Skyscrapers of Warsaw: Blue Tower

Blue Tower

Main data:

Height to the roof: 100 m
Total height: 120 m
Number of floors: 29
Year of construction: 1991
Designers: Jerzy Czyz, Andrzej Skopinski, Jan Furman, Lech Robaczynski, Marzena Leszczynska
Location: Pl. Bankowy (Bank Square) 2

Blue Tower, called also sometimes Silver Tower, is a very interesting building, both because of its architecture and its history.

Before Second World War a synagogue stood in this place. It was called the Great Synagogue or Synagogue at Tlomackie (which is the name of a small street which today exists only in a symbolic form). It was the biggest and the most impressive Jewish temple in Warsaw, it was constructed from 1872 till 1878, its designer was Leander Marconi. It had a classicistic façade, apart from the hall of prayer, also religious schools and archives were located here. It was also famous for its wonderful singing, performed during prayers, even people of different religion used to come to listen to it. In 1940 the synagogue was closed, just like other Jewish temples in Warsaw. Later, it was used for a short period between June 1941 and March 1942, when it was included into the ghetto. After it, the synagogue was excluded from the ghetto again and Germans started to use it as a warehouse for furniture robbed from the ghetto. After liquidation of the ghetto, Nazis decided to destroy the temple as well, what was supposed to be a symbol of final extermination of Jews in Warsaw. The building was blown up on 16th of May 1943 at 20.15.

After the war, already in 1950s there were plans of placing a skyscraper here. But the construction was not started until 1970s. A steel structure was built at that time, later it was covered with a golden elevation. But soon after it the works were stopped for many years. People used to say then, that it had been a rabbis' curse for building a skyscraper in the place of former synagogue. It was partly truth, Jewish organisations were protesting against the building. Finally, the agreed for that, but on one condition. A room of Jewish memory was supposed to be located in the building.

On the end of 1980s the construction was started again. A Yugoslavian company Generalexport-Giposs were working on finishing it. The elevation's colour were changed into silver, which reflects the colour of sky. Because of that nice colour and also an interesting form the building quickly blended into the landscape and most Warsaw inhabitants like it. We should also remember that the building's shape reflects to some extend the shape of the synagogue that used to stand here.

The building's interior are shops in its lower part and offices in the upper part. Among others, companies such as PeKaO Co., PKO BP, Agricultural Property Agency or Peugeot Poland have their offices here. Peugeot Polska has also their car showroom on the first floor of the building and an illuminated advertisement on the top.