Warsaw. They came across a mysterious glass. He was not on the plans. It is a shaft of an undeveloped subway

Workers working on the construction of a new building of the University of Warsaw came across a mysterious concrete facility. This is most likely a protected metro shaft, which was planned to be built in the capital in the 1950s. The find can be problematic.

At Bednarska Street, a new building of the University of Warsaw is under construction, which will be used in the future by students, doctoral students and employees of journalism, information and bibliology and economic sciences. Construction works began in November last year and are to last until the second half of 2027.

During the earthworks, at a depth of about two meters, workers came across a reinforced concrete structure. It is probably a remnant of a deep sub -metro structure in the 1950s.

History of the Głębokie Metro in Warsaw

Last week at tvnwarszawa.pl we described the history of this ambitious but unfinished investment.

The construction of the underground railway system in Warsaw began in 1951. The metro is planned in tunnels that were to be located at depths of 30 to 50 meters. Military considerations decided about this form. The beginning of the 1950s is a time of tightening the relationship between East and West. The nuclear conflict was feared, so the metro at considerable depths was to serve as shelters for the authorities and residents of the city. In addition, it would be an indestructible crossing for military transports from one bank of the Vistula to another.

The communists have planned two lines: from Unii Lubelskiego Square to Plac Paris (now Wilson) and from the Bydna Station (interchange to both lines) through the tunnel near the Vistula to the technical station in Targówek. From a strategic point of view, the second line was more important and was to be created first. Among the materials related to this investment, stored in the State Archives in Warsaw, are boards with a deep metro diagrams. They show the drawn connector between Plac Teatralny Stations and Plac Dzerzhinsky (currently Bankowy), which were to drive towards the Gdańsk Railway Military Transports.

The Głębokie metro was built using the mining method, which is why 17 shafts were dug up as part of those works in Warsaw. Above them were set up for several meters of exhaust towers. Due to the high costs, equipment deficiencies and difficult geological conditions, the construction was interrupted in the autumn of 1953. The hollow glass was flooded with water and secured with reinforced concrete “hats”. Their approximate location is known, but they are not on any official plans.

Diagram of the second deep metro line, the 1950s

S-4A shaft. 44 meters deep, six -wide

The conclusion that the concrete element excavated on Mariensztat is probably a deep metro shaft, came Jakub Jastrzębski, Varsavianist, author of the book “Happy Birthday of the Warsaw Metro. From the idea to implementation.” As he explained in an interview with tvnwarszawa.pl, the first photo of a concrete facility at the construction site of the University of Warsaw noticed on the website “Window to Warsaw” dedicated to the city's history and architecture. Then he compared them with a photo of the board with the metro course published in our article and with the description of the shaft contained in the book by Jan Rossman “Studies and metro projects in Warsaw 1928-58”.

– In this publication there is a diagram of this shaft. It briefly wrote how the glass was formed, without indicating the exact location. This was told to avoid – said Jastrzębski. – This specific glass had the S-4A designation and had a depth of almost 44 meters and a diameter of six meters. It was created in 1952-53 – added Varsavianist.

These assumptions were confirmed by the University of Warsaw. – The inspection indicates that it is a concrete hole with a diameter of about six meters and indefinite depth. The initial assessment suggests that this may be a remnant of unrealized work on the deep subway from the 1950s. The discovered object was immediately reported to the Mazowieckie Provincial Conservator of Monuments. Due to the collision with the planned facility, the building designer was also involved in the case – said Olga Najfeld from the press office of the University of Warsaw.

A deep metro shaft was discovered at the construction of a new UW building

Will the discovery affect the work schedule?

Jakub Jastrzębski pointed out that the remains of a deep metro structure have already appeared with other investments in the past. The shaft was dug up, among others When renovating the tram tracks and the Solidarity Avenue in 2016, and earlier during the construction of the Wileńska Shopping Center. – There, not only the glass was discovered several dozen meters down, but also horizontal corridors drained from him – explained our interlocutor.

We asked a representative of the university whether the discovery of the shaft on Mariensztad will affect the schedule of work on the new building. Can the investment be delayed?

– At this stage, no decisions have yet been made as to the way the collision is solved, so it is difficult to clearly determine whether the discovered element will affect the investment schedule. At the same time, we would like to inform you that work in other parts of the area is carried out as planned and without interference – explained Najfeld.

A new building of the University of Warsaw on Mariensztat

In addition to lecture and seminar rooms, the new UW building will include, among others Television, radio and photographic studies, media research laboratory, computer laboratories, conference rooms, social, administrative and service rooms. In the reading room, arranged as an open space, there will be places for team and individual work. The central meeting place will be a three -story Agora – Hall, which will connect all the parts of the building designed around it. At the minus level, there will be a parking lot with chargers for electric cars. A garden is planned on the roof. Greenery will also be on patios and terraces.

The building was completed by the BBGK Architekci studio. The contract for the implementation of the investment signed with Karmar amounts to almost PLN 205 million.

Visualization of the new UW building at ul. Bednarska