Warsaw – Metro System : C05 Ulrychów (Visiting Every Station)

And the next in my series of visiting every metro station on the Warsaw network. I have a backlog of these, but then again, I have a backlog of lots of many things I’m meant to be writing up.

The station is on M2, located in the Wola district along Górczewska Street and next to the Wola Park shopping centre. It was officially opened on 30 June 2022 as part of the extension of Line M2 westward from Rondo Daszyńskiego towards Bemowo. It takes its name from the Ulrich family, who established one of Warsaw’s first commercial gardening enterprises in the 19th century on this very land, with quite extensive greenhouses and nurseries. Work on the construction started in 2019, although groundbreaking work started in late 2018. Despite Covid, the project remained on schedule (this is Poland) and it officially opened on 30 June 2022.

And here’s the aforementioned Wola Park shopping centre. During the planning stage of the extension, the station was going to take the name Wola Park but perhaps they didn’t pay enough for sponsorship as in October 2018 the name was changed to Ulrychów.

Inside the shopping centre as I had to pop in. I might have accidentally tripped into the McDonald’s self-service machine and ordered myself a Jalapeño Burger as well by accident as well. At just £1, they continue to surprise and delight me.

This is Osiedle Przyjaźń, a hastily erected housing estate built in 1952 which was designed to house the thousands of Soviet workers who were building the Palace of Culture and Science in the city centre. It was composed almost entirely of prefabricated wooden dormitory pavilions for the labourers and some smaller bungalows for the more senior staff. At its peak, it could house 4,500 people and the structures were painted in either blue and white or red and white colour schemes to make them look colourful and exciting. There was a residential area here before, but that was quickly demolished although alternative accommodation was offered to those living in the area.

After the Palace was completed in May 1955, the Soviets cleared off and that left a handy campus area already constructed, which was given to the Ministry of Higher Education. The dormitories were used as student halls and the bungalows were given to academics and their families.

It’s a slightly odd area today, there are quite a few buildings which are boarded up, but evidently there are plenty of people who live here.

No-one paid much attention to my meandering around, it’s quite a peaceful area.

Some of the colourful buildings probably need a little painting.

This exploration is tiring, so I popped into the Auchan supermarket for a yoghurt based drink. I got a Mullermilch as well, but that’s getting its own post as usual.

Back to the metro station. Incidentally, the shopping centre were going to build an underground tunnel to the station, but they didn’t bother, but that’s perhaps because they were annoyed that the station wasn’t named after them.

Another packed platform, but it’s functional and clean. It was designed by a consortium of Metroprojekt and AMC Andrzej M. Chołdzyński, the same architectural team behind many other Line M2 stations, and it was designed with the expectation that the copper walls will oxidise over time, gradually changing colour and developing a natural verdigris patina. Very decadent. For anyone interested, and this is stretching the engagement of even my two loyal blog readers, the station is 120 metres long and was constructed in a 160 metres station box, all constructed using the ‘cut and cover’ method of making a big hole, putting in the station box and then resurfacing it.

The station sign and the architects noted that:

“The ceiling of the platform level is covered with coffered acoustic panels also finished in a warm copper tone. In combination with the green walls and pillars, the copper ceiling creates a feeling reminiscent of an autumnal palette.”

Nice. To be honest, this extension is a little uniform in its design, it could probably do with some exciting art installations going on to make the stations feel a little more individual. There was some controversy that the planned nearby Warszawa Górczewska rail station wasn’t constructed as an interchange with this metro station, but the designers said if they had moved it then it was no longer near where people lived, nor the shopping centre. They have a good point there and they’ve likely ignored the mocking ‘węzeł spacerowy’ or ‘walking interchange’ that some have nicknamed it.

And here comes the train, taking me back to the city centre. The network considers this to be the most copper filled of any of their stations, a fun fact I’ll try and remember although I doubt it’ll come up in any quizzes.