Centrum Praskie Koneser: From Vodka Factory to Hipster Hub

Name and Location

Today, the entire complex is known under the name Koneser . To find it on Google, it is best to search for Centrum Praskie Koneser.

From 1990 to 2006, the entire site was home to the vodka factory Wytwornia Wodek Koneser. We will write more about its previous names later in this article.

So, if you would like to ask someone for directions, simply use the name Koneser in Praga. In this article, we use the name Koneser. For those who do not yet know: Warsaw’s Praga should not be confused with Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. Praga is a district located on the eastern side of Warsaw, which became known throughout Poland in the 1990s for its criminal reputation. Today, however, it has developed into an alternative hotspot, attracting artists, tourists and Warsaw residents from the western side of the city. It is one of the youngest districts in Warsaw. Praga was granted town rights only in 1648 and was initially an independent town, incorporated into Warsaw in 1791. Historic Praga is located only in the Praga-Polnoc district (Praga North), although everything east of the river is commonly referred to simply as Praga. The people living here still say they are going to Warsaw when they cross to the other side of the river.

History of Koneser

The history of Koneser dates back to the end of the 19th century, when the first buildings of the vodka factory were constructed. For the Praga district, this marked the beginning of industrialisation on a scale that had previously existed only on the western side of Warsaw.

The Beginnings: 1895–1915

The Vodka Factory under construction / late 19th century @ Public Domain

The large plot of land on which today’s Centrum Praskie Koneser (Koneser for short) and the Museum of Polish Vodka are located was already largely owned in 1895 by the State Warehouses for Wine Spirits (Warszawski Skarbowy Sklad Win), which belonged to the Russian Spirits Monopoly (Rosyjski Monopol Spirytusowy) and the Warsaw Society for the Purification and Sale of Spirits (Warszawskie Towarzystwo Oczyszczania i Sprzedazy Spirytusu). The company’s main task was the production of rectified alcohol as well as the blending and bottling of vodka.

Several wooden residential buildings stood on the acquired plots and were demolished between 1895 and 1897. At the same time, construction of the entire complex continued. Warehouse buildings, offices and residential buildings, a gatehouse, smaller outbuildings, workshops and further structures rose from the ground. It was not until 1908 that the Koneser complex, located between Ząbkowska, Markowska, Białostocka and Nieporecka Streets, took on its present form.
Two railway tracks led into the factory from the side of Białostocka Street.

[perfectpullquote align=”left” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”#ff681a” class=”” size=”14″]At the beginning of the 20th century, the vodka factory in Praga was one of the largest in the Russian Empire[/perfectpullquote]

It should be remembered that two production lines initially operated on the site. The first belonged to the state, as Warsaw was then a provincial city of the Russian Empire, while the second belonged to the Polish company Warszawskie Towarzystwo Oczyszczania i Sprzedazy Spirytusu mentioned above, which had been founded in 1886. The establishment of this company was connected with the introduction of a fiscal monopoly on alcohol sales in 1897. The private company purified the spirit for the state enterprise, which then produced vodka from it.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the state-owned company was one of the largest in the Russian Empire. As production increased, so did the output of the Polish company. Before 1914, up to 150 varieties of vodka and liqueurs were produced.

World War I

In the summer of 1915, Prussian soldiers marched into Warsaw. One hundred years after the Congress of Vienna, which had established the Kingdom of Poland in a personal union with the Russian Empire, the Russians had to leave the city. However, they left scorched earth behind them, destroying the entire archive and blowing up Warsaw’s bridges. They treated the vodka factory rather gently and left it standing. They were unable to take the vodka with them, though.

The Vodka Flows

[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”#ff681a” class=”” size=”14″]Ten million litres of vodka ended up on the streets in 1915. In Praga, dreams come true.[/perfectpullquote]

At the time of the Prussian invasion, Koneser held an alcohol reserve of 10 million litres of vodka. The residents of Praga could hardly believe their eyes when they saw this amount of spirit flowing through the streets. In Praga, dreams come true, and a social campaign to rescue the liquor began immediately. The Russians blew up the Kierbedzia Bridge and, with it, the water pipe suspended beneath the bridge. This meant that the artesian well located on the factory grounds became an invaluable source of vodka … I mean, of course, water …
After the German invasion, the facility was restored by the State Distillery Company (Krajowa Spolka Gorzelnicza).

In Independent Poland: 1918–1939

In 1919, the factory became part of the State Spirits Monopoly (Panstwowy Monopol Spirytusowy). The former companies were subsequently named Spirit Rectification Plant and Vodka Factory No. 1 (Rektyfikacja Spirytusu i Wytwórnia Wódek Nr. 1), although they remained two separate legal entities. It was only in 1938 that the entire complex was called Warsaw Rectification Plant (Rektyfikacja Warszawska – Polski Przemysł Wódczany SA).

In 1928, production of Wyborowa vodka began, followed one year later by the Luksusowa brand. Both vodkas still exist today. Luksusowa is one of the best potato vodkas on the Polish market.

At that time, virtually no additional buildings were constructed; only more railway tracks were added.

War and Communism

During the war, the buildings on the Ząbkowska Street side, the steam boiler and the corner of Białostocka and Markowska Streets were destroyed. Most of the factory equipment was looted.
In 1947, the factory was taken over by the Warsaw Spirits and Yeast Industry Polmos, and production resumed. The reconstructed buildings differed significantly in architectural style from those of the 19th century.

In Free Poland

In 1990, the name was changed to Warszawska Wytwórnia Wódek Koneser, and this name is still visible today at the entrance to Koneser on Ząbkowska Street. However, production capacity declined significantly and the financial situation continued to deteriorate. The factory was managed by bankruptcy administrators.
The premises of the part of the complex no longer used for production were rented to cultural institutions. The Koneser Cultural Centre was created, housing the Wytwórnia Theatre and the Praga Warehouse until 2010, while the former production halls were used for concerts and art galleries.
Unfortunately, the factory buildings were put up for sale in 2007.

Koneser Today

Plac Konesera, the centrepiece of the complex © Walking Warsaw

From 2014 onwards, revitalisation work began and was completed in 2018. On the grounds of the former vodka factory, a large and well-designed mixed-use complex was created, consisting of residential, office and retail space. The site was not fenced off and is publicly accessible. Of the former vodka factory, only the Museum of Polish Vodka, which has been integrated into the overall concept of the complex, remains. More about the museum can be found below.

The focal point is Plac Konesera, where exhibitions are organised at regular intervals. What attracts guests here so strongly is the atmosphere. The tenants play a major role in creating it. In addition to the Vodka Museum, there are numerous restaurants, cafés and the Bar 3/4 on the terrace of the former vodka factory, the Warsaw Google Campus and the Moxy Hotel.

When Koneser opened in 2018, it initially seemed to be a failed concept. There was hardly anything happening here, visitors stayed away and even Warsaw residents could not really warm to it. Today, however, it is impossible to imagine Praga without the new Koneser. The connection with Ząbkowska Street, Praga’s main artery, was decisive. At first, Koneser was not really part of the street, even though its main entrance is located directly on it.

It is encouraging to see how everything is growing and becoming integrated with the local community. Therefore, I can only recommend visiting Koneser when you are already heading to Praga.

Site plan of Koneser in Praga @ Walking Warsaw

The Museum of Polish Vodka

Entrance to the Museum of Polish Vodka © Walking Warsaw

The creation of the Museum of Polish Vodka is closely linked to the changes that have been taking place in Praga, especially in the neighbourhood around Ząbkowska Street, for almost twenty years. Growing interest in this part of the capital, together with various artistic and social activities, has helped enrich and showcase the identity of Warsaw’s right bank. At the same time, the 2000s, together with Poland’s accession to the EU and access to its structural funds, led to a nationwide trend of revitalising former factory complexes. Thanks to renovation, buildings that were often in catastrophic condition received a second life and became an attractive part of the developing urban fabric.

A New Museum

The situation was no different with Koneser. After BBI Development purchased the site in 2006, later joined by the development company Librecht&Wood, preparations began for the investment project called Centrum Praskie Koneser. The concept was to revitalise the historic Koneser buildings so that they could serve cultural and service functions. The most characteristic building, together with its chimney – the Warsaw Rectification Plant – was then leased to the Polska Wódka Foundation with the intention of housing the Museum of Polish Vodka there.
An important turning point in the history of the museum came in 2014, when an open competition selected the winning logo designed by graphic artist Andrzej Pągowski, as well as the interior and exhibition design by Mirosław Nizio, the creator of numerous exhibitions, including the permanent exhibition at the Warsaw Uprising Museum, the POLIN Museum and the Museum of the Ulma Family of Poles Saving Jews in World War II in Markowa. The design of the former rectification building is characterised by a modern approach to museum storytelling and, thanks to its cinema room, five interactive galleries and two bars, gives visitors an insight into the history and traditions of Polish distillation.
On 12 June 2018, after less than four years of adapting the building for museum purposes, the Museum of Polish Vodka opened to visitors.

Museum Tour with Antoni

Antoni worked at the Museum of Polish Vodka as a museum guide and head of vodka tastings from 2020 to 2021. He would like to continue using this experience and knowledge, and invites all guests interested in the subject to join a guided tour followed by a vodka tasting.

Sources

• Collective work: Koneser, Zabkowska i okolice, Warszawa 2017.
• Antoni’s experience as a museum guide at the Museum of Polish Vodka (2020–2021)