyrankiewicz was preparing a speech glorifying his own role at Auschwitz Pilecki told her he had written to Cyrankiewicz saying “I have a document in my possession regarding your time in Auschwitz If you dare to speak about your role in the Auschwitz resistance I will make that document public.” The speech was never given Cyrankiewicz played a more creditable role in the case of the legendary courier Jan Karski but it seems likely that he engaged in highly dishonourable behaviour in Auschwitz about which Pilecki had been reliably informed It was characteristic of Pilecki that he did not hesitate to make an enemy of such a highly placed opportunist as Cyrankiewicz the legend of Cyrankiewicz’s doughty deeds in Auschwitz would remain unchallenged until he in Mokotów prison on Rakowiecka Street in Warsaw the only man known to have volunteered to be incarcerated in Auschwitz in the service of his country and one of the few who risked death to escape from it again was executed as a traitor to his homeland with a shot to the back of the head This was a rewarding occupation for Śmietański who was literally paid by the shattered head caught one of the last glimpses of Pilecki as he was being led to his death: a jail functionary took the remains of the victim under cover of darkness and dug them into the ground near Warsaw’s historic and atmospheric Powązki Cemetery known in the police code as “The Meadow,” was at the time the location of a rubbish tip Pilecki’s final resting place was not known to his family for many decades He was not “rehabilitated” until after the fall of communism in 1990 and only in 2012 was it possible for serious efforts to be undertaken to locate his remains PILECKI’s manuscript was written as a military report to his superiors with relatively little care taken to manicure the prose or mould paragraphs The author had always been far too busy to find time to polish or contemplate publishing it has been at pains to retain the informal spontaneity of the original including Pilecki’s frequent use of German terms of art for camp institutions and the threatening language of the SS and the kapos The son of the distinguished Polish émigré historian Józef Garliński and himself deeply knowledgeable about the subject-matter Jarek Garliński also provides the reader with extensive and very valuable aids to understanding the details of the text Readers who find some of this detail (the numbers of the various Auschwitz blocks for example) superfluous to their requirements can easily bypass it The content is fascinating at a number of levels Parts of the book can also be read as a factional adventure story in the style of English classics like The Wooden Horse but one with far greater depth and historical significance than most in that genre For the outstanding American historian of Eastern Europe it is a document comparable with the works of Primo Levi and Tadeusz Borowski When supplemented by a sketch of Pilecki’s life before and after Auschwitz and a description of the fate of his homeland at the hands of both its enemies and its allies the book conjures up the full tragedy and bitterness of Poland’s wartime struggle “Only when one grasps the true horror of his fate can one comprehend what the second world war in Europe was really about.” It should not be said (though it sometimes is) that Pilecki’s or Poland’s struggle was entirely in vain But it is understandable that some of the loyal rank and file who lived to tell the tale turned into sharp critics of their own former leaders for allowing so much Polish blood to be shed in what was One can only conjecture as to whether hints of similar thoughts passed through Pilecki’s mind in the last days before he was led away to be shot by a group of his fellow Poles (He would probably have called them all “ex-Poles,” just as his compatriots took to contemptuously calling collaborators with the new occupation “acting Poles.”) this account of Pilecki’s life also raises again the old debate about which of the two great tyrannies of the era apparently trying to preserve the memory of Stalinism as an errant but nonetheless defensible part of the Marxist legacy Those who opposed the introduction of communism into Eastern Europe implying that they all got what they deserved Most on the left take a more judicious view and indeed it was often writers from the left (Isaac Deutscher George Orwell and others) who brought Stalin’s crimes to Western attention typically experienced not one but three successive brutal and brutalising invasions Academic objectivity and superior moral judgement can be difficult for anyone with such life experiences “All the indications are that Soviet instruments of repression consumed more human beings than their Nazi counterparts,” Norman Davies asserts confidently in his introduction to The Auschwitz Volunteer Stalin’s era and system lasted much longer than Hitler’s so on some interpretations of the statistical record Davies may be right Most contemporary historians of the period seem to be inclining to the view that Soviet statistics made available since Gorbachev’s perestroika point to a rather lower death rate under Stalinist rule than had previously been assumed But the statistics may be imperfect – it was Stalin who suppressed the results of the 1937 Soviet census for most people there is something uniquely horrible about the death camps and industrialised mass murder of Nazi Germany Timothy Snyder has weighed the pros and cons and come to the conclusion that while initially Stalinism was worse Nazism overtook it in brutality and became clearly the more evil of the two What might Pilecki have thought of it after mature reflection in exile in the history department of an American university John Besemeres is an Adjunct Fellow at the Centre for European Studies at ANU “Jan Karski’s Valiant Failures,” was published in the April 2013 edition of Zachor the journal of the Australian Association of Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Descendants Inc Three shopping centres across Europe will soon be rebranded as Westfield, as announced yesterday by Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (ASX: URW) The move forms part of the company’s Westfield brand expansion throughout Europe as URW enjoyed a footfall of 550 million across its European assets last year and Galeria Mokotow in Warsaw will see Westfield branding as of autumn this year “The rebranding of these centres continues our strategy to expand Westfield to Flagship European destinations in the wealthiest cities and catchment areas,” said Caroline Puechoultres “The significant opportunity afforded to both retailers and brands by this increasingly digitally linked network of destinations is unparalleled – through Westfield our partners can reach tens of millions of European consumers URW also noted the brand’s success and significance highlighting 20% higher sales values at URW centres compared to other A category centres The company’s Parquesur property was acquired in 1994 Including a 159,000 square metres of gross lettable area the centre is the largest of the three latest properties to be rebranded as Westfield and the largest retail offering south of Madrid The asset is located in the centre of the city of Leganés Täby Centrum in Stockholm plays host to 266 shops across 84,700 square metres of gross lettable area the property was most recent refurbished in 2015 and also includes 10,700 square metres of office and other space URW’s Galeria Mokotów was acquired in 2003 and most recently refurbished in 2013 The property is home to 254 shops across 68,100 square metres of gross lettable area; the property also includes a cinema and fitness centre Stay up to date with Australia's most important property news through our free email service Get the latest real estate news delivered free to your inbox Living Corporation Pty Ltd (trading as The Property Tribune) ABN 17 159 150 651 provides an information service and factual information only in relation to property This information does not take into account your objectives To consider whether a financial or credit product is right for you speak to a licensed Financial Adviser or Finance Broker before you apply for any product or commit to any plan Consider the product issuer’s Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Target Market Determination (TMD) before making a purchase decision We do not make any suggestions or recommendations to you about property investment a particular credit or financial services product If you decide to apply for a product or service through our 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