Warsaw Uprising Mound and the revitalized Burza Action Park in Mokotow

Few viewpoints in Warsaw mean as much as the Warsaw Uprising Mound (Kopiec Powstania Warszawskiego). The artificial hill at ul. Bartycka in Mokotow was heaped after World War II from the rubble of the almost totally destroyed city. According to the city's official tourism portal, the mound reaches 120 metres and about 400 steps lead to the monument at its peak, where a fire burns during commemorations of the 1944 Uprising.

A park that tells the story of the rubble

On 31 July 2023 - the eve of the Uprising anniversary - the city reopened the surrounding Burza Action Park after a full revitalization supervised by Warsaw's greenery authority. Visitors entering from Bartycka street pass an open-air exhibition on the rebuilding of Warsaw: fragments of the ruined capital displayed in large gabions with information boards, arranged like a labyrinth of ruins. Smaller displays in the same spirit line the renovated stairs of the W Hour alley.

Two ways up

The summit holds a two-level viewing platform with the renewed Fighting Poland symbol mounted on a new plinth. Two routes lead there: stairs with resting spots and illuminated railings, and rebuilt ravines whose walls are formed from gruzobeton - concrete made with rubble recovered during the works, a deliberate reference to the mound's origins. The ravine walls are designed to overgrow with moss over time.

Nature and access

From the ravines, a nature path with benches leads past Polish and English boards explaining the ruderal vegetation and pioneer species that colonize places like this, ending at a boardwalk among the trees. A second entrance from ul. Grupy AK Polnoc has a dog zone, and a large meadow holds a children's recreation area built mostly from natural materials. More than 450 young park trees and about 8,500 forest-tree seedlings were planted, alongside native shrubs and perennials, while zones of wild nature were left with limited human access. The steep approach to the top was eased and fitted with ramps, so wheelchair users and parents with prams can reach the summit without stairs.

Cost and design

The rebuild cost over 24 million PLN, co-financed from the EU Cohesion Fund under the Infrastructure and Environment programme. The design came from the topoScape and Archigrest studios, with construction by Remondis.

Visiting

The park is open around the clock and entry is free. The mound also features in our roundup of Warsaw's best viewpoints, and pairs well with the Warsaw Rising Museum for anyone tracing the history of 1944.