Pole Mokotowskie: Warsaw Central Park After Its Green Makeover

Ask a Varsovian where the city goes to breathe and many will say Pole Mokotowskie. The park Warsaw calls its Central Park is, according to the municipal greenery authority, the largest developed green space for recreation in the middle of the metropolis - ringed by busy arteries yet full of meadows, water and quiet paths.

From airfield to park

The open ground once served as a military training ground, a horse-racing track and an airfield - the flat, wide lawns of the park still echo those uses. The National Library building stands at its edge, and a pedestrian and cycle footbridge links the two halves of the park.

The 2023 revitalisation

The first stage of a major modernisation, designed by the WXCA studio after public consultations in 2015-2016, finished at the end of 2023. The concrete-edged water reservoir was renaturalised into a roughly 1.5-hectare lake with two islands and reed-fringed banks that clean the water naturally; biocenotic wetland gardens near the National Library double as rain gardens. The works added 74 new trees, over 6,000 shrubs, 17,000 perennials and nearly 2.37 hectares of flower meadows.

Visiting

The park spans the border of Mokotow and Ochota; the Pole Mokotowskie metro station on line M1 opens onto its southern side. Entry is free, the lawns are picnic-friendly, and the lake loop with its wooden boardwalk is the signature walk. It pairs with nearby Lazienki Park for a long green day.