Warsaw to adorn city centre with over 100 trees by the end of the year

As part of a major effort to change the image of the central area

Monday 6 September saw the beginning of the greening of Warsaw city centre. As a result of the action, 118 new trees will breathe life into the central spaces of the Polish capital before the end of 2021. Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski personally planted the first of them.

The New Centre of Warsaw will be greener

Starting from September, almost a hectare of new greenery will appear in the heart of Warsaw, so far grey and dominated by concrete and asphalt, summarized Trzaskowski for the city website. Plants with a total area exceeding that of a football field – including trees, shrubs and low-raising greenery – will appear on the side of several central squares, streets and roundabouts.

The greening is part of the New Centre of Warsaw concept. This massive effort to reconstruct and beautify the central city areas started in 2020 from the immediate vicinity of the Central Station and the area of ​​the Palace of Culture and Science and will unfold in several stages. The plan aims to make the city centre, so far shaped mainly for transit, more functional, connected and accessible, but also to improve conditions for small trade and to improve the overall quality of living there.

Other than reconstructions of infrastructure and the construction of more pedestrian crossings and cycling paths, the planting of more greenery is previewed, as a way to limiting the impact of climate change on the city. “Clean air, shade in summer, lots of greenery - it is not only a matter of aesthetics, but also the health of all of us,” Mayor Trzaskowski commented in December 2019, upon presenting the plan.