2. About Piastów Piastów is situated 14 km south-west of Warsaw. It is called ’’a bedroom of Warsaw”. It occupies the area of 5.76km 2. There are 23 thousand inhabitans. Piastów is the second most densely populated place in Poland. It used to be a village called Żdżary. It became a town in 1952.

3. ”Bartuś”- the oak There is an old oak tree called ”Bartuś” at 9 Bema Street. It was planted about 150 years ago. The tree is 22 m tall. It is 270 cm in girth. It grows by 1 cm every year. In 1984 ”Bartuś” was listed as a monument of nature. The tree is in a good condition because people have protected it with the use of some regulations, e.g.: you mustn’t construct any new buildings or litter within 15 m of the trunk.

4. Pride of Piastów- White Palace The White Palace is an art nouveau monument built in the first decade of the 20th century. It is situated at 3 Godebskiego Street at a plot of land occupying the area of 5 thousand m 2. In 1913 Edward and Eugenia Paprocki bought it but 7 years later they had to sell it. After that, it belonged to the headquarters of the Polish Army. At the turn of 1920 and 1921 Charles de Gaulle stayed there as a member of the French military mission. During World War II the place was inhabited by 100 Polish people brought here from Poznań by the Nazi.

5. Pride of Piastów- White Palace In the communist times the authorities did not take any care of the place. In 1979 the residents had to leave the building. Since then its condition has worsened a lot and now it is practically a ruin. There are more and more trees growing into the walls. The nature is taking over. The municipal authorities of Piastów tried to save the building by selling it. In 1991 there were talks held with the famous film director Jerzy Skolimowski. However, they turned out to be unsuccessful. Nobody wants to buy this historical building because its preservation requires a lot of money. The restoration of the palace would be more expensive than its reconstruction. But it is sad to watch the gem falling into pieces…

6. Different buildings in Piastów There are 3 parishes An old tenement-house from 1914 The Municipal Council Schools An old tenement- house from 1925 A battery factory - ZAP

7. How to get here? You can come to Piastów by bus. However, the fastest way to get here is by train. The journey from the Cental Railway Station in Warsaw takes 20 minutes. When you get off the train in Piastów, you should turn right and visit the Olczak confectionery. It is near the train station. It is the best cake shop in our town. The Olczak family have run the place since 1942.The cakes and ice creams are delicious. They are made according to the family’s recipe. You must taste them!

8. Authors Monika Senderowicz Aneta Kalbarczyk Żaneta Kowalik Dominika Walisiewicz This project was co-ordinated by Mrs Joanna Przybysz-Grochowska