The encampment of two-story wooden Finnish houses in Jazdów and the Przyjaźń neighborhoods are a phenomenon similar to that of garden plots – they bring a bit of the countryside to the heart of the city.
The houses in Jazdów were built in 1945 and in the Przyjaźń neighborhood in Jelonki in the early 1950s. to house the construction workers for the the Palace of Culture and the reconstruction of Warsaw. The Finnish houses came directly from Finland as part of the war reparations that the country was required to py to the USSR after World War II. The Soviet Union gifted them to Poland. They were meant to be temporary for just a few years, but they have lasted until today.
There was a public battle over the houses at Jazdów because the city had plans to sell the land to a developer. Fortunately, activists have been able to prevent that from happening so far. A few of the houses have been left by their inhabitants to the city to be used by non-governmental organizations, and they have been used for gardening workshops, garage sales, concerts and more. It’s worth checking Jazdów out because it is definitely relaxing.
– Jazdów St. 5
– Przyjaźń neighborhood, Konarskiego St
