About Rotunda
The PKO Rotunda in Warsaw was a striking bank building on Dmowski Roundabout, built in 1966 to designs by Zbigniew Karpiński. As part of the "Eastern Wall" department store complex, it stood out for its zigzag roof, which earned it the nickname "General's Cake." The site is best known, however, for a tragic explosion in 1979 that claimed the lives of numerous people. After its reconstruction, the building also served for many years as a large advertising space. Today the structure faces demolition, as its owner plans a modernization, which has met with fierce resistance from locals who are calling for the historic building to be given landmark protection.
At a glance
- Category
- Sight › Historic sites
- Rating
- no reviews yet · write a review
- Address
- ulica Marszałkowska 100/102
00-026 Warsaw, Poland - District
- Midtown
- Phone
- —
- Website
- ru.wikipedia.org
- —
- Coordinates
- 52.23045° N · 21.01237° E
- Data quality
- confidence 0.88
- Identifier
- ID a264b95f-eec…
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The round building was erected to house a bank branch, which it still does, but quickly became much more than that due to its very central location and large expanse of pavement around it, which makes it a favourite meeting spot for locals. The striking 1960s building suffered a tragedy in 1979, when a gas main exploded right below it, killing 49 people. This event is still remembered in Warsaw, making the rebuilt Rotunda even more symbolic.
Source: Wikivoyage, „Warsaw/Śródmieście“ · authors per page history · CC BY-SA 4.0