Podkowa Leśna (literal meaning – "Forest Horseshoe", in full: ''Miasto-ogród Podkowa Leśna'' – "Garden-City Podkowa Leśna") is a town in

Grodzisk Mazowiecki County __NOTOC__ Grodzisk Mazowiecki County ( pl, powiat grodziski) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Masovian Voivodeship, east-central Poland. It came into being on 1 January 1999, as a result of the Polish local ...

Masovian Voivodeship The Masovian Voivodeship, also known as the Mazovia Province ( pl, województwo mazowieckie ) is a voivodeship (province) in east-central Poland, with its capital located in the city of Warsaw, which also serves as the capital of the country. Th ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

and located within the territory of the Młochowskie Forests. Town status – since 1 January 1969. The town also has the status of gmina, meaning "commune". Population – ca. 4000. Founded in 1925. On 1 September 1939 bombs fell on Podkowa Leśna that the

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

had intended for

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

. On 17 January 1945 the Soviets entered Podkowa Leśna. Located in a beautiful setting not far from Warsaw, the town has an interesting collection of villas dating back to the interwar period, along with newly built modern family homes and mansions. Forests surround the city on three sides from the east, south, and north. Peacocks freely wonder around the town. It is considered by some to be "Warsaw's bedroom" given its relaxing, natural environment and close proximity to the capital of Poland, Warsaw. The town was designed in 1925 by Anthony Jawornicki and is based on the principles of the

Garden city movement The garden city movement was a 20th century urban planning movement promoting satellite communities surrounding the central city and separated with greenbelts. These Garden Cities would contain proportionate areas of residences, industry, and ...

. Its growth was aided by the construction of the

Warsaw Commuter Railway Warsaw Commuter Railway ( pl, Warszawska Kolej Dojazdowa, WKD) is a light rail commuter line in Poland's capital city of Warsaw. The line, together with its two branches, links Warsaw with the municipalities of Michałowice, Pruszków, Brwinów, ...

in 1927 which has 3 stations located in the town. Due to the town being served by this light railway line, it is easily accessed from central Warsaw. It is historically has attracted residents from the arts, culture and politics and is increasingly popular with wealthy professionals and business people. The town is one of the wealthiest in Poland.

Town Layout

There is a small town centre consisting of numerous amenities such as a church, bank, post office, wine shop, numerous delicatessens, police station, veterinarian and numerous restaurants. Just beyond the edge of the forest to the North West is a modern shopping centre called "Galeria Podkowa". There are 3 schools in the town, junior, primary and high school. File:PodkwaLeśnaM.png, Horseshoe street layout and large forest to the south File:PODKOWA LEŚNA 02 Urząd Miasta.jpg, Offices for the Town Council File:Church in Podkowa Leśna IMG 20191216 093714982 HDR.jpg, St Christopher Church File:Restaurant in Podkowa Lesna 2020.jpg, A restaurant in Podkowa Leśna File:Podkowa Lesna Main Station 2020.jpg, The main station in Podkowa Lesna on the WKD line

Popular Culture

The 2021 movie "In For a Murder" was set in Podkowa Leśna

Smart City

In 2018, Podkowa Leśna was selected as an model Orange Smart City. Fibre to the property FTTP is available to residents and offers speeds of up to 1GB/s

Gallery

File:Typical Large Plot Property in Podkowa Lesna.jpg, Typical large plot property in Podkowa Leśna File:Podkowa Lesna house-2.jpg, A villa in Podkowa Leśna File:08.05.18 Podkowa Leśna Główna EN100-03 (40386847700).jpg, WKD train heading off to Warsaw File:Podkowa Lesna street.jpg, Street in Podkowa Leśna File:Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz, Jerzy Rytard, Anna Iwaszkiewiczowa, Jerzy Liebert in Podkowa Leśna, 1925.jpg,

Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz Jarosław Leon Iwaszkiewicz, also known under his literary pseudonym Eleuter (20 February 1894 – 2 March 1980), was a Polish writer, poet, essayist, dramatist and translator.Bartłomiej Szleszyński, Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz. 2003 Culture.plJaros ...

, Jerzy Rytard, Anna Iwaszkiewiczowa, Jerzy Liebert in Podkowa Leśna, 1925 File:Podkowa Lesna side street with mature trees.jpg, side street with mature trees File:Podkowa Lesna Palacyk Kasyno.jpg, Side street with mature trees File:Sledding in Poland Kulig Podkowa Lesna, 2010.webm,

Sledding Sledding, sledging or sleighing is a winter sport typically carried out in a prone or seated position on a vehicle generically known as a sled (North American), a sledge (British), or a sleigh. It is the basis of three Olympic sports: luge, sk ...

in Podkowa Leśna, Feb., 2010 File:Church in Podkowa Leśna IMG 20191216 093738523 HDR.jpg, Grounds of the Church

References

External links