In the heart of Warsaw’s Old Mokotów district on ulica Narbutta, the building of the former Stolica cinema is an exceptional place. Its unique, now historic architecture is the work of designer Mieczysław Piprek, creator of many Warsaw cinemas. The squared-off building, erected in 1948-56, with its signature rotunda on the south side, is an example of Modernist architecture flirting with Socialist Realism.
A full renovation ended in 2009, bringing back the historic building’s former lustre, and restoring original interior elements such as the wall textiles (the jacquard Kolumny, from a design by Zofia Matuszczyk-Cygańska, executed by the Ład Artistic Cooperative) and the plaster cartouches presenting variations on the theme of Warsaw’s mermaid emblem.
