Wola

Wola
Wola
Warsaw District
	Intersection of Towarowa and Prosta streets
	Brandmark
	Location of Wola within Warsaw
	Neighbourhoods of Wola
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Masovian
County/City	Warsaw
Government
• Mayor	Krzysztof Strzałkowski
Area
• Total	19.26 km2 (7.44 sq mi)
Population (2019)
• Total	140,958
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Area code	+48 22
Car plates	WY
Website	wola.waw.pl

Wola (Polish pronunciation: [ˈvɔla] ^ⓘ) is a district in western Warsaw, Poland. An industrial area with traditions reaching back to the early 19th century, it underwent a transformation into a major financial district, featuring various landmarks and some of the tallest office buildings in the city.

History

First mentioned in the 14th century, it became the site of the elections, from 1573 to 1764, of Polish kings by the szlachta (nobility) of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Wola district later became famous for the Polish Army's defence of Warsaw in 1794 during the Kościuszko Uprising and in 1831 during the November Uprising, when Józef Sowiński and Józef Bem defended the city against Tsarist forces.^[2]

Until being incorporated into Warsaw in 1916, Wola was the village of Wielka Wola.^[2]

During the Warsaw Uprising (August–October 1944), fierce battles raged in Wola. Around 8 August, Wola was the scene of the largest single massacre by German forces in Poland, of 40,000 to 50,000 civilians. The area was held by Polish fighters belonging to the Armia Krajowa.^[3]

Wola is currently divided into the neighbourhoods of Czyste, Koło, Mirów, Młynów, Nowolipki, Odolany, Powązki and Ulrychów, which in many cases correspond to old villages or settlements.^[4]

Architecture

High-rise buildings, including the Towarowa Towers under construction in the centre

Numerous office and residential high-rises of up to 53 stories have been built in Wola since the 1990s. Most of them are concentrated along the Towarowa and Prosta streets; these include Varso Tower (310 m (1,020 ft)), Warsaw Spire (220 m (720 ft)), Warsaw Unit (202 m (663 ft)), Skyliner (195 m (640 ft)), Warsaw Trade Tower (187 m (614 ft)), The Warsaw Hub (130 m (430 ft) x2), Łucka City (120 m (390 ft)), Ilmet (103 m (338 ft)) and Warta Tower (82 m (269 ft)).^[5]

Many other buildings rising over 100 metres (330 ft) are currently undergoing construction in Wola, such as the office skyscrapers The Bridge (174 m (571 ft)) and Skyliner II (130 m (430 ft)), the Towarowa 22 complex ((150 m (490 ft), (120 m (390 ft) and (110 m (360 ft)), and the residential Towarowa Towers (105 m (344 ft) x2).^[5]

Landmarks

In the district there are several museums, the most notable being the Warsaw Uprising Museum at Towarowa Street. Wola features a public green space at Plac Europejski, where is also located a sign with the words Kocham Warszawę ("I love Warsaw"). In the district is also the Electio Viritim Monument, the art installation Keret House, and the Warsaw Insurgents and Powązki cemeteries.