The capital city hall announces a comprehensive modernization of the Żoliborz Tęcza. A modern cinema hall will be built, but – in a nod to tradition – there will also be tape projectors available. In addition, there will be places for concerts, exhibitions and meetings.
– This is a special day for the legendary Tęcza cinema. The signing of the agreement and the commencement of construction work is a new stage in the rich history of this place – said Aldona Machnowska-Góra, deputy mayor of Warsaw, quoted in the city hall announcement.
She recalled that the somewhat forgotten building had served various functions over the years. – Thanks to the agreement between the city and the housing cooperative (in December 2020 – ed.), which gave us the building for use, we will create a cultural center in it referring to the tradition of this place, open to the local community – she announced. And she added that in the new Tęcza, in addition to cinema and film education, there will be a place for concerts, performances, exhibitions and meetings.
– I believe that the renovation will proceed smoothly, especially since it will be supervised by the Andrzej Wajda Film Culture Centre. Please remember that Andrzej Wajda and his wife lived a few steps from here – Machnowska-Góra noted.
Modern technology and 35mm tape
At Suzina Street 6, a fully digital cinema will be built with a room for about 200 people, a Dolby Atmos sound system and a panoramic screen. It will also be equipped with equipment enabling streaming, for example of events from the VOD Warszawa platform.
Modernity will not bid farewell to tradition, however. At Tęcza, it will still be possible to watch films from 35-millimeter projectors, as in the Iluzjon in Mokotów.
The building will be energy-efficient and adapted to the needs of people with mobility disabilities.
– We want the new Tęcza cinema to become the cultural heart of Żoliborz, open to various events and meetings – added Joanna Rożen-Wojciechowska, director of the Andrzej Wajda Film Culture Centre.
Multifunctional courtyard for neighbors
The courtyard will retain its current function as a place for neighbourly meetings, workshops for children, exhibitions and outdoor shows surrounded by greenery.
“Thanks to the use of modern technologies and materials with a low environmental impact, the cinema building will be more energy efficient,” the city hall emphasizes in a press release.
The construction work is being carried out by the Warsaw company Varco, known for its work on the expansion of the building of the Masovian Institute of Culture, the renovation of the Institute of Educational Research in Warsaw and the reconstruction of Dąbrowskiego 69 for the needs of the Polish Sinfonia Iuventus Orchestra.
The authors of the design documentation are: Andrzej Kaczmarczyk and Sylwia Bartoszewska from Biuro Architekt Kaczmarczyk SC
Initially, the building was just a boiler room.
The cinema building was built in 1929 as a central heating boiler room for the Warsaw Housing Cooperative housing estate that was being built at the time. However, thanks to the modernization of the boilers, it was soon possible to find space for a cinema theatre, which was lacking in the area.
After the war, the famous Tęcza cinema operated there for many years. In 1989, the building became the headquarters of the artistic collective Akademia Ruchu with a film program.
Main image source: Warsaw City Hall