George Washington Roundabout

The George Washington Roundabout is a roundabout located at the boundary of Saska Kępa and Kamionek in the Praga-Południe district of Warsaw, Poland, along Voivodeship Road 631.

Named in honour of George Washington (1732–1799), the first President of the United States,^[1] the name has been in use since at least the early post-World War II years^[2] and was officially adopted by a Warsaw City Council resolution on 26 June 2000.^[3] The roundabout is surrounded by notable landmarks, including the Stadion Narodowy, Skaryszew Park, and a 1960s urban development.

Initially known as Paris Square, the area was later called Poniatowski Square. Around 1926, a plan was proposed to extend Józef Poniatowski Avenue towards Grochów, with a roundabout at its intersection with Zieleniecka Avenue.^[4] The design envisioned a star-shaped plaza with five radiating streets: Poniatowski Avenue, Zieleniecka Avenue, George Washington Avenue, Elsterska Street, and Francuska Street. This concept was not fully realised, partly due to frequent changes in the location of exhibition grounds.^[4] Pre-war Warsaw maps suggest the roundabout was built with up to six connecting streets, bordered by an outer ring formed by Galijska Street and a surviving alley near the entrance to Skaryszew Park.^[5][6] A pre-war wooden manor house and orchard on the site blocked bus access from the roundabout to Francuska Street into Saska Kępa until the mid-1930s.^[7] Between 1937 and 1938, new flowerbeds were planted, and benches were installed on the green spaces near the park entrance.^[8]

After World War II, in 1951, a plan was approved to construct an artists' studio complex with monumental and decorative features, including four exhibition halls, storage spaces, a Desa shop, a sculpting workshop, and a milk bar.^[9] Designed by Marek Leykam with a distinctive peristyle colonnade, the project aimed to create a socialist realism gateway to the pre-war villa district of Saska Kępa. The plan was ultimately abandoned.^[9]

In 1967, modernisation works reduced the central island's size, added funnel-shaped entry lanes, relocated tram stops, installed traffic lights, closed the Jakubowska Street exit, and constructed an underpass beneath Józef Poniatowski Avenue on the western side, opened in 1969.^[10][11] In 1968, the Monument of Gratitude to Soviet Army Soldiers was relocated deeper into Skaryszew Park, and associated graves were moved to the Mausoleum Cemetery of the Soviet Soldiers on Żwirki i Wigury Street.^[12][13][14]

The most recent addition is Stadion Narodowy, completed in 2011 on the site of the 10th-Anniversary Stadium, which opened in 1955.^[15] Built for the UEFA Euro 2012, the stadium prompted upgrades to the roundabout's pavements, road surface, and tram tracks.^[16]

• Stadion Narodowy – constructed between 2008 and 2011 for UEFA Euro 2012, this 70-metre-high stadium (113 metres with its spire) dominates the low-rise surroundings. Its predecessor, the 10th-Anniversary Stadium, hosted the Europa Market for 18 years.^[15]
• Skaryszew Park – a historic park established between 1905 and 1916, designed by Franciszek Szanior, featuring sculptures, including pre-war works, and memorials.^[17][18]
• 2B George Washington Avenue High-rise – a 1962–1963 high-rise by Marek Leykam, the first in right-bank Warsaw. Its original fully glazed southern and northern facades were featured in the Wielka Encyklopedia Powszechna PWN under "Polish architecture".^[19] Climatic conditions necessitated reducing glazing by half, altering its original design.^[20]
• Buildings at 49 Francuska Street and 2A George Washington Avenue – twin buildings from between 1960 and 1965, designed by Tadeusz Bogdan Zieliński, elevated above the pavement, forming a gateway from the roundabout into Saska Kępa.^[11] From 1963, the jeweller's shop in one building featured a wall mosaic by Wanda Gosławska, destroyed in the early 1990s.^[21] The Cepelia shop's interior was designed by Jan Kurzątkowski.^[22] The 49 Francuska Street building, with a distinctive passageway,^[23] is owned by the Cultural Workers' Cooperative,^[24] while the 2A George Washington Avenue building belongs to the Wspólny Dach Cooperative.^[25]

• Residential building on the western side
• Residential building on the eastern side
• Modified 1960s high-rise (originally designed by Marek Leykam)

• Sztafeta – a 1955 sculpture by Adam Roman depicting three runners. Restored in 2008, it remains in its original material despite calls from artistic communities for a bronze casting.^[26]
• Bust of Ignacy Jan Paderewski – a bust by Stanisław Sikora on a tall pedestal, portraying the Polish prime minister and composer, patron of the nearby park. Unveiled in 1988 by Janina and Zbigniew Karol Porczyński.^[27]
• Bust of George Washington – a monument featuring a bust by Bronisław Koniuszy and a pedestal and spatial arrangement by Bronisław Kubica,^[28] erected before President George H. W. Bush's visit in July 1989 and unveiled in October 1989 by Edward Moskal.^[29] The bust of the first U.S. President stands on a granite pedestal.^[30]

• Sztafeta
• Ignacy Jan Paderewski bust
• George Washington bust

The first tram line crossed the site in 1925, with a 1,525 mm gauge track running from the intersection of Jerusalem Avenue and New World Street to Targowa Street.^[31] Lines 7 and 12, previously using the Kierbedź Bridge, were rerouted here, followed by the new line 24^[32] and circular line M.^[33] In 1942, a 1,525 mm gauge line was extended along Washington Avenue to Wiatraczna Roundabout.^[31] Post-war, in 1946, the tracks were converted to a 1,435 mm gauge.^[34]

The first bus line, unnumbered and seasonal, began operating in 1932, connecting New World Street to Skaryszew Park.^[35] In 1935, a permanent line S linked Saska Kępa estates to the tram stop at the roundabout.^[36]

• Faryna-Paszkiewicz, Hanna (2001). Saska Kępa (in Polish). Warsaw: Murator. ISBN 83-915407-0-7.