{{Short description|Urban square and roundabout in Warsaw, Poland}} {{Infobox street | name = Saviour Square | former_names = | namesake = | image = File:Plac Zbawiciela Warsaw 2022 aerial.jpg | image_size = | caption = Saviour Square in 2022 | postal_code = | location = Downtown, Warsaw, Poland | maint = | map_type = Poland Warsaw | map_caption = | coordinates = {{Coord|52|13|11|N|21|01|04|E|region:|display=inline,title}} | completion_date = c. 1768 | north = {{plainlist| *Marszałkowska Street *Mokotowska Street}} | south = {{plainlist| *Marszałkowska Street *Mokotowska Street}} | west = Nowowiejska Street | east = Wyzwolenia Avenue | website = | designer = Jan Chrystian Schuch }} '''Saviour Square''' ({{Langx|pl|Plac Zbawiciela}}) is an urban square and roundabout in Downtown, Warsaw, Poland. It is formed by the intersection of Marszałkowska Street, Mokotowska Street, Nowowiejska Street, and Wyzwolenia Avenue.
The square was originally constructed about 1768. It is surrounded by postwar tenements of the Marshal Residential District, several prewar tenements, and the early-20th-century Church of the Holiest Saviour.
== History == [[File:Kościół Najświętszego Zbawiciela w Warszawie 2019c.jpg|thumb|left|upright|The Church of the Holiest Saviour, built between 1901 and 1927]] The square was developed around 1768, as part of the Stanislavian Axis, an urban layout made of five circular squares and roads, connecting Warsaw with Ujazdów Castle, developed from the initiative of king Stanisław August Poniatowski.<ref name=szwan/> It was designed by Jan Chrystian Schuch.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.polskieradio.pl/39/156/artykul/875371,jan-chrystian-szuch-%E2%80%93-ogrodnik-krola-stanislawa|website=polskieradio.pl|language=pl|title=Jan Chrystian Szuch – ogrodnik króla Stanisława|date=28 June 2013}}</ref> Due to its shape, it was known as the ''Rotunda''.<ref name=szwan>Eugeniusz Szwankowski: ''Ulice i place Warszawy''. Warsaw: Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, 1970, p. 264. (in Polish)</ref>
In 1784, from the initiative of king Stanisław August Poniatowski, alongside Nowowiejska Street, the settlement of Nowa Wieś (lit. from Polish: ''New Village'') was built, where the inhabitants of the village of Ujazdów, who were displaced due to construction of Ujazdów Castle there, were settled. It consisted of twelve houses, placed symmetrically on both sides of the street, located between Saviour Square and Polytechnic Square.<ref>Jarosław Zieliński: ''Atlas dawnej architektury ulic i placów Warszawy''. vol. 14. Warsaw: Biblioteka Towarzystwa Opieki nad Zabytkami, 2008, p. 11. ISBN 978-83-88372-37-7. (In Polish).</ref>
In 1822, next to the square, between Marszałkowska and Mokotowska Streets, the Piskorowski Farm, a 5-hectare farm, with an orchard and a greenhouse vineyard, was founded.<ref name=szwan/><ref name=kas>Jerzy Kasprzycki: ''Korzenie miasta. Tom I. Śródmieście Południowe''. Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Veda, 2004, p. 309. ISBN 83-85584-45-5. (in Polish)</ref> In 1829, on a part of the farmland, the Garnier family built the Red Tavern (Polish: {{Lang|pl|Czerowna Karczma}}), made from red brick.<ref name=kas/><ref name=ew>''Encyklopedia Warszawy''. Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, 1994, p. 1011. ISBN 83-01-08836-2. (in Polish)</ref>
thumb|left|upright|Saviour Square in 1920 After 1880, tenements were constructed around the square.<ref name=ew/> Around 1881, the square was connected with the horsecar line, which was replaced in 1908 with an electric tram line.<ref>''Warszawskie tramwaje elektryczne 1908−1998'', vol. 1. Warsaw: Wydawnictwa Komunikacji i Łączności, 1998, p. 6. ISBN 83-907574-00. (in Polish)</ref> The tram track followed the same path as the roundabout until 1968, when the track was rebuilt to go through the middle of the square.<ref name=ew/><ref>''Warszawskie tramwaje elektryczne 1908−1998'', vol. 1. Warsaw: Wydawnictwa Komunikacji i Łączności, 1998, p. 134. ISBN 83-907574-00. (in Polish)</ref>
Between 1901 and 1927, in the place where the tavern had been, the Catholic Church of the Holiest Saviour was constructed.<ref name=kas/> In 1922, the square was named ''Saviour Square'' after it.<ref>Kwiryna Handke: ''Słownik nazewnictwa Warszawy''. Warsaw: Slawistyczny Ośrodek Wydawniczy, 1998, p. 242. ISBN 83-86619-97X. (in Polish)</ref>
During the Second World War, while the city was under the German occupation, the Ringstand small bunker made from reinforced concrete was placed at the square. It was one of 60 bunkers of its type, installed across the city, as part of the fortification project known as ''Festung Warschau''. The bunker was part of the fortification lines stretching between Narutowicz Square and the Vistula river. It was discovered in 2011 during the renovation works.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://warszawa.wyborcza.pl/warszawa/1,34889,9425840,Poniemiecki_bunkier_wstrzymal_remont_torowiska__Zdjecia.html|website=warszawa.wyborcza.pl|language=pl|title=Poniemiecki bunkier wstrzymał remont torowiska. Zdjęcia|date=13 April 2011}}</ref><ref>Jacek Olecki: ''Wojenne tajemnice Warszawy i Mazowsza. Cz. I''. Warsaw: Agencja Wydawnicza CB, 2006, p. 9–10. ISBN 83-7339-036-7. (in Polish)</ref> It was originally planned to remove and relocate it to the Polish Army Museum, however, it was ultimately decided to leave it in its current location.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://old.tw.waw.pl/node?page=36|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160805162030/http://old.tw.waw.pl/node?page=36|url-status=dead|archive-date=2016-08-05|title=Informacja na temat schronu bojowego na Placu Zbawiciela|website=old.tw.waw.pl|language=pl|access-date=2024-07-29}}</ref>
In 1944, during the Warsaw Uprising, the square and its surrounding area was a site of battle, which among others, included the Ruczaj Battalion of the Home Army.<ref>Piotr Rozwadowski (editor): ''Wielka Ilustrowana Encyklopedia Powstania Warszawskiego'', vol. 1. Warsaw Dom Wydawniczy Bellona, Fundacja Warszawa Walczy 1939–1945, 2005, p. 519–521. ISBN 83-11-10124-8. (in Polish)</ref> It was controlled by the German forces, from the bunker in the nearby building of the former Ministry of War.<ref>Izabella Maliszewska, Stanisław Maliszewski: ''Śródmieście Południowe. Warszawskie Termopile 1944''. Warsaw: Fundacja Wystawa Warszawa walczy 1939–1945, 2001, p. 118. ISBN 83-87545-42-2. (in Polish)</ref> After the fall of the uprising, the buildings around the square were destroyed by the German forces. This included the Church of the Holiest Saviour, in which a bomb was detonated. It was fully reconstructed in 1955.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://varsavianista.pl/index.php/2022/01/09/kosciol-najswietszego-zbawiciela-w-warszawie-powrot-do-dawnej-kolorystyki-wnetrza/|website=varsavianista.pl|language=pl|title=Kościół Najświętszego Zbawiciela w Warszawie – powrót do dawnej kolorystyki wnętrza}}</ref>
Between 1950 and 1952, around the southern portion of the square, socialist realistic multifamily buildings, with a colonnade and stores behind the arcade, were constructed.<ref name=ziel1/> The three best-preserved tenements were also reconstructed.<ref name=ziel2/> The area became part of a then-developed housing estate of the Marshal Residential District.<ref name=ziel1>Jarosław Zieliński: ''Realizm socjalistyczny w Warszawie''. Warsaw: Fundacja Hereditas, 2009, p. 78. ISBN 978-83-927791-3-1. (in Polish)</ref>
[[File:Plac Zbawiciela w Warszawie 014.JPG|thumb|upright=1.0|Rainbow art installation, erected 2012, removed 2015]] On 8 July 2012, at the square, the Rainbow art installation, made by Julita Wójcik, which consisted of a metal arch, covered in thousands of plastic colourful flowers, was unveiled.<ref name=bryla>{{cite web|url=https://www.bryla.pl/bryla/7,85301,21932872,wspominamy-tecze-na-placu-zbawiciela-sztuka-nieobojetna.html/amp|website=bryla.pl|language=pl|title=Wspominamy Tęczę na Placu Zbawiciela. Sztuka nieobojętna|date=8 June 2017}}</ref> It became associated with the LGBT rights movement due its resemblance to its symbol, the rainbow flag. Said association, and its location near the Church if the Holiest Saviour, caused numerous controversies and protests by conservative groups, with many calls for its removal.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://culture.pl/pl/wydarzenie/tecza-julity-wojcik-w-warszawie|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203004723/http://culture.pl/pl/wydarzenie/tecza-julity-wojcik-w-warszawie|url-status=dead|archive-date=2013-12-03|website=culture.pl|language=pl|title='Tęcza' Julity Wójcik w Warszawie}}</ref> The sculpture was set on fire during the night from 12 to 13 October 2012 by an arsonist.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tvn24.pl/tvnwarszawa/najnowsze/splonela-tecza-na-pl-zbawiciela-zostala-podpalona-ls204613|title=Spłonęła tęcza na pl. Zbawiciela. 'Została podpalona'|language=pl|website=tvn24.pl|date=13 October 2012}}</ref> Between 2012 and 2014, the installation was set on fire by arsonists four more times, including by a large group of far-right rioters during the celebrations of the National Independence Day of Poland on 11 November 2013. It was rebuilt each time.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newsweek.pl/opinie/plac-zbawiciela-usuniecie-teczy-newsweekpl/yf8bgtx|language=pl|website=newsweek.pl|title=Tęczy żal|date=7 August 2015|author=Katarzyna Burda}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tvn24.pl/tvnwarszawa/najnowsze/splonela-tecza-na-pl-zbawiciela-ratusz-moze-obciazymy-organizatora-ls104258|website=tvn24.pl|language=pl|title=Spłonęła tęcza na pl. Zbawiciela. Ratusz: Może obciążymy organizatora|date=11 November 2013}}</ref> It was eventually permanently removed by the city on 27 August 2015.<ref name=bryla/>
In the first quarter of the 21st century, the square has become a meeting place for students, artists, and hipsters.<ref name=wyb2019>{{cite web|url=http://warszawa.wyborcza.pl/warszawa/7,34905,24985982,gdzie-sie-chodzi-tego-lata.html|author=Arkadiusz Gruszczyński|title=Gdzie się chodzi tego lata w Warszawie? Najlepsze wakacyjne miejsca w stolicy|website=warszawa.wyborcza.pl|date=12 July 2019|language=pl}}</ref>
== Characteristics == thumb|upright=1.0|17 Mokotowska Street, at Saviour Square Saviour Square forms a roundabout at the intersection of Marszałkowska Street, Mokotowska Street, Nowowiejska Street, and Wyzwolenia Avenue.<ref name=szwan/><ref name=ew/>
The square is enclosed by tenements of the Marshal Residential District, with a colonnade and shops within the arcade;<ref name=ziel1/> by three historical tenements: the Pawłowicz Tenement (ca. 1894), Domański Tenement (1895), and Jasieńczyk-Jabłoński Tenement (1910);<ref name=ziel2>Jarosław Zieliński: ''Atlas dawnej architektury ulic i placów Warszawy'', vol. 11. Warsaw, Biblioteka Towarzystwa Opieki nad Zabytkami, 2004, ISBN 83-88372-30-0, pp. 78, 205, 313–314, 375 (in Polish).</ref> and by the early-20th-century Catholic Church of the Holiest Saviour.<ref name=kas/>
== References == {{Reflist}} {{Squares in Warsaw}} {{authority control}}
Category:Squares in Warsaw Category:Tourist attractions in Warsaw Category:Śródmieście Południowe Category:1768 establishments in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1768 Category:Transport infrastructure completed in 1768 Category:Roundabouts and traffic circles in Poland